Panel Discussion
Robinson Huron Treaty 1850 - Annuities Case
Thursday, November 4th, 2021
12:00 pm - 1:30 pm
Register in advance:
https://lakeheadu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJItcOGsqTIoE9xQXucLqQdOpVGduW1mbqlv
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Moderator: Tenielle Brown
Panelist: Christopher Albinati, Chief Dean Sayers and Mike Restoule
About the panelist:
Chief Dean Sayers
Dean Sayers has been Chief of Batchewana since 2005, now serving his 8th two year term. During this time Batchewana First Nation (BFN) has seen astronomical growth.
Chief Dean Sayers grew up in Batchewana village, a small community approximately 50 miles north of Sault Ste. Marie, where he worked with his father
and brother in the First Nation’s Commercial Fishing industry. This experience provided education on the traditional understandings of the history of Batchewana, it’s affiliation with Lake Superior and the reserved jurisdiction of the area.
Chief Sayers moved on in pursuit of higher education and work experience spending 13 years in Southern Ontario in various human service roles with First Nations Peoples. He then returned home to take on various leadership roles and eventually the role as Chief.
It was through a culmination of experiences and understanding of Batchewana’s history which led Chief Sayers and various council’s to the formulation of BFN’s “Letter of Assertion”, a document outlining Batchewana’s expected relationship with resource developers in the original lands set aside for Batchewana’s sole benefit and use as per the Robinson Huron Treaty of 1850. This assertion has been instrumental to maintaining the First Nations sovereignty, jurisdiction and contributes immensely to Batchewana’s success today.
Chief Sayers’ post secondary education and more importantly historical understanding of Batchewana and its people have been instrumental to the First Nation’s success.
Chief Sayers and the Batchewana First Nation has led the charge in demanding Indigenous People’s fair share of resource revenues. Resource developers are eager to work with Batchewana First Nation on a wide array of resource extraction initiatives from permitting to data collection and renewable energy projects.
Mike Restoule
Mike Restoule is a citizen of Nipissing First Nation in Ontario, Canada. His Ojibway name is Waashushk – Muskrat. He is Nbisiing Ojibway of the Anishinabek Nation. His doodem (clan) is the Turtle. Mike’s formal education was as a journeyman railway mechanic and studied labour management relations with the Canadian Labour Congress, He also studied political science and law and justice at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario. Mike’s early career was in the railway and telecommunications industry where he worked as journeyman and as an official with the railway in his later career. He also worked with the Anishinabek Nation concentrating in the negotiations of education and governance. Mike’s volunteer interests included serving on the board of directors at the local Indigenous Friendship Centre and as a councillor for 17 years on Nipissing First Nation’s Council. Today, he continues to serve the Indigenous community as the lead plaintiff in a treaty legal action against Canada and Ontario that is making its way through Ontario’s court system.
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