We just wrapped up 3 days of successful meetings in beautiful Montreal and Ottawa.

We just wrapped up 3 very exciting days of meetings in Montreal and Ottawa dedicated to creating 21st Century Indigenous Economies from within First Nation and Inuit communities themselves for Seven Generations.

We are very excited in the direction that FNG is headed across Canada providing the following Indigenous infrastructure and added value self-sustainable living community services that include:

  • Indigenous Fresh Foods Indoor Community Garden Farming Markets.
  • Natural Water Treatment-Chemical Free for advanced organic Rotary Hydroponic Agriculture and Human Consumption.
  • Indigenous Community Waste Resource Management & Diversions.
  • Renewable Energy designed for the most remote Canadian community, including geothermal, wind, solar and battery backed-up power storage that now includes newly found combustible energy resources to operate as a community “net-positive” entity while helping to eliminate the use of diesel fuels in indigenous communities helping to leave a cleaner footprint.
  • Seven Generation Indigenous Capacity Building and Development.
  • Professional Online Medical/Pharmaceutical Drug Awareness Education Seminars.
  • Indigenous Medicine, Erbs’ and Spices Research & Brand Development.
  • Health Canada Licensed Producer of Medicinal Medicines for Medical Purposes Consulting and Application Processes including Start-Up Implementations.
  • Indigenous Wealth Creation & Management Expertise through the development of “Self-Sustainable 21st Century Community Circular Economies” from within First Nation and Inuit communities themselves.

 

Our intentions are to create First Nation communities with self-sustainable living solutions through the fostering of 21st Century Indigenous Circular Economies from within each of the individual indigenous community themselves.

 

OTHER FNG ADDED VALUE COMMUNITY NETWORK SERVICES

  • National Distributor of Wholesale Fresh Produce & Natural Foods
  • Indigenous Community Design, Installation, and Support in IT Networks
  • Environmental Friendly Earth & Mining Application Consulting
  • Land Remediation & Reclamation Services
  • Mining Waste Recovery Treatments and Mine Tailings Extraction; (including the revitalization of natural rivers, and inland lakes)
  • Community Maple Syrup Start-Up Expertise & Global Marketing Services
  • Indigenous Elder Retirement & Assisted Living Centres

 

Our goal is to make available “new gen” community infrastructure services and added value self-sustainable community living solutions to First Nation and Inuit communities across Canada, where said services include one or more of the following self-sustainable living solutions, that when encompassed, create a 21st Century Indigenous Self-Sustainable Circular Economy from within the indigenous community themselves.

 

We are presently preparing to build our first Community Garden Farming Market as well as begin the construction of our first Health Canada Licensed Producer (late approval stage applicant) of Medicinal Medicines  for Medical Purposes on indigenous lands, with shovels to hit the ground April 1st, 2018.

We very much look forward to creating Indigenous self-sustainable community living solutions across Canada from within indigenous communities themselves through the fostering of 21st Century Indigenous Circular Economies.

Dawn Tabobondung is a proud member of Wasauksing First Nation and the Chief Executive Officer of First Nation Growers.

First Nations Growers builds indoor “Community Garden Market Farms” that provide Indigenous & Inuit communities with a financially viable, year-round opportunity to grow their own nutritionally rich fresh produce and foods.

Be sure to follow First Nation Growers on Facebook.

Lessons from Supreme Court decisions on Indigenous consultation

This article was originally published on National Post, an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts. Disclosure information is available on the original site.

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Authors: Justin Safayeni, Adjunct Professor in Administrative Law, York University, Canada and Nader R. Hasan, Adjunct professor, U of T Faculty of Law, University of Toronto

In July, the Supreme Court of Canada released two major decisions on the Crown’s duty to consult and accommodate Indigenous peoples. Those decisions provide important guidance that can help to ensure Indigenous peoples’ constitutional rights are better recognized and respected moving forward.

