About the All-Season Community Access Road
Marten Falls First Nation (MFFN) is a remote First Nation community in northern Ontario, located at the junction of the Albany and Ogoki rivers. MFFN has a winter access road but it isn’t reliable and makes transportation of goods and people difficult. A multi-purpose all-season road access connecting MFFN to the existing provincial highway network is needed to improve the well-being of the community and builds on decades of previous planning work.
MFFN has started a provincial environmental assessment, preliminary design study and federal impact assessment for the proposed Community Access Road.
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Message from the Chief
What It Means to Have an Access Road
Marten Falls First Nation (MFFN) is proud to have come this far with a community access road Environmental Assessment (EA). MFFN has completed a number of road studies but none have matched the present access road EA project in scale or potential.
MFFN now embarks on a journey where we look forward to a brighter future because of access to the provincial highway system. We look to a future where MFFN members and youth can begin to feel we have a rightful place in this resource rich country we call Canada.
The access road will offer MFFN the opportunity to grow as a community but also be part of the social and economic fabric of the region and country.
Progress of a community access road will mean the MFFN community can begin to forge partnerships with businesses and governments to grow social and economic development opportunities. MFFN will begin to plan the next steps of exploring business opportunities such as mines, forestry operations and tourism.
Opportunities will mean more training and jobs for youth in the region. Our members in the near-future will both be able to work from their home community and go spend or save their hard-earned money at the nearest urban centres.
The road will allow for the continuation of our people on the land because our people will be able to access the lands and waters at a fraction of the price it is now for transportation.
Presently, many of our members, especially the youth, have migrated to the cities and towns in search of a better life. It only makes sense that they get a chance at a better life right in their own territory. To repatriate our membership and youth; to continue to work and steward the lands, waters and resources as our ancestors did will be meaningful.
Bruce Achneepineskum
Chief Bruce Achneepineskum
on behalf of Marten Falls First Nation Council
Community Testimonials
“A road to Marten Falls would be great because people could afford to go back there and not have to decide between paying bills or seeing family.” – Mya Autumn Baxter
“The community access road is a positive step. I cannot wait to see when this road becomes a reality. Community members will have the liberty to come and go whenever they please. It’s an opportunity for whole families to leave the community and visit their relatives who reside outside of Marten Falls. With climate change, the winter road has become very unreliable and often times community members are unable to transport fuel, construction materials and other heavy goods.
The community access road will also bring food security and affordable housing to community members and lower the cost of living overall. It has been a long time coming!
If we work together we will get this road done!” – Lawrence Baxter
