Building green energy initiatives in Northern Ontario Indigenous communities: case study on community development in Lac des Mille Lacs First Nation

Abstract

Northern Ontario’s First Nations communities rely heavily on diesel energy, a fuel source with high economic and environmental costs. Thus, many communities are examining the viability of making a partial or full transition to a renewable energy-derived community power source. This thesis will examine the recent renewable energy initiatives conducted by Lac des Mille Lacs First Nation, an Ojibwe community located approximately 130 kilometres northwest of Thunder Bay, Ontario, and the benefits, challenges, and viability of such a large-scale project.