The principles set out in the two Supreme Court cases — Clyde River (Hamlet) v. Petroleum Geo-Services Inc. and Chippewas of the Thames First Nation v. Enbridge Pipelines Inc. — will help define what adequate consultation and accommodation now requires, and the responsibilities of various government decision-makers in fulfilling and evaluating whether the duty to consult has been met.

Let’s be clear: the Clyde River and Chippewas decisions are not a cure-all for Indigenous peoples’ struggle to have their constitutional rights respected in regulatory decision-making. But if the lessons from these Supreme Court decisions are heeded, they will help advance that struggle.

Both Supreme Court decisions involved the review of project approvals by the National Energy Board (NEB). In Clyde River, the Supreme Court overturned an NEB order authorizing seismic testing for oil and gas deposits in the waters off the coast of Baffin Island, where the Inuit of Clyde River have a treaty right to hunt and harvest marine mammals.

In Chippewas, the NEB approved an application to modify Enbridge’s Line 9 pipeline, which crosses the traditional territory of the Chippewas, by reversing the flow of part of the pipeline, increasing its capacity and enabling it to carry heavy crude oil. The Supreme Court dismissed the Chippewas’ legal challenge to stop the project.

Guidance on what “deep consultation” requires

Although the Clyde River and Chippewas rulings both specifically concerned the NEB’s actions, their consequences extend more broadly to every kind of government decision-making or regulatory approval process.

Part of the importance of the Clyde River decision stems from the fact that it is the first Supreme Court case to consider whether a regulatory process meets a duty of consultation at the “deep” end of the consultation spectrum described in Haida Nation v. British Columbia — that is, where the Indigenous peoples’ claim to the right is strong (e.g. treaty rights) and the potential harm to that right is severe (e.g. irreparable harm to marine mammals).

Given this duty of deep consultation, the court concluded that the process in Clyde River was “significantly flawed” for several reasons, among them the fact that although the NEB considered the environmental effects of the proposed seismic testing, it failed to take into account the impact of that testing on the Inuit’s treaty rights.

As the court put it, the Inuit’s rights were “an afterthought to the assessment of environmental concerns.”

Second, the Crown failed to make clear that it was relying on the NEB’s process to fulfil its duty to consult in Clyde River, and failed to explain the significance of that process to the Inuit.

Further, there were no oral hearings. No funding to the Inuit of Clyde River. No written explanations of how the Inuit’s rights were considered. No meaningful ability to submit scientific evidence, and no ability to test the project proponents’ scientific evidence.

It is noteworthy that the Court cited and re-affirmed the process in the 2004 Taku River Tlingit First Nation v. British Columbia — a case where the affected Indigenous groups not only received what’s known as participant funding, but participated as part of the committee that was the driving force in the assessment process.

In a strong signal of the kind of process that may now be necessary in these cases, the Supreme Court ruled in its Clyde River decision that “procedural protections characteristic of an adversarial process… may be required for meaningful consultation.”

While it’s clear all future cases will be assessed on their own unique facts, the Supreme Court is making clear it takes a far more robust view of consultation than some lower courts across the country.

So what are the key practical lessons for Indigenous consultation, following these landmark rulings?

1. Participant funding

One major point of distinction between Clyde River and Chippewas was that the appellants in Chippewas case received participant funding from the NEB, while the Clyde River appellants did not. Without that funding, the Inuit were unable to retain counsel or properly address the scientific evidence on seismic testing — and this was one reason that the consultation in Clyde River was found to be inadequate.

Indigenous groups impacted by resource projects should always request participant funding in order to ensure their interests are properly represented in the regulatory approvals process.

The need for funding is even more acute if the case requires putting forward complex scientific or expert evidence. Even if such requests for funding are ultimately unsuccessful, the fact that they were made strengthens the record for an appeal or judicial review.

2. Understanding and designing the consultation process

The court’s decision to single out Taku River as an example of adequate consultation is an important reminder that Indigenous groups can — and should — demand a greater say in actually designing or driving the consultation process.

