Solar park to power all homes at Ermineskin Cree Nation by 2019

A new solar park project in Maskwacis is poised to make a massive difference for the local Ermineskin Cree Nation community.
 
The community is one of 45 First Nations, Indigenous business and programs receiving $27 million in new funding from the Government of Canada’s Western Diversification Program.
 
Ermineskin will receive just over $700,000 for the $1.7 million solar park project.
 
Sam Minde, President and CEO with Neyaskweyak Group of Companies Inc., says the solar park will power the entire 500 home community with one megawatt of electricity annually.
 
“There are many ways to look at it. When we think about the elements, including the sun, and how as Indigenous people we view the natural world as having a relationship (with us),” he says. “Having the sun power our community is huge, it really is a part of our culture and our worldview — having that relationship with our natural environment.”
 
Minde says the project could be finished by the end of 2018, or March 2019 at the latest.
 
“The success of Indigenous businesses is essential to building a strong, innovative, and inclusive Canadian economy,” Minister Bains said from the Songhees Innovation Centre near Victoria. “I am proud that the Government of Canada is investing in these 45 projects and supporting Indigenous communities across the West.”