The new Chief on Walpole Island sees a return to commercial fishing as a great boost to the island’s economy.
Chief Charles Sampson informed the province through MPP Monte McNaughton they will be open for business.
“This type of opportunity will help us to create jobs within the fishing industry and help to create not only meaningful activity but wealth generation here on the reserve and give some pride back to our local fishermen, that they can go out and make a living and supply resources for their families,” Sampson says.
He says there is also a great opportunity to work with the town of Wallaceburg.
“Wallaceburg was regarded as an inland port in its heyday where there was a lot of shipping traffic in and around Wallaceburg,” Sampson says. “I would welcome any type of cooperative business venture that might be considered by local businessmen and commercial fishermen within the Wallaceburg area to utilize their port facilities and perhaps look at some type of processing facilities along the waterfront there.”
According to the Chief, those opportunities could include frozen fish, processing of fish, and especially marketing opportunities to bigger centres.
Meantime, Sampson says Walpole Island First Nation sends its full support to the First Nations of Mi’kmaki in Nova Scotia, exercising their Aboriginal right to fish and make a moderate livelihood in their unceded territory in accordance with the treaty of 1752.