The court’s decisions in Clyde River and Chippewas also required the Crown to determine whether an existing regulatory process meets its duty to consult and accommodate. Nailing down what is being offered as consultation will allow for Indigenous peoples to make more educated decisions about whether to participate in that process, and what kinds of requests may be made in terms of additional consultation efforts.

Indigenous peoples should go on record with any demands for additional consultation or accommodation, and make them known as early as possible. The court has provided a list of potential ways that the Crown can improve the consultation process, including making legislative or regulatory amendments, and/or making submissions to the decision-making body.

3. Participate, but make objections & concerns known

Demand a better regulatory process while participating in that same process. Now that bodies like the NEB must also assess the adequacy of consultation and accommodation, it’s critical for affected Indigenous groups to communicate any concerns on these issues to the regulatory agency or tribunal and to avoid raising them for the first time on appeal or judicial review.

At a more fundamental level, for the promise of the Clyde River decision to be fulfilled the regulatory process must function in a fair manner that fully respects Indigenous rights. At the moment, it does not. Indeed, there is a widespread acknowledgment — among Indigenous leaders, environmentalists and the government itself — that the current NEB and Environmental Assessment (EA) processes are broken.

The federal government commissioned two expert panels to recommend changes to the NEB and EA processes. Those expert panels have recommended overhauling these processes and replacing them with a regulatory process that fully takes into account Indigenous rights and incorporates the principle of free, prior and informed consent.

Indigenous peoples now have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with those recommendations and demand meaningful reform.

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Sources: https://nationalpost-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/nationalpost.com/pmn/news-pmn/lessons-from-supreme-court-decisions-on-indigenous-consultation/amp

Wasauksing First Nation Pow Wow Gathering

Pow Wows, Family, and the Seven Generations Teachings

G'maa Warren Tabobondung

G’maa Warren Tabobondung & Ontario Regional Chief Isadore Day in 2016

August is one of my favourite months of the year.

The Georgian Bay sands are warm by day and cool for sleeping by the bay.  Nature’s glory is in full bloom, the pace of life slows a bit as the harvest moon begins to prepare for fall and, best of all, this time of year includes the annual Wasauksing First Nation Pow Wow Gathering! A Pow Wow gathering where our ancestors would gather each year to share, barter, trade, sing, and dance together…the Anishinaabe Way.

This year’s gathering took place on August 5th and 6th.

Watching the stunning singers and amazing dancers reminded me of the special connection we have to the gathering of our peoples’, a gathering of voices and sound and dance that reflects both our past and our future.

While young people always bring new innovations to their music and dances, the energy continues to flow through our generation, my mother’s generation, and those that have come before her; we can feel our ancestors always in the singing the drumming and the dance at our gatherings.

Wasauksing First Nation Pow Wow Gathering  Wasauksing First Nation Pow Wow Gathering  Wasauksing First Nation Pow Wow Gathering

It is our duty to ensure that our children, our grandchildren, our great grandchildren and the many generations to come soon after have the same connection decades and centuries from now, where they all feel the warmth of the fires burning, the sacred drum beating, and hear the voices of our ancestors in the connection between past, and present. These thoughts of the future are not just some nice feelings that I get at a Pow Wow gathering.  They are the sound of the Indigenous inner core philosophy that drives First Nation Growers.

4 Seasons, 7 Generations

In my previous blog article, I talked about how our Vision for First Nation Growers has evolved over the past 2 years.  When we started on our journey, part of the path was clear – we knew that we wanted to provide communities with year-round access to fresh, nutritious foods – a holistic approach covering all 4seasons.  What good is solving a Food Crisis, and supporting individual indigenous self-sustainable economies, if the very communities we support – and the land they live on – cannot be sustained?

What if the very communities we support – and the land they live on – can be self-sustained?

Access to affordable, healthy food options is essential, but so are real jobs, ongoing independent revenue streams, clean energy, and safe water not just today, but for 7 generations to follow.

