Temagami Forest Management Corporation offering support
Darlene Wroe
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
TEMAGAMI - The Temagami Forest Management Corporation (TFMC) has announced that it now has three fully implemented programs available to assist residents and projects within the Temagami Forest as well as the communities with receiving mills.
The TFMC is accepting applications from groups such as First Nations, municipalities, organizations and residents for any of the three programs that have been created.
The corporation has established an Events and Sponsorship program that could provide up to $2,000 for First Nations, municipalities or not-for-profit organizations. Consideration will be given to youth activities; young adult and sports related; education, literacy and "stay-in-school"; health and wellness; culture; or forest-based activities that promote forest health and public awareness.
A Scholarship and Workforce Development program has also been created for which the corporation will provide up to $2,500. To be eligible for a scholarship, the recipient must be a permanent resident within the Temagami Forest area or a graduate of a secondary school in Englehart, Temiskaming Shores or Sturgeon Falls and entering a post-secondary program in forestry, environmental sciences, biology or a related field. The deadline to apply is September 30.
To be eligible for the Workforce Development portion of the program, the workforce must be residents within the Temagami Forest area, employed in the field of natural resource management and be sponsored by a community, First Nation or employer to participate in a recognized training program.
PARTNERSHIP
The Partnership program offers up to $10,000 for projects by First Nations, municipalities or not-for-profit organizations, for community improvement; reconciliation; activities that promote culture; forest recreation; or forest health and public awareness. A partner in the project must contribute a minimum of 50 per cent cash or an in-kind contribution.
Corporation general manager Mark Stevens explained in an email that the TFMC “is a Crown agency established as a Local Forest Management Corporation under the Forest Tenure Modernization Act. This form of tenure allows TFMC to receive the stumpage from the harvest of timber in the Temagami Forest and to use these funds to meet its mandated objectives."
To date, TFMC has "provided contributions to the Temagami First Nation and the Matachewan First Nation pow wows in 2023, the Temagami Canada Day celebrations, and in 2024 provided contributions to Temiskaming Northern Loons and the first annual Temagami Pinewood Derby,” he said.
“TFMC awarded a scholarship to Brandon Brock in 2022, to Julia Turner in 2023, and are presently considering candidates for 2024 scholarships,” he continued.
In addition to sustainably managing the Temagami Forest, the corporation has been mandated to provide economic development opportunities for Indigenous peoples; manage its affairs to become a self-sustaining business entity that optimizes value from Crown forest resources while recognizing the importance of local economic development; and market, sell and enable access to a predictable and competitively priced supply of Crown forest resource.
The communities within the Temagami Forest area include Bear Island, Temagami, Temiskaming Shores, Cobalt, Latchford, and Coleman Township. The northern border of the Temagami forest extends to and includes the townships of Auld, Lundy, Hudson, Dymond and Harris.
It also includes First Nations with traditional territory within the Temagami Forest, and those are the Temagami First Nation/Teme-Augama Anishnabai; Matachewan First Nation; and Timiskaming First Nation.
Communities with a primary receiving mill are also included. Those are Elk Lake, Englehart and Sturgeon Falls.
Darlene Wroe, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Temiskaming Speaker
