St. Theresa Point First Nation (
Oji-Cree
The Oji-Cree are a First Nation in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba, residing in a narrow band extending from the Missinaibi River region in Northeastern Ontario at the east to Lake Winnipeg at the west.
The Oji-Cree people are des ...
: Minithayinikam) is a
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 Natio ...
community in
northern Manitoba
Northern Manitoba (also known as NorMan or Nor-Man) is a geographic and cultural List of regions of Manitoba, region of the Provinces and Territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. Originally encompassing a small square around the Red ...
. It has 3
reserves in total, the largest and most populated of which is St. Theresa Point, which is bordered by the unorganized portion of
Division No. 22, Manitoba
Division No. 22, also informally known as Thompson-North Central, is a List of census divisions of Manitoba, census division within the Provinces and territories of Canada, Province of Manitoba, Canada. Unlike in some other provinces, census divi ...
, and by the
Wasagamack First Nation Wasagamack First Nation (Oji-cree: ᐗᓴᑲᒪᐣᐠ, ''meaning: At the Bay'') is an Oji-Cree First Nation band government in Manitoba, Canada. As of December 2014 the registered population of the Wasagamack First Nation was 2,017, of which 1,823 l ...
.
The reserve is only accessible by
airplane
An airplane or aeroplane (informally plane) is a fixed-wing aircraft that is propelled forward by thrust from a jet engine, propeller, or rocket engine. Airplanes come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and wing configurations. The broad spe ...
or
winter
Winter is the coldest season of the year in polar and temperate climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the Sun. Different cultures ...
ice road
An ice road or ice bridge is a human-made structure that runs on a frozen water surface (a river, a lake or a sea water expanse).Masterson, D. and Løset, S., 2011, ISO 19906: Bearing capacity of ice and ice roads, Proceedings of the 21st Inte ...
s (which continue north towards
Garden Hill, and southwest towards
Manigotagan, with a branch leading towards
Berens River
The Berens River is a river in the provinces of Manitoba and Ontario, Canada. It flows west from an unnamed lake in Kenora District, Ontario, and discharges its waters into Lake Winnipeg near the community and First Nation of Berens River, Manit ...
). The community is served by the nearby
St. Theresa Point Airport. It has a local educational institution, St Theresa Point Regional Centre, with courses offered by the
University College of the North
University College of the North (UCN) is a post-secondary institution located in Northern Manitoba, Canada. UCN has a student body of approximately 2,400 annually, and a staff of approximately 400. The Chancellor of UCN is Edwin Jebb.
History
...
and
Assiniboine Community College
Assiniboine Community College (ACC) is a Canadian community college in the province of Manitoba. It is accredited by the Manitoba Council on Post-Secondary Education, which was created by the government of Manitoba.
The Victoria Avenue East and ...
.
Demographics
The community had a population of 2,871 in the Canada census of 2011 an increase of 9.1% from a 2006 population of 2,632. The median age was 20.1. The population density was 18.7 per km2 and the land area was 153.38 km2. There are 478 housing units within the community.
St. Theresa Point First Nation
St. Theresa Point First Nation is the
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 Natio ...
located at the center of St. Theresa Point.
St. Theresa Point First Nation once belonged to the
Island Lake band,
who, on 13 August 1909, became a signatory of
Treaty 5
''Treaty Five'' is a treaty that was first established in September, 1875, between Queen Victoria and Saulteaux and Swampy Cree non-treaty band governments and peoples around Lake Winnipeg in the District of Keewatin.
A written text is include ...
. In 1969, Island Lake split into four separate communities with their own separate administrations:
Garden Hill,
Wasagamack
Wasagamack or Waasagomach is a community in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It is a settlement of the Wasagamack First Nation located on the western shore of Island Lake on Waasagomach Bay north of St. Theresa Point
St. Theresa Point First ...
,
Red Sucker Lake
Red Sucker Lake is a lake in the northeastern part of Manitoba, Canada, near its border with Ontario. It has a surface area of approximately . Adjacent to the lake is the Red Sucker Lake First Nation and the community of Red Sucker Lake, Manitoba ...
, and St. Theresa Point First Nations.
Today, the 4 communities have a
Tribal Council, called
Island Lake Tribal Council
An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...
, to collaborate on common interests.
In 2011, the Island Lake communities (including St. Theresa Point FN) had a combined population of 7,120.
As of December 2014, the First Nation had a registered population of 4,069, out of which 3,795 lived on their own reserve. The First Nation has a Custom Electoral System and is governed by an elected Chief and eight councillors. Along with Island Lake Tribal Council, the First Nation is affiliated with Manitoba Keewatinohk Okimahkanak (MKO),
Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs
The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC; preceded by the Manitoba Indian Brotherhood) is an Advocacy association, association that advocates on issues affecting First Nations in Manitoba. Representing 62 of the 63 First Nations in Manitoba, the prov ...
(AMC), and
Crown–Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada
Crown''–''Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC; french: Relations Couronne-Autochtones et des Affaires du Nord Canada)''Crown–Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada'' is the applied title under the Federal Iden ...
.
Territory
St. Theresa Point First Nation has three
reserves:
*Cantin Lake () — located on the south shore and east shore of
Cantin Lake; total size of
*Mukwa Narrows () — 140 km east of Negginan and northwest of Elliot Lake
* St. Theresa Point — on the west shore of
Island Lake; total size of ()
and meengwun
Notable people
*
Judy Klassen
Judy Klassen is a Canadian provincial politician, who was interim leader of the Manitoba Liberal Party, from October 2016 to June 2017, succeeding Rana Bokhari. Klassen was first elected as the Member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba for ...
- MLA for
Kewatinook
Keewatinook is a provincial electoral division in the Canadian province of Manitoba. The riding existed previously under the name Rupertsland. Starting with the 2011 election, the riding was renamed Kewatinook which means "from the north" in C ...
.
References
External links
Community Futures KitayanMap of St. Theresa Point at StatcanSt. Theresa Point First Nation
{{authority control
Island Lake Tribal Council
Indian reserves in Northern Region, Manitoba
First Nations in Northern Region, Manitoba
St. Theresa Point First Nation