Consider the Anishinaabe term “anishinaabemaadziwen” the Anishinaabe Way, or “minoyaawaat” in Ojibwa, meaning “to get better, to have good health”. That understanding of where we fit into the Creator’s plans is at the heart of First Nation Growers and 7 Generations philosophy.

Wasauksing First Nation Pow Wow Gathering Wasauksing First Nation Pow Wow Gathering Wasauksing First Nation Pow Wow Gathering

We are merely caretakers of Mother-Earth for those who follow.

As I revealed last month, we are committed to applying 7 Generation solutions in the following areas:

  • Indigenous Community Financial Planning for 7 Generations
  • Fresh Produce & Natural Foods
  • Herbs & Sacred Indigenous Medicines
  • Natural Water Treatment for Rain Forest Plant Life & Human Consumption
  • Natural Soil Revitalization Treatment
  • Waste Resource Management that includes Waste Minimization Solutions
  • Indigenous Community Renewable Energy Needs and Shortfalls

FNG has recently become a “Full Service 7 Generations Indigenous Sustainable Living Solutions Network” that serves First Nation and Inuit communities across Turtle Island.

For too long, we have been forced to live within the Indian Act and rely on non-Native solutions.  Time and time again, the people suggesting these “solutions” have been incompatible with our Indigenous lifestyles or did not take the time to understand our culture and traditions. Most have failed at supporting our communities and people in so many ways.

The few solutions offered to indigenous Peoples since contact rarely respect those that have come before us, and almost never look to protect yet to come.

The Anishinaabe are the protectors of mother-earth, the time has come for us to make a stand and protect mother-earth for 7 Generations.

Dawn Tabobondung is a proud member of Wasauksing First Nation and the Chief Executive Officer of First Nation Growers.

First Nations Growers builds indoor “Community Garden Market Farms” that provide Indigenous & Inuit communities with a financially viable, year round opportunity to grow their own nutritionally rich fresh produce and foods.  Be sure to follow First Nation Growers on Facebook.

Summer Check-In

Hello everyone!  It is hard to believe that July is almost over!

Summer on the Wasauksing First Nation is an amazing time of year.  Whether it is family time, walks in nature, fresh blueberries, boating, or attending Pow Wows, this season really makes you appreciate the incredible world that the Creator has provided to us.

Over the past few months, our team at First Nation Growers has had the privilege of seeing the natural beauty of many First Nations communities and receiving the wise council of Indigenous leaders from across the land.  Our travels have helped us better define the Mission of First Nation Growers and expand our circle of stakeholders.

The First Nations Growers Advisory Panel

I am honoured to introduce the First Nations Growers Advisory Panel.  We have assembled an innovative, forward thinking advisory panel made up of individual industry leaders that provide project added value services that include Indigenous pre-care & after-care support, development & training.

Each of our corporate advisory panel members is indeed a true and sincere friend of the Anishinaabe.

Our shared goal is to create Indigenous long-term, sustainable employment opportunities and newfound revenues from within First Nations and Inuit communities themselves, helping to create self-sustaining indigenous economies producing cold-climate 4seasons, indoor, chemical free, clean & green natural organic fresh produce at prices all families can afford for 7 Generations.

A Broader Mission

You may be wondering why we’ve added an Advisory Panel.  The answer is simple.  During my travels over the past six months, I have learned that our Community Gardens are just one piece of the solution to the Indigenous Food Security Crisis.  Some communities we visited do not have enough power to build one additional community home, let alone a Community Garden Farm.  We can’t leave those communities behind – we need solutions that address the entire scope of the Food Crisis.

