As members of the Dokis First Nation look out at a concrete building in the middle of the picturesque French River in north central Ontario, they can hardly believe that a vision that began so many years ago is finally up and running.
The Dokis First Nation, about 100 kilometres southeast of Sudbury, Ont., spent a decade helping see the Okikendawt Hydro project from planning to completion in June 2015. As a "run-of-the-river" facility, the water flowing through its two turbines generates renewable power that the First Nation sells back to the province's electricity grid through government clean energy programs.
The 10-megawatt facility produces enough power for about 3,000 homes, according to experts. That brings in up to $4 million in revenue a year, they say.
Right now, Dokis First Nation uses a large portion of that income to pay back the debt it took on to buy its 40% share of the project. The other 60% of the project is owned by Hydromega, the Quebec-based energy company the community chose as its development partner.
Each year, as it pays its debt down, the First Nation's profits will grow. Over the course of 40 years — the length of time the province has committed to buying its hydro — the community will make millions of dollars.
Dokis First Nation puts that money in a trust fund and allocates the interest earned for infrastructure, health, education and cultural initiatives in the community.
Indigenous communities are increasingly joining Canada's growing clean energy economy as a way to generate revenue in a manner that is consistent with their cultural and environmental values, experts say.
