Marten Falls First Nation (MFFN) Community Access Road
November 2022 update
Current and upcoming activities
Welcome to the Marten Falls First Nation (MFFN) Community Access Road November E-Blast with updates on current and upcoming activities.
This E-Blast features:
Public Information Centre #4
Join us at Public Information Centre #4 for updates and information on the upcoming Effects Assessment Methods Milestone. This will be an opportunity to meet the team in Thunder Bay and Geraldton, learn more about the planning process and share your feedback, ideas and values related to the proposed all season access road. The event will be an open house format and refreshments will be available.
Wednesday, December 7, 2022
Best Western Plus Nor’Wester Hotel & Conference Centre
2nd Floor (Room: Pointe Du Meuron)
2080 Hwy 61
Thunder Bay, Ontario
5:00* – 8:00 p.m.
Thursday, December 8, 2022
Geraldton Community Centre
200 Wardrope Avenue
Geraldton, Ontario
4:00* – 7:00 p.m.
*The first hour of each meeting is reserved for Indigenous community members only. The public, including Indigenous communities, are invited to join beginning one hour following the reserved time.
Community Access Road Webinar Series
Thank you to everyone who joined our first webinar on Animals and Wildlife (specifically moose (mooz), caribou (atik) and furbearers) on November 15. The recording is now available here.
Our next webinar will be on Surface Water, Fish and Fish Habitat on Tuesday November 29 at 4 p.m. EST! Register here.
Visit the Project Website regularly for updates on upcoming webinars: https://www.martenfallsaccessroad.ca/get-involved/#car-webinar
Field Studies Updates
Our field crews have completed most of the 2022 field studies. The Groundwater and Geochemistry Monitoring Testing and Sampling Program has been extended until December 2022 and is our last scheduled field study in 2022.
Upcoming Winter Field Study Updates
We have three field study updates*:
- Bird Autonomous Recording Unit Program will take approximately four field days and will occur between January and February 2023.
- Ungulate Aerial Winter Surveys will occur in January or February 2023 for approximately two weeks. Helicopter surveys will occur at the same time as the airplane surveys for an approximately one-week period.
- Furbearer Ground Tracking will take approximately 11 field days and is dependent on snowfall. The program is expected to take place from February to March 2023.
- The Wolverine Hair Snag Surveys consist of an approximately nine-day trip to setup hair snag stations before February 15, 2023, and then another six-day trip every month to re-bait the stations until the end of May 2023.
Check out the related field program notices, watch videos and fill out Discussion Guides.
*Timelines and programs are approximate and may shift; we will provide updates as required.
If you have any questions, comments or feedback on the planned studies, we would like to hear from you (contact information below).
Timeline Extension Request for the Impact Statement
The Community Access Road Project is subject to a federal Impact Assessment, which requires an Impact Statement within three years of the Notice of Commencement of the Impact Assessment. The Project has requested a 3.5-year extension, which would shift the dates from February 24, 2023 to July 24, 2026. The Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC) will be notifying Indigenous communities and the public about this extension request and will provide an opportunity to review the request and provide comment. Information on this request can be found here: https://iaac-aeic.gc.ca/050/evaluations/proj/80184?culture=en-CA
If you have any questions, please contact IAAC directly.
Stay Connected!
Please contact us at any time with questions or comments, or to schedule a meeting. Meetings can be arranged in-person in any community (adhering to health and safety protocols as required), in the Thunder Bay area, or online. We want to hear what you have to say!
Questions or comments? Contact us at 1-800-764-9114 or info@martenfallsaccessroad.ca.
Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MFFNCommunityAccessRoadProject/