Our goal is so much broader now than when we started this journey.  Working with our Advisory Panel, First Nation Growers is committed to providing holistic solutions for sustainable and self-sufficient First Nation communities.  This can only be achieved by applying 7 Generation solutions in the following areas:

  • Fresh Produce & Natural Foods
  • Traditional Medicines & Remedies
  • Water & Soil Treatment
  • Waste Resource Management & Waste Minimization Solutions
  • Indigenous Community Energy Needs and Shortfalls
  • Licensed Medical & Recreational Indigenous Medicine Production Facilities

Moving Forward

2017 has been an enlightening year for me.  I have been equally frustrated by the scope of the Food Crisis and inspired by my Indigenous Sisters & Brothers who remain strong in the face of suffering.  In the coming weeks, I’ll have updates for you on various projects being undertaken by First Nation Growers and our partners, as well as information about our Wasauksing First Nation showcase facility.

Thank you for your amazing support, feedback, and wisdom that you’ve provided on our journey so far.  I look forward to what the rest of the year brings!

Dawn Tabobondung is a proud member of Wasauksing First Nation and the Chief Executive Officer of First Nation Growers.  First Nations Growers builds indoor “Community Garden Market Farms” that provide Indigenous & Inuit communities with a financially viable, year round opportunity to grow their own nutritionally rich fresh produce and foods.  Be sure to follow First Nation Growers on Facebook.

 

Clean Water for All

In previous articles, I’ve written about the Northern Food Crisis and its impact on Indigenous People.  Sadly, for many of my sisters and brothers, access to fresh food isn’t the only challenge they face as access to clean, safe drinking water……….…the foundation of life……….…is far from guaranteed.

According to a recent Globe & Mail report, 91 First Nation communities were under drinking water advisories earlier this year and a staggering 1/3 of First Nation communities were at medium to high risk of producing unsafe water.

Access to clean, safe drinking water is not a privilege – it is a basic human right – yet 2/3 of First Nation communities have suffered drinking water advisories during the past decade.  I am committed to supporting my Indigenous brothers and sisters and our communities across the country in achieving that right.  That’s why I am proud to introduce our latest initiative, the First Nation Growers Indigenous Community Water Solution.

7 Generations

At FNG, we are firm believers in the concept of 7 generations.  As a First Nation organization, we operate with the sacred knowledge that we are merely caretakers of mother earth for those that will follow.

When we engage a project we continually ask ourselves “what will the impact of this project be to those that will follow 7 generations after us?”. Although seemingly repetitive, understanding that we are merely caretakers of this land allows us to make inclusive and responsible decisions about our projects and opportunities.

First Nation Growers work in partnership with local indigenous communities to help the poorest and most marginalized communities set up practical and sustainable water, sanitation and hygiene natural water treatment projects that meet their real needs, naturally, and service each Community Garden Farm Facility with the very same natural water treatment technologies. We proudly make this technology available to each and every First Nation and/or Inuit community that we work with across Canada, creating a cohesive relationship between community, the environment and each 4seasons garden farming co-op facility.

Community Water Projects

First Nation Growers community water projects include four vital and interrelated components, which combined together help to maximize health and development benefits. Clean water, basic sanitation, hygiene education and natural foods farming are the ABCDs of project development—the building blocks towards a better future for every community, making water fit for both community garden farming and human consumption.

FNG uses practical, locally-appropriate, cost-effective, new, and innovative water treatment technologies to ensure that operational maintenance requirements for the new water supply and sanitation facilities can be easily learned and adopted by each local indigenous community and their membership regardless of geographical location.

All aspects of First Nation Growers Community Garden Farm Co-op projects are designed and implemented with long-term sustainability in mind. This means that upon completion of each project, community members are equipped with all the tools and knowledge required to manage and maintain their own natural water treatment facility and new community garden farming co-op operation.

Ending Two Crises With An Integrated, Holistic Solution

Our Community Garden Farm Co-op’s address the natural water treatment needs of every community project across Canada regardless of location and or isolated remoteness. The FNG Natural Water treatment platform allows for the integration of clean water supply into every remote Indigenous and or Inuit community Canada wide and allows for the control of multiple tower flows, increasing overall efficiency and access to a clean, natural water supply for every 4seasons Community Garden Farm Co-op.

