Magnetawan First Nation

Environmental Management Plan

In June of 2015 Magnetawan collectively voted to ratify their Land Code, and in doing so became the 56th First Nation in Canada and the 11th First Nation in Ontario to ratify the Framework Agreement on First Nation Land Management.  The adoption of the Land Code, under the Framework Agreement, provides them with the opportunity to govern and manage their own lands, including the development and implementation of an Environmental Management Plan (EMP).

In 2016, SVS was retained by Magnetawan First Nation to help develop the EMP in the following stages:

1. Assessing existing issues and conditions
2. Development of a draft EMP
3. Co-development and finalization of the EMP through community engagement
4. EMP implementation planning
5. Ratification of the EMP

The development of the plan was guided by the community’s traditional knowledge and teachings related to the protection of the lands and waters, gathered through community engagement activities and a Traditional Land Use Study SVS carried out in 2013. It supported the community’s vision to grow economically, physically, and culturally, while living in harmony with, and respecting, the environment. SVS focused on developing an extremely user-friendly EMP that would provide any Magnetawan First Nation staffperson or citizen with all the information on how to address a particular issue, at their fingertips. The EMP addressed a broad range of important issues for Magnetawan First Nation, including:

• Surface water management
• Drinking water
• Wastewater management
• Groundwater management
• Waste management
• Air quality management
• Wildlife and wildlife habitat management
• Resource management
• Fuel storage and handling
• Areas of cultural significance
• Land development
• Contaminated site management
• Environmental stewardship
• Emergency response

Value for the Client Group

The EMP we developed with Magnetawan provided the direction needed for the community to pursue economic development while conserving natural resources for future generations. It also provided practical steps for identifying emerging and potential issues of environmental concern and mechanisms to manage their effect on the lands and waters.