Who are the Bonnechere Algonquin First Nation, or BAFN?
To the uninformed or less-informed eye, the title suggests an aboriginal group of some sort, more than likely a First Nation. The word Bonnechere suggests a group who calls elements of, or the entirety of the Bonnechere River watershed their home, their ancestral home. And if you’re from around this part of the 613, you might understandably conclude that they have some affiliation with, or are actually part of the Algonquins of Golden Lake, or Pikwakanagan.
And although BAFN and Pikwakanagan are both listed as members of the AOO, or Algonquins of Ontario, the two barely talk to one another, if at all. Phone calls to the Band leadership in Golden Lake were initially warm and friendly, until I mentioned BAFN as my point of enquiry.
There’s been no communication since.
So who are these mystery people and what’s the reason for my interest in them?
First, they’re not Algonquin in the sense that Pikwakanagan Algonquins are, in that they’re unrecognized and non-status. They were once known as the Bonnechere Métis Association, which seems to accurately reflect the fact that they advertise themselves as being comprised of status and non-status membership.
The Métis and other First Nations are not on the greatest of terms politically, for a couple of reasons. One, fully recognized status communities view the Métis as a a competitive draw on the funding that’s available to First Nations generally. They’re not necessarily recognized as being fully-blooded Indigenous, which Is a problem for mixed-race peoples around the world. Secondly, a fairly recent court decision allowed the Métis to hunt and harvest on lands traditionally claimed by other First Nations, and like many organizations, those Indigenous groups aren’t terribly keen on Venn diagrams where “interlopers” are allowed ancestral rights on lands that they, themselves, claim.
When it comes to land claim negotiations with the province, the Algonquin people are represented by an umbrella group called the Algonquins of Ontario, a grouping of ten Algonquin or Algonquin-derived entities. it’s interesting to note that the negotiating team for AOO consists of a single member from nine of the groups, plus the entire band council and chief of Pikwakanagan, formerly known as the Algonquins of Golden Lake. The fact that the BAFN group has a single representative as compared to the several from Golden Lake speaks volumes as to their own status and lack of prominence within the broader aboriginal community.
These are our dance partners with respect to the Ma-Te-Way expansion?
You can go to their website, because they indeed have one, although it’s not the most functional or informative online presence ever. It’s kept up-to-date, if you consider an announcement for the annual Christmas dinner/party to be held early last December, to be current information just three-and-a-half months after the fact. Santa was supposed to show up but there’s no mention if he did.
So it seems all roads lead back to Ma-Te-Way, and this road is no different. As part of the ins-and-outs, the ups-and-downs, and the side-to-sides of that great renovation and construction endeavour, a grant of $9 million was approved to go towards the project. The partners in the grant, collaborators if you will, are the Bonnechere Algonquin First Nation and the Town of Renfrew. A beautiful example of what I refer to as a piggy-bank grant application, where two or more entities team up to better their chances to gain grant funding they may not have been successful obtaining had they acted alone. As the Town of Renfrew is not an aboriginal entity, and since a First Nations-specific grant would be out of their reach, hey would have to find a willing First-Nations partner.
To the credit of the partners, they were successful, and the money flowed, and that’s why fully 25% of Ma-Te-Way is now taken up by an aboriginal presence, complete with exterior signage and a Medicine Wheel.
I always thought it odd that a First Nation of any type would participate financially in a project where, at the same time, the Indigenous “Ma-Te-Way” was being sold out to a radio station that seems to punch well above its weight. But I suppose when you’re dealing with other lightweights, that kind of thing can happen.
So intrigued was I that I went out to visit the BAFN folks, to do a story on who they are and what they’re all about, and how they feel about moving into a spectacular new complex, albeit under the umbrella name of an opportunistic radio business with an opportunistic leadership.
I showed up at the door. It was locked. I knocked, just to say that I made the effort, but nothing moved in there, although there was an impressive canoe / totem pole display in the lobby. Very impressive, despite totems being mostly a west coast Native thing, but I quibble.
It appeared nobody was home on this week-day afternoon. I walked around to the main part of the complex and asked an employee when a good time might be to come back to see the BAFN folks. He said that he’s never actually seen the BAFN folks, which I found a little odd since the place isn’t that big to not notice the Indigenous presence, coupled with the fact that those rink rats know everything, just like custodians and secretaries in schools.
He thought they might actually be attempting to sub-let the place.
I know the Zamboni driver doesn’t articulate Town of Renfrew policy by any means, as the town has enough difficulty with that all on their own. So it’s not like I’m going to hold this guy to his word or anything, but Geez-Louise, doesn’t this seem a bit weird?
I dropped by again yesterday, and the door was locked and lights out again, only this time a sign indicated that BAFN was a totally volunteer-run organization, and that the Indigenous cultural space would only be opened by appointment.
BAFN was instrumental in obtaining an Indigenous-specific grant from the federal government, and now it’s like they’re not even in the place, despite the Medicine Wheel.
So, with all due respect to the volunteers and membership of BAFN, what exactly was the benefit to the Town of Renfrew through grant collaboration with this group? Honestly, if we’re a town that’s gone all-in on reconciliation, then that’s awesome, and I’m super proud. And to have such a component as part of our Ma-Te-Way expansion is pretty cool too, other than the fact that they tore down the name Ma-Te-Way at the same time as they were reconciling, which is a kind of a left-hand-right-hand proposition, with neither knowing what the other is up to.
Just a question if I may.
Did the entirety of the grant get absorbed by the costs of the Indigenous Cultural Centre, or were funds remaining that were applied to other aspects of the expansion? I mean, I’ve heard that $9 million plus is a lot of money, and I just have this nagging feeling of some carnival hucksterism possibly happening, as in did the Town need some of that grant money to soften the financial blow that they knew was coming? With all the other hijinks that were part of this chaotic project, one just never knows how far and how deep the silliness extended.
Just wondering, but does intentional misrepresentation on a grant application carry any consequence?
We now have the Indigenous Cultural Centre, and it looks impressive despite nobody I know of having seen the inside, although I suppose you could by appointment if you met any conditions they may have. Nevertheless, it strikes me as a bit of overkill for that much space, office or cultural, to be built for an organization that has only volunteers running it and can be accessed by appointment only, and that’s dependent upon them giving you an appointment.
And so we have a renovated and expanded facility, but one where fully 25% of it is inaccessible to the general public, and mostly exists behind a closed and locked door, and one might suppose a good deal of empty office space.
Greater mysteries have grown out of less.
A $9 million dollar Indigenous-specific grant with no indigenous presence on the ground, outside of a canoe and an appropriated totem pole?
Agatha Christie, where are you now?
NEWSMAGRENFREW 