Bearskin Lake First Nation (Severn Ojibwa: ᒥᒋᑲᐣ ᓴᑲᐦᐃᑲᐣ)[4] is an Oji-Cree First Nation reserve in Kenora District, Ontario, Canada, located 425 kilometres (264 mi) north of Sioux Lookout. Bearskin First Nation's total registered population as of May, 2026 was 1,002, of which their on-reserve population was 504.
Bearskin Lake | |
|---|---|
| Bearskin Lake Indian Reserve | |
 Aerial view of Bearskin Lake First Nation on Michikan Lake | |
  Bearskin Lake | |
| Coordinates: 53°55′29″N 90°58′10″W / 53.92472°N 90.96944°W[1] | |
| Country |  Canada |
| Province |  Ontario |
| District | Kenora |
| First Nation | Bearskin Lake |
| Area | |
| • Land | 125.78 km2 (48.56 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 230 m (750 ft) |
| Population (2006)[2] | |
• Total | 459 |
Three settlements make up the Bearskin Lake First Nation. Originally located on Bearskin Lake 50 kilometres (31 mi) to the southwest, their main community moved to its present site on Michikan Lake ("Fish Trap Lake") in the 1930s and is accessible only by air from Bearskin Lake Airport or winter road. The main village is situated on the west shore of the lake[1] and all three settlements are linked to one another by all weather gravel roads. The First Nation still retains the 12,626.3-hectare (31,200-acre) Bearskin Lake Indian Reserve[5] in which all three lie. The reserve also contains a segment of the Severn River, into which Michikan Lake flows, and of Severn Lake.
Prior to achieving full Band and reserve status in 1975, Bearskin was a satellite community of the Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation (Big Trout Lake First Nation), 72 kilometres (45 mi) to the east. Today, Bearskin Lake First Nation is a member of the Windigo First Nations Council, a regional tribal council that is a member of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation.
Bearskin Lake is policed by the Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service, an Aboriginal-based service.
The community has been affected by two long term water drinking and boiling advisories, one that started in 2006 and another that started in 2020.[6] The Nation recently installed cisterns and a water treatment system that will help them lift the aforementioned water advisories.
Governance
editThis section needs to be updated. (December 2021) |
Bearskin First Nation is governed by Chief Lefty Kamenawatamin, who serves alongside Deputy Chief Billy Kamenawatamin and Councillors Jennifer Fiddler, Robert Kamenawatamin, Wayne Brown, and Simon McKay. [7]
Previous Chiefs include Rosemary McKay who served from 2014-2017. McKay served alongside her Deputy Chief Leonard "Wayne" Brown, and Councillors Stuart Kamenawatamin, Gary Kamenawatamin, George Kamenawatamin, and Roderick Kamenawatamin.
Leon Marshall Beardy served as Chief from 2026-2026.[8]
External links
editReferences
edit- 1 2 "Bearskin Lake". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 2016-03-10. (settlement)
- 1 2 "Bearskin Lake census profile". 2011 Census of Population. Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2015-05-20. The census profile only gives figure for 2006.
- ↑ Taken from Google Earth at geographic coordinates. Accessed 2016-03-10.
- ↑ Nishnawbe-Aski Legal Services Corporation - Annual Report 2013-2014, https://nanlegal.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/nalsc-annual-report-2013-14.pdf
- ↑ "Bearskin Lake". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 2016-03-10. (reserve)
- ↑ Government of Canada; Indigenous Services Canada. "Bearskin Lake". www.sac-isc.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 2025-07-09. Retrieved 2026-01-05.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ↑ "Windigo First Nations Council - Bearskin Lake First Nation". www.windigo.on.ca. Retrieved 2026-06-19.
- ↑ Branch, Government of Canada; Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada; Communications (2008-11-14). "First Nation Profiles". fnp-ppn.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca. Retrieved 2026-01-05.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)