Couchiching First Nation

Administration building of the Couchiching First Nation

The Couchiching First Nation is a Saulteaux First Nation band government in the Canadian province of Ontario, who live on the Couchiching 16A and Agency 1 reserves in the Rainy River District near Fort Frances.

The current band chief is Sara Mainvile, elected after long serving Chief Charles "Chuck" McPherson died in early 2014. A council of six band members governs the band. The council members elect (March 2014-2015 terms) Ron Archie, David Bruyere, Christine M. Jourdain, Bill Perrault, Lucille Morrisseau and Patrick Morrisseau (Patrick was elected in January 2015 by-election after the resignation of Edward Yerxa in the Fall of 2014).

Programs

Couchiching First Nations administers over a dozen programs within the reserve.

Wasaw Companies

Couchiching First Nation had early residences in the Wasaw area north of Frog Creek/Frog Lake and this area is highly regarded in the busy forestry and wild rice harvests in the nineteenth century. After 1909 flooding impacts and expropriation and taking of land for the railway and highway the community moved south of Frog Creek and along Sand Bay (south of Highway 11 east of Fort Frances). The Wasaw companies include Wasaw Business Enterprises, Wasaw Project Inc., Wasaw Construction Ltd., Wasaw Developments, and Wasaw Food Services, Inc. These companies are meant to create own source revenue for the community in order to build an economic base for the community.

Wasaw means "Far" in the language of Couchiching, Anishinaabemowin (Ojibway).

External links

• Couchiching First Nation official website
• Couchiching First Nation profile from AANDC
• Couchiching First Nation profile from Chiefs of Ontario
• our Economic Development website