Partnership Background
Skownan First Nation and Mossey River Municipality are located in northern Manitoba on Ishkwaawinaaning Anishinaabe Traditional Territory within Treaty 2, approximately 350km northwest of Winnipeg. These two remote communities are separated by Lake Winnipegosis or 80 kilometers by road.
Skownan First Nation and Mossey River Municipality participated in the CEDI Phase III from 2022-2025.
Key Milestones and Collaborative Community Economic Development Initiatives
Friendship Agreement
At the third annual Community Skate Event, Skownan First Nation and Mossey River Municipality signed their Friendship Agreement. This agreement identifies the communities’ common vision of developing and maintaining a collaborative working partnership, based on principles of trust and friendship, for the benefit of the two communities and region. Using remaining CEDI Capacity Development Grant funds, the partnership used the Friendship Agreement artwork to create pop-up signs and an outdoor sign of the Friendship Agreement to be placed near the Winnipegosis Museum.
Neither community had formal economic development staff or departments; however, through participation in the CEDI program and shared learning at workshops and Working Group meetings, the partners identified five areas of shared interest: economic development strategies, fish hatchery, inclusive recreation and support, entrepreneur support, employment and training and procurement, and tourism. These areas were first identified during Workshop 1 and further refined into a draft collaborative work plan during Workshop 2.
Even with limited capacity, the partnership maintained monthly Working Group meetings beginning in February 2022 and hosted subject-matter experts from provincial and federal governments to support their learning and planning. Through these discussions, the partners explored local assets, potential opportunities, and challenges associated with each theme.
The partnership also received assistance from Rural Manitoba Economic Development Corp. (RMED Corp.) in the form of a dedicated Working Group champion. This support helped address the lack of economic development staff and provided additional networking, facilitation, and project advancement capacity for both communities. This external support became particularly important as both communities experienced capacity challenges that impacted their ability to move collaborative initiatives forward.
1. Tourism Opportunities Assessment
Given the beautiful territory, lakes, and region, the partnership was interested in exploring tourism-related opportunities. Using the CEDI Capacity Development Grant, the partnership hired Many Chief Consulting to lead a Tourism Opportunities Assessment. This process included a tour of each communities’ active and potential tourism offerings and sites in spring 2024 and several meetings with the consultants. The Tourism Opportunities Assessment outlined several tourism growth recommendations and tourism business development opportunities for each respective community and potential collaborative partnership initiatives.
2. Shared in Learning Activities
This partnership engaged in several shared learning activities over the course of their CEDI participation. These included Asset-Based Community Development training provided by Tamarack Institute and RMED Corp., which helped build local capacity and support community asset mapping efforts.
The Working Group also invited Government of Manitoba representatives, including fisheries and healthcare officials, to discuss opportunities related to fish hatchery development, aquatic conservation, and homecare training and recruitment. These discussions supported the partnership’s shared priorities related to economic development, employment, and training.
Additionally, as part of Workshop 2, the partners explored Skownan First Nation’s Wood Bison Road to Recovery program at the community’s bison paddock. This experience allowed both communities to spend time on the land, learn about Skownan First Nation’s culture, and explore potential tourism and economic development opportunities connected to the initiative. These shared learning experiences strengthened relationships between Working Group members and supported ongoing collaboration.
3. Regional Water Infrastructure
In spring 2023, the partnership hosted a Regional Water Infrastructure Tour between Skownan First Nation, Meadow Portage, Waterhen, Mallard, Duck Bay, Pine Creek First Nation, Camperville, and Winnipegosis. Senior administrative and public works staff from each community toured one another’s facilities and learned about water and wastewater systems, operational challenges, and potential areas for collaboration.
This initiative also created an opportunity to engage additional communities and Métis settlements located between Skownan First Nation and Mossey River Municipality, expanding the partnership’s regional collaboration efforts.
As an outcome of the Water Infrastructure Tour, the Working Group drafted a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for emergency water infrastructure support among participating communities. At the time of program graduation, Skownan First Nation and Mossey River Municipality had signed the MOU, demonstrating their commitment to mutual support and regional cooperation.
Three Annual Community Skate Events
Each year since 2022, the Working Group arranged and funded bus transportation from Skownan First Nation to Mossey River to ensure that Skownan children and youth could attend. This helped reduce barriers to participation and ensured that both communities were meaningfully represented.
The third annual skate event also served as the venue for signing the Friendship Agreement, further reinforcing the importance of community-to-community relationship building. The partners identified these events as an important way to strengthen relationships between residents, leadership, and staff, particularly given the geographic separation of the communities by Lake Winnipegosis.
These events helped create stronger community-to-community relationships that can be built upon for many years to come. The partners committed to continuing to host the annual skate event beyond their participation in the CEDI program.
In the Media
Quotes
“We are excited to form a relationship with our neighbors and partners, Skownan First Nation. Being chosen one of eight partnerships in Canada to participate in this program is truly an honor. We strive to work towards establishing an effective collaboration that will strengthen our communities and reignite the historical relationships of the past. We look forward to building our local economies and identifying ways that we can continue to progress forward achieving mutual prosperity. We are prepared to put forth our best efforts and work together as one to make this venture a success!”
"There's a resurgence as entrepreneurship as a way of living for Indigenous people, so this is something that's going to be able to help develop that initiative in our own First Nation's communities. Ultimately, we are hopeful to advance a joint community economic development initiative that benefits both of our communities in our region. We look forward to sharing our progress and engaging our communities in this partnership."