Serpent River.  Saddle Lake.  George Gordon.  Kashechewan.  The list goes on and on.  It is time to stop the next drinking water crisis from ever starting. Dawn Tabobondung is a proud member of Wasauksing First Nation and the Chief Executive Officer of First Nation Growers.  First Nations Growers builds indoor “Community Garden Farm Co-op’s” that provide Indigenous & Inuit communities with a financially viable, year round opportunity to grow their own nutritionally rich fresh produce and foods.  Be sure to follow First Nation Growers on Facebook.

indoor garden farming

“Indigenous indoor fresh foods farming today for a healthy tomorrow”

Dawn Tabobondung

First Nation Growers Founder

4seasons Indigenous Community Garden Farming Co-op Developments

http://www.firstnationgrowers.com

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https://www.linkedin.com/company/first-nations-growers/

first nation growers full logo

Fresh, affordable food should be a right, not a privilege. (Part 3)

Welcome back!

In the first two parts of this series, I reviewed the ineffective Nutrition North Subsidy Program and our Mission / Vision here at First Nation Growers.  In this third and final part, I’ll discuss the solution.

Many of the key issues that are of greatest concern for Indigenous peoples in Canada today are complex and inexorably intertwined – so much so that government, researchers, policy makers and First Nation leaders seem hamstrung by its enormity.

First Nation Growers has a mission to empower First Nation communities toward a nutritionally improved, healthy future in providing every indigenous community with an opportunity to grow their own year round, indoor, natural, fresh produce, vegetables, fruits, herbs and traditional medicines to service their own First Nation and Inuit communities, their members and their member’s children, from within their own community, through their own First Nations self government community programs and community owned and operated year round Fresh Garden Farming Markets.

No other company to date, that we are aware of, has offered Indigenous and Inuit people an alternative, affordable, year-round 4 seasons,fresh foods contributing solution. First Nation Growers is dedicated to taking this problem head on.

FNG is addressing important Indigenous daily health and community nutritional needs in providing an environmentally friendly, financially viable and sustainable, attractive, cold, climate, year round, indoor fresh foods growing solution for every indigenous community, living in our more remote sub-zero, time restricted, growth unfriendly, geographical locations.

First Nation Growers through our “Community Fresh Garden Farm Markets” program, is a proponent of Aboriginal self-government as one key to unlocking the future well-being and nutritionally rich betterment of our Indigenous peoples. Timing is everything and our First Nation Growers “Community Fresh Garden Farming Market” technology has come of age, and is well positioned to contribute to improved indigenous community social development, with the improved health and future well-being of our Indigenous and Inuit peoples in providing affordable, quality, fresh foods for every First Nations and Inuit community. 

First Nation Growers goal is to is to nutritionally empower our Indigenous communities and their peoples.

Dawn Tabobondung, Chief Executive Officer

Dawn Tabobondung, Chief Executive Officer

Dawn Tabobondung is a proud member of Wasauksing First Nation and the Chief Executive Officer of First Nation Growers.  First Nations Growers builds indoor “Community Garden Market Farms” that provide Indigenous & Inuit communities with a financially viable, year round opportunity to grow their own nutritionally rich fresh produce and foods.  Be sure to follow First Nation Growers on Facebook.

“Indigenous indoor fresh foods farming today for a healthy tomorrow”

https://www.facebook.com/FirstNationGrowers/

https://twitter.com/FNGCanada

Who We Are / The Tabobondung Family Legacy

The Flora Tabobondung Mandala

The Flora Tabobondung Mandala

Last month, I wrote about the Northern Food Crisis.  A few people asked me how come my first article wasn’t more about who we are at First Nation Growers.  The answer to that question is easy – when it comes to our business, the “why” and the “who” are inseparable.

First Nations Growers is an organization committed to improving the over all social development and well-being of Indigenous Peoples by improving daily, year round, healthy diets and providing continual access to affordable, fresh foods in every Indigenous community possible.

