MEDIA ADVISORY - ZAAGA'IGANINIWAG CALDWELL FIRST NATION GAS BAR AND VARIETY IS A HISTORIC FIRST STEP IN ECONOMIC RECONCILIATION
LEAMINGTON, ON, April 6, 2023 /CNW/ - After centuries of a struggle to reclaim and rebuild a nation that was removed from the land and source of livelihood, the Caldwell First Nation is celebrating the opening of a vibrant new Gas Bar and Convenience Store which is the first step in the plan to rebuild a nation from the ground up.
The Caldwell First Nation Gas Bar is one of the largest Gas facilities in Southwestern Ontario with 16 Full-Service Gas Pumps serving: regular, premium, clear, and dyed diesel at affordable prices alongside a convenience store featuring snacks, drinks, t-shirts, hats, hoodies, traditional First Nation shirts, skirts, and many other gift items. It is now open seven days a week from 7am to 8pm each day and is easy to access from all points in Southwestern Ontario.
Media members and the community are invited to join in celebration of the new venture:
When: Saturday, April 15, 2023 11am-1pm
Where: 1032 Mersea Road 1, Leamington, Ontario (just 5 minutes from Seacliff Park)
What: Grand Opening Festivities:
- Speeches by: Assembly of First Nations National Chief RoseAnne Archibald, Grand Chief of the Association of Iroquois and Allied First Nations Joel Abram, and Caldwell First Nation Chief Mary Duckworth
"We have lived on the lands and waterways from the Detroit River along the north shore of Lake Erie to Long Point since time immemorial and we have gone from being landless and unrecognized to rebuilding our nation and creating the economic reconciliation that was long denied to us. Together we are healing and creating a bright future and will soon open a Marina, and begin construction of Passivhaus homes, a cultural centre, youth centre and retirement home on our land base near the shore of Lake Erie near Leamington."
- Chief Mary Duckworth,
Zaaga'iganiniwag, Caldwell First Nation
We are the most Southwestern First Nation in Canada and we are a distinct and federally recognized Indian band.
We call ourselves Zaaga'iganiniwag *, meaning: "People of the Lake" and used to be referred to by such names as the "Chippewas of Pelee", "Point Pelee Indians" and "Caldwell's band of Indians".
The opening of the Caldwell First Nation Gas Bar and Convenience Store is an incredible accomplishment. Our ancestors and Nation persevered, won the struggle, and ratified a land claim settlement with the Federal government for the loss of our traditional lands going back more than 220 years. In May 1790, the Ottawa, Chippewa, Pottawatomi, and Huron surrendered a large tract of land in southwestern Ontario, including Point Pelee. But Caldwell First Nation did not sign or benefit from the treaty. Caldwell First Nation served as allies of the British during the War of 1812. In consideration of this service, they were promised land at Point Pelee. We continued to occupy Point Pelee, with the support of the Canadian government, up until the late 1850s.
In the 1920s, many of the bandmembers were forced off our traditional lands by the RCMP
Visit our website to learn more: https://www.caldwellfirstnation.ca/historical-resource-links.html
SOURCE Caldwell First Nation
Caldwell First Nation Governance Executive, Mary-Jo Rusu, Call: 519.329.2364 or Email to [email protected]
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