Keewaytinook Okimakanak developing community-based cellular service
A one million dollar grant from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation, along with $100,000 from Indian and Northern Affairs Canada and network upgrade funding from Industry Canada's FedNor program is making it possible to develop two pilot cellular sites in the remote First Nations of Keewaywin and North Caribou Lake. Along with developing these two pilot sites, the Chiefs of Keewaytinook Okimakanak supported the development of cellular services in the four other Keewaytinook Okimakanak First Nations.
This week, a training workshop is taking place in Sioux Lookout that brought together representatives from each of the First Nations involved in this cellular project. The suppliers of the cellular equipment are in Sioux Lookout providing the training and equipment set up for the service that is now scheduled to become operational in the two pilot sites over the next two months. Several members of the K-Net team in Sioux Lookout and Thunder Bay are participating in the workshop.
Participating in the training from the northern communities are:
- Raymond Mason, First Nation Community Liaison for the Cellular Service from Keewaywin First Nation
- Oscar Meekis, Deer Lake
- Lyle Thomas, Fort Severn
- Joseph Meekis, Keewaywin
- Derek Kanate, North Caribou Lake
- Brian Rae, North Spirit Lake
- Jim Suggashie, Poplar Hill