The Future
The Nipissing Nation Chief and Council have placed before their constituents a call out to determine the priorities of the people. Through consultation meetings, the membership of Nipissing requested that Chief and Council actively pursue the senior’s Care Complex as a number one priority. This project as well as others cited below are on-going and represent the will of the Nipissing membership.
Senior’s Care Complex:
Chief and Council has sanctioned a committee to be responsible for the developments under this project. Nipissing Nation members have cited this project as the number one priority. Population statistics show that within 20 years individuals over the age of 65 will number 752 which represent 36% of the Nipissing population.
The committee has completed on site tours of facilities in other municipalities to assist in the design of this complex. Land has been designated in the Duchesnay Village to accommodate this very important institution. Land designated is situated on the shores of Lake Nipissing adjacent to and with access to community infrastructure and NBisiing Education Centre.
An architect has been contracted to develop preliminary plans and drawings for the committee. On-going investigations into the operating feasibility of the project are being conducted.
No timelines have been slated for this project.
The Nipissing Constitution:
A Committee has been set in place by Chief and Council to develop the Nipissing Constitution. The drafting and ultimate acknowledgement by the Nipissing people of the finalized Constitution will be the model by which Nipissing self-governs. The Committee is supported with legal counsel and advice provided by the Union of Ontario Indians.
New health centre in Garden Village:
Construction of the new health centre in Garden Village commenced in November of 2005. The construction is to be completed by June of 2006. This project was jointly funded by Health Canada and Nipissing. Health Canada provided 94% of construction costs and Nipissing provided 6% of construction costs plus infrastructure costs.
Upgrading and/or Provision of water and waste water system services:
Upgrading of water systems and provision of waste water systems in Garden Village and Duchesnay Village are on-going priorities which are dependent on funding procurement. This on-going project will provide much needed waste water infrastructure as well as upgrading and maintaining Nipissing’s water systems. Construction of state of the art infrastructure to replace outdated piped water systems is a priority. Also of immense importance is the construction of waste water systems in a timely manner as to prevent further ecological and environmental problems associated with outdated systems and saturation.
Power generation:
In the last fiscal year, Nipissing has been approached by four different proponents of power generation. A study has been commissioned by Nipissing to investigate the potential for power generation at Nipissing. A successful consultant firm has been chosen to provide Nipissing Council with an energy study guide. This guide will provide information vital to any venture into the power generation and its complex market.
Museum and interpretive centre:
Nipissing Chief and Council have provided funding for the procurement of a building and construction of a repository for artifacts and documents. A proposal is presently being drafted to secure interested funding agencies for this project. Nipissing has an immense wealth of historical, cultural and heritage that should be acknowledged, preserved and showcased.