THUNDER BAY — The Chiefs of Ontario launched its three-day Fall Chiefs Assembly on Tuesday with agenda topics health equity, the Ontario Mining Act and child and family services.
Much of Tuesday’s proceedings was taken up by a closed session on the nationwide settlement on child and family services that was approved by a Chiefs of Ontario assembly in October and then rejected at an Assembly of First Nations gathering in Calgary.
Red Rock Indian Band Chief Allan Odawa Jr., who became chief in April, said it’s “still a learning experience meeting all the chiefs on this level.”
A key focus is “what's going to happen for, like, the next seven generations,” he said. “We have to think about our future, our kids, our great-grandkids and so on.”
Fort William First Nation Chief Michele Solomon, elected in May 2023, said “it's really great to come together with other chiefs and discuss important issues.”
Wednesday’s agenda at a Thunder Bay hotel includes an address by National Chief Cindy Woodhouse and a closed session on enforcement and prosecution of First Nations laws.
