“Flying Dust First Nation is open for business.” These were the words of FDFN chief Tyson Bear when addressing the large crowd on hand for the official sod-turning ceremony held last Thursday afternoon (May 21) for a new strip mall, the latest FDFN development which will be built adjacent to the Giant Tiger store on Railway Avenue. “Years and years of vision, all the teamwork, the negotiation that took place all led to this sod-turning today,” Bear remarked. “When I started (as a member of FDFN council) 13 years ago, there was already a plan on the table. It had been carried forward by the previous chiefs and the chiefs before them… There are so many people I want to thank including all of the past leadership, including the past chiefs who have mentored me and who had the vision and the goal for everything to get to where it is. It’s like hunting, 85 per cent of the work is done before you get to eat anything, and not everybody gets to see the work that goes on behind-the-scenes.”

This was echoed by FDFN member and Meadow Lake Tribal Council Cree vice chief Richard Derocher who emceed last week’s proceedings. “This is a generational thing,” he said. “In the 1930s, this very land we are standing on belonged to Flying Dust First Nation. But, over time and has The Indian Act allowed, the land was expropriated from Flying Dust to develop a railway… I know chiefs who talked about this in the 1970s, the 1980s, the 1990s and up to today. They talked about getting back these lands.” FDFN elder Jim Norman, himself a former Flying Dust chief, agreed, stating it’s taken a long time but, now with the land back in its possession, Flying Dust is finally beginning to plant seeds and will soon harvest a tremendous bounty. “There are so many positives that will come out of this and I am so happy to be a part of it,” he said. “There are so many people who helped us to get to this day. We had negotiators from Ottawa, a number of people from the province, a lot of help, and it took a lot of thinking outside the box. It was a lot of work by many chiefs and councils, but we are finally here.” 

According to Bear, what started decades ago as a vision is now going to become a reality. “It’s about the nation, the future, the kids, the grandkids, the great-grandkids,” Bear noted. “The years and years of opportunity, jobs for the community, so we can all thrive. I am glad to be a part of it now. The Creator gifted me with the opportunity to be a part of this and to take it across the finish line. And, at the end of the day, It’s all worth it. A century from now, the people of this community will benefit from the moves we make today.” Bear went on to thank everybody who has supported Flying Dust and its efforts. “Nothing is perfect, but, at the end of the day, we all lead with our hearts, we work hard for each other and that’s all that matters,” Bear said. “This is a success. Let’s see the growth, Let’s see the takeoff.” On hand to bring remarks on behalf of the City of Meadow Lake was mayor Merlin Seymour. “There’s been so much work done behind-the-scenes leading up to this,” Seymour said. “All you see right now is a pile of dirt and a few fire hydrants sticking out of the ground, but the amount of work that has gone into this is incredible. I am looking forward to what’s going to be coming down the road. A new strip mall is what I’m hearing and possibly a hotel.” 

Seymour also said the development will benefit his community as well as Flying Dust. “I do know it is on Flying Dust land, but we’re all one community,” he said. “We’re all striving to make Meadow Lake and Flying Dust and the whole area a better place to live. As long as we can get the workers here, it’s going to draw other people from outside the community to come here to enjoy what Meadow Lake and Flying Dust have. The ability to attract different things to come to the area is unlimited. With this expansion and the growth over here, I can only see it getting better.” RM of Meadow Lake reeve Dale Sheppard also offered his support. “This is a great day,” Sheppard said. “I have been looking forward to businesses coming across here for a long time… Flying Dust is the best partner you could have. We all grew up together and we get along well, so I can’t see why we would have any problems. I would like to congratulate you on this day.” 

Offering congratulations on behalf of the Government of Saskatchewan was Meadow Lake MLA Jeremy Harrison. “I want to thank everybody who has played a role in this,” Harrison stated. “This is a really significant project, and this was a very difficult process to get here, so I want to congratulate the leadership of Flying Dust First Nation over the years and the council of today for seeing this through. When I was first elected 22 years ago, one of my first meetings was with then tribal chief Richard Gladue who explained some of the beginnings of this. This was a railway bed claim case, which we thought was very straight forward as far as the legal part of it goes. It took 20 years to get to the point where the actual claim was settled appropriately as it should have been 20 years before that. That is really what has enabled the development to take place here today.” Harrison also said the development will be incredibly beneficial for Flying Dust, for the City of Meadow Lake and for the entire region. “I want to congratulate the vision of the leaders of Flying Dust First Nation for being prepared to see this through,” he added. “Like chief Bear said, it is going to be worth it. We have this development going right now, but the opportunities are really going to be endless in terms of what this could mean for our entire region and for Flying Dust specifically.” The MLA also said there is a special bond between Meadow Lake and Flying Dust. “We did all grow up together, and we’ve worked together professionally for a long time as well,” he said. “And, we all share the same objective and vision, which is creating opportunity, creating jobs, creating the conditions for our young people to stay here in our community, to be successful and to raise their families. This does not exist everywhere across the province or across the country, I can assure you. We are very blessed to be in the position we are, and I believe we have a chance to grow this even more into the future.” 

Derocher, meanwhile, also acknowledged past chiefs and former leadership, as well as the FDFN land staff for their hard work and dedication throughout the years. “There are two leaders who have left us, who I am sure are smiling down on us right now,” he said. “Frank Mirasty and Percy Derocher, as well as my good friend Howard Gladue were very heavily involved in this and I guarantee you they are here in spirit today. They want to see the great things they were working on come to fruition. It wasn’t one or two people, it’s been an entire team and we need to continue working in a teamwork atmosphere. That’s how you get ahead. That’s how you achieve things. We need to continue that mentality in our leadership, in our office and in everything we do.” He also expressed how proud he is of his home community and of his neighbours in Meadow Lake. “Meadow Lake is going to be the next hub of northern Saskatchewan,” he said. “This isn’t only for Flying Dust, but for Meadow Lake. This is a regional development. It’s for everybody in our region. We can’t do things alone. We need to do things in partnership.” 

In closing, FDFN councillor Marie Gladue also offered a special thanks. “There is a large group of people I would like to thank and to recognize, and that is the First Nations people of Flying Dust,” Gladue said. “They’re the ones who gave us the vision. Back in the day there were elders who did speak to my brother, Richard, when he was chief. Those elders gave us that vision, and it continues that way. We get asked things from the band members, and we bring them to the table. It’s the people I would like to thank. The people of Flying Dust, thank you.”