ABOUT THE ALL-SEASON COMMUNITY ACCESS ROAD

Marten Falls First Nation is a remote First Nation community led by an elected Chief and Council, located in the Far North of Ontario at the junction of the Albany and Ogoki Rivers, approximately 170 km northeast of Nakina, Ontario and 430 km northeast of Thunder Bay.

The Community Access Road is a proposed all-season road that will connect Marten Falls First Nation to Ontario’s provincial highway network in the south, increasing access, helping foster economic development and improving quality of life for community members.

The Community Access Road is a separate project from the Northern Road Link and Webequie Supply Road projects.

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Draft Environmental Assessment / Impact Statement

Review the Draft Environmental Assessment / Impact Statement and supporting documents. Learn about how the preferred route was selected, and how the proposed Community Access Road may affect the social, cultural, economic and natural environment.

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March E-blast

Stay up to date on the latest news and upcoming in-person and online engagement activities.

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New Webinar: Building the Community Access Road

Learn about the Preferred Route and what’s next in the process for building the Community Access Road.

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An aerial photo of Marten Falls First Nation and a river.
An aerial photo of Marten Falls First Nation and a river.
An aerial photo of Marten Falls First Nation and a river.
Environmental Assessment
News /
Upcoming Events

July 2024 Update – Check out the latest updates for the Community Access Road

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Environmental Assessment
News /
Upcoming Events

Summer 2024 Field Notice – Geotechnical investigations for aggregate sites and water crossings will begin this summer. Phase 1 activities are expected to begin mid-July

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Environmental Assessment
News /
Upcoming Events

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Marten Falls First Nation Chief, Bruce Achneepineskum.

Message from the chief

Bruce Achneepineskum

Chief
on behalf of Marten Falls First Nation Council

“Marten Falls First Nation has been committed to advancing its vision of building a sustainable and thriving community in the north. Developing a road that connects our remote northern community to the provincial highway network and the rest of Ontario is a key element of this vision. After years of effort, we have reached the point where a Preferred Route for the Marten Falls Community Access Road has been selected. This is a major milestone for Marten Falls First Nation as we continue to make progress towards the development of the Community Access Road. Our community looks forward to continuing our conversation with neighbouring First Nations and other stakeholders on our Preferred Route, on other next steps in the EA/IS process and on further advancing our vision and development goals.”

What We've Heard 

Stay up to date on our field programs and scheduling

Celebrating the Preferred Route

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Councillor and Senior Community Member Advisor, Bob Baxter shares the latest updates on the route recommendation and the role of community input

Marten Falls First Nation in the News

A photo of a helicopter landed on the grass beside a river.

Doug Ford’s full-speed-ahead approach to build a Ring of Fire road and mine more critical minerals compelled a council of northwestern Ontario chiefs to tap the brakes on the premier’s enthusiasm.

Province needs to cast the net wide on Ring of Fire consultation, says Marten Falls chief

A photo of a helicopter landed on the grass beside a river.

An area destroyed by fire in 2023 will be regenerated in a collaboration that includes the private sector and the First Nations group that manages the forest.

 

 

 

Feds announce $900K for planting trees in the Ogoki Forest

A photo of a helicopter landed on the grass beside a river.

Chief Bruce Achneepineskum understands that there are both concerns and opportunities related to the Community Access Road and recognizes the importance of a transparent and holistic planning process. Read his column in Northern Ontario Business here:

Column: Leading our own prosperity: What are we doing in our territory? - Northern Ontario Business

Community Testimonials

“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!

Lawrence Baxter

“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

“Our life is very different compared to the push button world outside. Yet we enjoy where we are. We love this place which has absolutely no resources for our people. But, yet, still, we have survived. We have figured it out in-house. We can survive it all. We have become strong as a Nation because of our hardships.”

Pearl Achneepineskum

“The all-season access road will provide cheaper costs of food, gas and travel. However, I do fear the access to our community will threaten our way of life as well. There will be a lot of people using the road for tourism, hunting and accessing the Albany River. There is good and bad. Building a road will also have an impact on the untouched land we have up here too.”

Delia Okeese

“Road access will benefit people with cost of living, transportation for people to come in and out. Perhaps create more jobs for people in the long run.”

Norma Achneepineskum

“The Community Access Road will make it possible for people (members) to bring loved ones home to be buried as it is too expensive to use the plane.”

Rosie Achneepineskum

“The road should be built because it will be easier to get affordable food up north. It will also make constructing houses and buildings more affordable.”

Judy Slipperjack

“There are thousands of roads in Canada that benefit a lot of people. I understand environment assessments need to be done, but it seems to take forever. I want our all-season road to be a priority.”

Vida Baxter