ANTOINE NATION – The Ontario government is providing $1 million through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) to the Antoine Algonquin Community Services Corporation for the construction of the Community Capacity Building Centre in Antoine Nation. This investment will help build a gathering place for Antoine Nation community members and foster Indigenous social, spiritual and economic development and well-being.

“Today’s targeted investment of $1 million demonstrates our commitment to enhancing infrastructure and economic development opportunities for the Antoine Nation community in Nipissing,” said Nipissing MPP Vic Fedeli. “We continue to make investments through the NOHFC that contribute to stronger, healthier and resilient Indigenous communities, and we look forward to seeing the space at the Capacity Building Centre once fully operational.”

Antoine Algonquin Community Services Corporation will use NOHFC funding to build a 5,000-square-foot, octagon shaped, single-level, open-concept centre on the shore of the Ottawa River, in Antoine Park. The multi-use facility will have a central fireplace and large windows to provide passive solar heating and panoramic connections to the land, water and surrounding wildlife. It will allow Antoine Nation members to connect more deeply to their culture, language, values and traditions. Once completed, the year-round permanent facility will enable the community to host gatherings and offer a wide variety of programs and services to residents and visitors.

“Our government continues to leverage funding from the NOHFC, as well as the Indigenous Community Capital Grants Program, to support local Indigenous-led projects that boost economic development opportunities,” said Greg Rickford, Minister of Northern Development and Minister of Indigenous Affairs and First Nations Economic Reconciliation. “Our partnership with Antoine Nation demonstrates our commitment to reconciliation, ensuring this new facility becomes a vibrant year-round destination where community members can come together.”

“The Antoine Nation appreciates the financial support of the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation for the construction of its first community-owned Capacity Building Center,” said Chief Davie Joanisse, Antoine Nation. “This new multi-use, culturally sensitive facility will provide a home and a gathering place for our members to express and strengthen our Algonquin identity, collaborate with many other northern groups, and foster an enterprising culture that will inevitably yield local and regional economic development initiatives for many years ahead.”

The NOHFC fosters economic growth, job creation, and workforce development throughout the North, benefiting communities of all sizes, both rural and urban, including Indigenous communities. Since June 2018, the NOHFC has invested more than $841 million in 6,894 projects in Northern Ontario, leveraging more than $2.5 billion in investment and creating or sustaining over 10,560 jobs.

Quick Facts

• The Ontario government’s improved NOHFC programing supports more projects in rural northern communities and makes it easier for more people and businesses to apply. The programing targets existing and emerging markets, provides more work opportunities for Indigenous people and addresses the skilled labour shortage in the North.
• The NOHFC’s Community Enhancement Program builds strong and resilient northern communities through targeted investments in critical infrastructure.
• Located near Mattawa, Antoine Nation is an Algonquin First Nation community with approximately 1,000 members. Its traditional territory extends north, east, south and west from the confluence of the Ottawa and Mattawa Rivers, including the northern portion of Algonquin Provincial Park.
• Antoine Nation also received $675,000 in funding from the Indigenous Community Capital Grants Program
  (ICCGP) to support the design and construction of the Community Capacity Building Centre.

Additional Resources

• The NOHFC, Northern Development Offices and Small Business Enterprise Centres are available to support northern communities, businesses and other stakeholders in identifying economic development opportunities and assist in accessing government funding programs.
• For 2024-25, Ontario recently announced support for 48 initiatives across the province through the ICCGP, and the Indigenous Economic Development Fund (IEDF) Economic Diversification and Regional Partnership grant streams.

Media Contacts

Curtis Lindsay, Minister’s Office — 437-240-7317 — curtis.lindsay@ontario.ca

Media Desk, Communications Branch — mediadesk.ndm@ontario.ca