Moose Cree First Nation and Agnico Eagle partner to support young adults

A Moose Cree First Nation program in Timmins opens a new home for youth aging out of care. Lydia Chubak explains.

Moose Cree First Nation’s Child and Family Well-Being Program is celebrating its first anniversary with the grand opening of a new home for young adults.

The estate log home is nestled on 38 acres of forested land in a peaceful corner of Timmins. A year ago, Agnico Eagle helped Moose Cree First Nation’s Child and Family Well-Being Program buy the property.

The plan is to fill a gap for young adults who have aged out of the child welfare system and want to pursue careers.

“They’ll be here, signing an agreement with us,” said Jennifer Carey-Cool,

“The objective is to go back to school, a trade or, you know, something along that line and attain their goal. We’ll have a caretaker in here, or a couple of caretakers, and they’ll be here to support the youth with whatever needs they have out there as well as our program.”

Agnico Eagle said its contribution was a little more than $1 million. The company sees it as an investment in young adults between the ages of 23 and 26 who’ll be living in the home.

“Keeping the wealth here in northern Ontario, right, which is very important to us and to the communities here,” said Andre Leite, vice-president of Ontario operations for Agnico Eagle.

“If people stay here, if people are from here, the benefits are going to stay here.”

Moose Cree First Nation Chief Peter Wesley said he is grateful for the partnership with Agnico Eagle.

“For them to help facilitate this facility, for us to get to this property, speaks volumes on the type of agreement that we have with Agnico,” Wesley said.

“I think it goes a long way and that’s the type of … good relationship that other resource companies should look at.”

The home is now officially open. Some programming has already been taking place and it will be ready to welcome six residents starting in September.

“We have a lot of youth that have left our community for whatever reason, and this will help them as well, to reconnect with our First Nation,” Wesley said.

“That’s really the intent of a program: reconnect with our First Nation -- connect our family back together.”

With the passing of Bill C-92 five years ago, Moose Cree First Nation has put a model in place to affirm and recognize jurisdiction over its child and family services.

“We’ve worked with a system that was under the province, and prior to that it was a residential school,” said Carey-Cool.

“So now, you know, we can assert our jurisdiction with our laws and our model, where we will be doing child welfare reform.”

“You’re talking about a long-term plan of really making a difference in the lives of youth, that they may not have to receive the support or opportunities that they honestly should have,” said Leite.

Carey-Cool said there are more than 80 Moose Cree First Nation young adults throughout Canada who could come home to the new program offered at the new home on Laforest Road in Timmins.