Improving the lives of our sisters and brothers, especially those in remote communities, isn’t just a corporate slogan – its our core fundamental value.  For far too long, government studies, Royal Commissions, and ineffective programs have come and gone while the suffering of Indigenous People escalated to crisis levels.  It became impossible for us to sit on the sidelines while men, women, and children continued to go hungry.

 

The Tabobondung Legacy

Flora Tabobondung

Flora Tabobondung

The passion that motivated me to found First Nation Growers runs in my blood.  The Tabobondung family’s long history of leadership and dedication to our community has been shared with me since I was a young girl.

My Grandmother, Flora “Zhashkwogiizhigokwe“ Tabobondung, spent her life fighting to preserve our legacy and enhance Indigenous rights.  During the Constitutional debates of the early 1980’s, she was a key advocate in having our voices represented in the discussions, and was one of the Chiefs chosen to go to England in 1982 for the official repatriation.  Our Blue Sky Lady lived by the native traditions and they guided the decisions that she made in her life.  On a local level, she was the Wasauksing First Nation Chief for more than a quarter of a century. Flora was named to the prestigious Order of Canada for her leadership among First Nations people.  She passed away in 2006.

 

Joyce Tabobondung

Joyce Tabobondung

Joyce Tabobondung, Business Development / Elder Advisor

My mother, Joyce, inherited Grandmother’s sense of duty.  Growing up, she saw that her mother’s life was dedicated to Indigenous culture.  Joyce followed Flora’s path towards leadership roles, holding the position of Chief for many years and becoming a well respected Indigenous Elder including serving as Grand Chief the Huron-Robinson Treaty Area,  Joyce founded the Parry Sound Native Friendship Centre and currently sits as its President.

Joyce understands the needs and wants of the Anishinabek peoples.  She has a keen ear for community concerns, including the important nutritional well-being of First Nations and Inuit communities throughout all of Canada.  She has been an inspiration to her children throughout her life.  My brother, Warren, has followed her footsteps to become our current Chief, and I have been inspired by her passion to help Indigenous communities near and far.

 

Dawn Tabobondung, Chief Executive Officer

Dawn Tabobondung, Chief Executive Officer

Dawn Tabobondung

As you can imagine, the inspiration of two such incredible women empowered me with a strong passion for helping others, especially fellow First Nation Members.  It has been my life mission to provide support and assistance where I can, when I can.

Our family legacy continues to grow.  I’m the proud mother of three bright children, all community-minded members of Wasauksing First Nation.  My two oldest currently attend University – one in Ottawa, another in Halifax – while my youngest is preparing to finish high school this year before attending University herself.

Over the years, I’ve held many First Nation management positions including Economic Development Officer, Office Administrator, Office Manager, First Nations Marina Manager, Administrator and a registered Commissionaire recognized by the Department of Indigenous Affairs, representing the Wasauksing Lands Development Corporation.

 

Our Vision

We envision a future that sees First Nations & Inuit communities growing together while taking care of their own community fresh food needs that includes both quality and costs while improving daily diets and better health.

We founded First Nation Growers because we cannot stand by and wait for the government to solve the Northern Food Crisis.  We are ready to empower our sisters and brothers with a solution.

Food access is a human right and essential to the health of our people. The time for reports, studies, and consultations is over.  The time for results is now.

Dawn Tabobondung is a proud member of Wasauksing First Nation and the Chief Executive Officer of First Nation Growers.  First Nations Growers builds indoor “Community Garden Market Farms” that provide Indigenous & Inuit communities with a financially viable, year round opportunity to grow their own nutritionally rich fresh produce and foods.  Be sure to follow First Nation Growers on Facebook.

 

“Indigenous indoor fresh foods farming today for a healthy tomorrow”

https://www.facebook.com/FirstNationGrowers/

https://twitter.com/FNGCanada