THUNDER BAY — The flag of Fort William First Nation now flies at the Thunder Bay Alstom plant.
“The reality is they've chosen to fly a Fort William First Nations flag, which clearly delineates that this is Fort William First Nation territory," said Michelle Solomon, chief of Fort William First Nation. "And, that is part of their act of reconciliation.”
“I think that flags are certainly a symbol and anywhere you go, if there's a flag raising it's a symbol of the land that you're on and the place that you are,” she said.
By raising the Fort William First Nation flag at their plant on Montreal Road, Alstom aims to demonstrate a commitment to strengthening the bond between the first nation and the company.
Justin Roberts, president of Local 1075 at Alstom, said he advocated for the flag-raising at union and manager meetings and when he got to go ahead from the company, it was a matter of reaching out to Fort William band council.
“I think this is a nice public acknowledgement of the reconciliation that we're trying to do. It really shows the community itself that we care and that we're trying to make steps on reconciliation currently,” Robert said.
As for plans to maintain this relationship between Fort William and Alstom, Solomon said the flag-raising opens a dialogue for Alstom to be present in the community by raising awareness of potential job opportunities.
“I think when people take actions towards reconciliation, I think it always opens a door to further build on the relationship, not to say that it always does, but it certainly is an opportunity to do that,” said Solomon.
