Cross Lake First Nation ( cr, ᐱᒥᒋᑲᒫᐠ ᓃᐦᐃᖬᐑ, pimicikamâk nîhithawî, lit=Cree of the Lake that lies Athwart or ' 'Otter People') is a band of Cree

First Nations First Nations or first peoples may refer to: * Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area. Indigenous groups *First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including: ** First Nat ...

people in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

governed under the

Indian Act The ''Indian Act'' (, long name ''An Act to amend and consolidate the laws respecting Indians'') is a Canadian act of Parliament that concerns registered Indians, their bands, and the system of Indian reserves. First passed in 1876 and still ...

. Its membersR.S., 1985, c. I-5, s. 7: "There shall be maintained in accordance with this Act for each band a Band List in which shall be entered the name of every person who is a member of that band." occupy several reserves within the town of Cross Lake situated on the east shore of Cross Lake in the province of

Manitoba , image_map = Manitoba in Canada 2.svg , map_alt = Map showing Manitoba's location in the centre of Southern Canada , Label_map = yes , coordinates = , capital = Win ...

. In October 2008, its recorded

registered Registered may refer to: * Registered mail, letters, packets or other postal documents considered valuable and in need of a chain of custody * Registered trademark symbol, symbol ® that provides notice that the preceding is a trademark or service ...

membership was 6,969, of which 4,953 people of this First Nation lived on their reserve. Cross Lake is the principal community of the

Pimicikamak Pimicikamak is the namethe Anglicized version of its collective name. of one of the Cree-speaking aboriginal peoples of Canada.It is also referred to erroneously as Pimicikamak Cree Nation. Pimicikamak is "a people of rivers and lakes. The tradit ...

indigenous people Indigenous peoples are culturally distinct ethnic groups whose members are directly descended from the earliest known inhabitants of a particular geographic region and, to some extent, maintain the language and culture of those original people ...

that made

treaty A treaty is a formal, legally binding written agreement between actors in international law. It is usually made by and between sovereign states, but can include international organizations, individuals, business entities, and other legal perso ...

with

the British Crown The Crown is the state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, overseas territories, provinces, or states). Legally ill-defined, the term has different ...

in 1875. Its indigenous language is

Woods Cree Woods Cree is an indigenous language spoken in Northern Manitoba, Northern Saskatchewan and Northern Alberta, Canada. It is part of the Cree-Montagnais-Naskapi dialect continuum. The dialect continuum has around 116,000 speakers; the exact popu ...

. Cross Lake was the site of a residential school operated under Canada's assimilation policy. In 2008, Prime Minister

Stephen Harper Stephen Joseph Harper (born April 30, 1959) is a Canadian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015. Harper is the first and only prime minister to come from the modern-day Conservative Party of Canada, ...

apologized for the damage caused by this policy. In March 2016, Cross Lake appeared in the national news after its officials declared a state of emergency because of an epidemic of suicides. The Canadian Press reported that there had been "six suicides in the last two months", and band councillor Donnie McKay said the community "is traumatized and needs immediate help from the provincial and federal governments".

Demographics

As of August 2014 Cross Lake First Nation had a total registered membership of 8,034 with 5,642 members living on-reserve.

Governance

Under the

, Cross Lake First Nation has a municipal government with a Band Council. Since 1999, the Band Council is no longer elected under the ''

''. The Executive Council of

sits '' ex officio'' as the Council of the Band but continues to be the agent of the Minister of Indian Affairs for delivering programs to band members on reserve.

Chief and Council

Chief and Councillors are appointed under the Custom Electoral System. In their council a quorum of 5 members is needed. ;Chief * Chief Cathy Merrick ** Principle Spokesperson of the Nation ** Primary Intergovernmental Affairs ** Government Relations ** International Relations ;Council * Councillor ** Northern Flood Agreement *** All Northern Flood Agreement Claims/Matters ** Reserve Lands ** Natural Resources :Member of the ''Financial Management Board'' :Executive Council Relations * Councillor ** Justice Restoration ** Justice *** Band Constables *** RCMP *** Courts *** Corrections ** Gaming ** Elders Council Liaison * Councillor ** Housing ** Education ** Culture & Heritage ** Cree Language * Councillor Donnie Mckay ** Health ** Economic Development ** Public Works ** Highways & Transportation ** Midnorth Development Corporation ** Ponton ** Arena Trust :Member of the ''Financial Management Board'' * Councillor ** Communications *** MCTV *** CFNC *** Cell Phone/Internet ** Taxation ** Recreation ** Youth Council Liaison ** Men's Wellness * Councillor Shirley Robinson ** Finance ** Band Administration ** Pathways ** Employmnet & Training ** Mining :Chair of the ''Financial Management Board'' * Councillor ** Aboriginal Headstart Program ** Day Care ** Muchipuniwin Program ** PCN Campaign ** Women's Council Liaison * Councillor Grace Ross ** Welfare ** Old Folks Home ** Awasis Agency (Cross Lake) ** Membership/Citizenship ** PCN Laws Amendments ** New Proposed PCN Laws

Reserves

Cross Lake First Nation have reserved for themselves several tracts of land as their reserve holdings. Their largest reserve is the Cross Lake 19 Reserve. Associated with this reserve are: * Cross Lake 19A Reserve * Cross Lake 19B Reserve * Cross Lake 19C Reserve * Cross Lake 19D Reserve * Cross Lake 19E Reserve * Cross Lake 19X01 Reserve * Cross Lake 19X02 Reserve * Cross Lake 19X03 Reserve * Cross Lake 19X05 Reserve * Cross Lake 19X06 Reserve * Whiskeyjack Reserve

Community

Cross Lake, Manitoba Cross Lake is the name of two closely related, adjoining but independent communities in the Canadian province of Manitoba. One of the Cross Lakes is the Cross Lake Indian Reserve (Pimicikamak Cree) of the Cross Lake First Nation where the main ...

is the principal community for the Cross Lake First Nation. Other major communities for the First Nation are: * Pikwitonei, Manitoba * Thicket Portage, Manitoba * Wabowden, Manitoba

Child protection

Cross Lake was the site of a residential school operated under Canada's aboriginal assimilation policy. In 2008, Prime Minister Stephen Harper apologized for the "profoundly negative" consequences of this policy. Cross Lake has its own child welfare mandate and operates under the name Nikan Awasisak Agency Inc. with sub offices both in Thompson and

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749 ...

for aboriginal child protection on reserve.

Highway connection

Cross Lake is the only community in north-eastern Manitoba that is connected to the North American highway system by all-weather road via the C$24 M Kichi Sipi Bridge, which the Province of Manitoba built after losing a lawsuit.
accessed 5 September 2008./

Education

The Cross Lake Education Authority is legally part of the Cross Lake First Nation but is operated by an independent elected Board. It runs two schools on the Cross Lake First Nation's reserves. Otter Nelson River School is a Sr. 1-4 High School and also an Elementary school (N-4). Mikisew Middle School is a school with grades 5-8.

Notes

External links

AANDC profileMap of Cross Lake 19 at StatcanMap of Cross Lake 19A at StatcanMap of Cross Lake 19E at Statcan
{{MBDivision22 First Nations governments in Manitoba Cree governments