FROG LAKE – Frog Lake First Nations acting CAO and Chief Operating Officer William Quinney joined Elk Point Mayor Parrish Tung and town council on line at last week’s regular council meeting to share some big changes coming to the First Nation.
The first of these has already begun, with upgrades to Highway 897 starting last September, with in and out lanes at the main intersection, reduced speed zones and safety lighting for emergency vehicles turning onto the highway from their own access point, street lighting and walking paths, and a full resurfacing program coming the following year.
Site preparation for a new public works building is tied into the highway upgrade as the equipment yard and lay down for the highway project, at the same time allowing preparation of land around the existing Quonset huts for the new building which will include use of hemp blocks made in Elk Point for both its pony walls and a 20’x20’ storage shed.
What Quinney calls “A one stop shop for support services” for FLFN members is next on the list. It will be “a calming area outside the hustle and bustle of the Nation where families can reconnect, experience something new and spend the day.” It includes an equestrian centre, now under construction, an equipment shed and five reunification homes on the borders of the area, using hemp products.
A new water treatment plant will be located south of the Careers sports ground, with a lift station on a former CNRL lease, and is currently 30 per cent completed.
A feasibility study will start May 1 for a retrofit of the current powwow arbour with plans to enclose the entire structure using hemp blocks and add heating and air conditioning to make it usable year round for gatherings, meetings and cultural events, with the project, slated for 2027 completion.
With the concept approved, Quinney told Mayor Tung and council that Frog Lake’s chief and council have now given their nod to moving ahead with the next steps, including a business plan and stakeholder development for an interpretive centre and museum constructed from hemp blocks, which will showcase Frog Lake’s history and will include artifacts that had left the area in times past but have been located and will be returned.
Feasibility studies are also underway for an innovation centre and hemp hotel, a health centre and a daycare centre, all geared to improve life for the residents of FLFN.
Quinney noted that with Elk Point’s involvement in the hemp block facility, other First Nations are interested in using the products as well and feels this will increase in the future.
The mayor expressed his vision for a future where there is an educational institution where youth from all the First Nations are trained in the building trades and can use their skills to build homes for their residents.
Clifton Cross also joined the meeting online and added his thoughts on the projects, adding that it is possible for First Nations in Canada to work with their neighbours south of the border and find new markets for the hemp products in these markets.
“It’s just getting started.”
The relationship with Elk Point will continue into the future, and although Mayor Tung is not running for reelection this fall, Cross assured him that even when he is no longer on council, “As an elected official or not, you will always be part of the family of Frog Lake.”
