MNO signs General Relationship Agreement with Municipality of Greenstone
(Left to right) MNO Thunder Bay Métis Council representative Jo-Anne Hamelin, PCMNO Region 2
Councillor Cam Burgess, Mayor Renald Y. Beaulieu of the Municipality of Greenstone, MNO
President Gary Lipinski, MNO Superior North Shore Métis Council President Trent Desaulniers and
MNO Greenstone Métis Council President William Gordon. Photo MNO
September 25, the Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) and the Municipality of Greenstone signed a General Relationship Agreement which will govern their interactions going forward. The agreement was signed in Thunder Bay by MNO President Gary Lipinski and Mayor Renald Y. Beaulieu of the Municipality of Greenstone.
Created in 2001, the Municipality of Greenstone is located north east of Thunder Bay and includes 3,173 square kilometers, making it one of the largest municipalities in Canada. It is an amalgamation of the former towns of Geraldton and Longlac as well as the former townships of Nakina and Beardmore.
The General Relationship Agreement established the basis for mutually beneficial and cooperative engagements and working relationships between the MNO and Greenstone. It provides the basis for Greenstone to learn more about Métis rights and interests and how these may be impacted by future projects undertaken by Greenstone. It also outlines the mechanisms that will enable members of the Métis community to benefit from and participate in Greenstone’s future plans and projects.
“The MNO is always looking to work together with other governments,” explained MNO President Lipinski, “and so we are very pleased to be entering into this agreement with the Municipality of Greenstone, which is very much a major player in the economic development that is taking place in Northwestern Ontario. This will undoubtedly prove a positive arrangement for both MNO citizens and other residents of Greenstone.”
The General Relationship Agreement with Greenstone is the latest in a series of agreements made between the MNO and other governments, industry proponents and post-secondary institutions starting with the first MNO-Ontario Framework Agreement signed in 2008 and renewed early this year. “It is through these types of agreements,” stated President Lipinski, “that we are building stronger Métis communities in Ontario.”
Also signing the agreement on behalf of the MNO were PCMNO Region 2 Councillor Cam Burgess, MNO Thunder Bay Métis Council representative Jo-Anne Hamelin, MNO Greenstone Métis Council President William Gordon and MNO Superior North Shore Métis Council President Trent Desaulniers.
