Whitesand First Nation

The Whitesand First Nation is an Ojibwa First Nation in Northern Ontario. They have reserved for themselves the 249 ha Whitesand reserve. The community of Armstrong Settlement is their main community, located coterminously with Armstrong, Thunder Bay District, Ontario. In June of 2008, their total registered population was 1086 people, of which their on-reserve population was 311.

Originally located along the northwest shore of Lake Nipigon near Mount St. John, Whitesand First Nation was without a home since 1942 when high water levels began eroding the shoreline and flooding out their buildings and burial grounds. Due to the economic influence of the Canadian National Railway, many Whitesand First Nation members settled along the CNR rail line. Largest of these settlements took place in Armstrong. Consequently, when a new Reserve was negotiated, it was located immediately north of that community.

Whitesand is policed by the Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service, an Aboriginal based service.

Governance

The current electoral leadership of the council consists of Chief Allan Gustufson and six councillors: Barbara Doblej, Jim Doblej, Raymond Kwandibens, Yvette Kwandibens-Toset, Wayne Matchiendagos and James Nayanookeesic. Their term began on October 27, 2007.

The First Nation is part of the Independent First Nations Alliance of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation, though Whitesand First Nation is located within the Robinson Superior Treaty area.

Official address

Whitesand First Nation
PO Box 68
Armstrong, ON P0T 1A0
:Phone: [phone]
:Fax: [phone]

External links

* [http://pse2-esd2.ainc-inac.gc.ca/FNProfiles/FNProfiles_Details.asp?Band_Number=190 INAC profile]
* [http://www.chiefs-of-ontario.org/profiles/pr_whitesand.html Chiefs of Ontario profile]
* [http://firstnation.ca/whitesand FirstNation.ca profile]