Electrical Distribution System Upgrades - Marten Falls First Nation

2025-06-30 – The public comment period on the project is closed. Indigenous Services Canada issued its Notice of Determination and determined that the project is not likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects.

This determination was made based on the consideration of the following factors:

• Converting multiple buildings to oil heating will decrease the community's electrical peak load and allow MFFN to move forward with new building connections while upgrading the community's electrical system;
• Best Management Practices related to fuel handling and the installation of petroleum storage tank systems will be implemented.

Implementation of mitigation measures are required for the project to lesson or avoid potential adverse effects to:

• Soil: i) Potential for localized soil quality impacts as a result of spills; ii) Potential for localized soil quality impacts as a result of improper fuel handling and storage.

Mitigation measures and best management practices for these potential adverse effects are as follows:

• Soil: i) Refueling of equipment and fuel storage will be conducted in designated areas with spill protection. If, during the course of the project, a spill should occur, every measure possible should be taken to stop and contain the spill immediately as long as it can be safely achieved without risk to the employee; ii) Storage tank systems that have aboveground tanks with the aggregate capacity of >2,500 L in which petroleum products and allied petroleum products are to be stored will comply with the regulations set in SOR/2008-197 (Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999). This includes, but not limited to, having an approved person or professional engineer produce the system’s plan and design, preparation of an emergency plan, the specification and design plan stamped by a professional engineer, installation completed by an approved installer, identification the system in the Federal Identification Registry for Storage Tank Systems (FIRSTS), and maintain detailed records (as per Section 46 of SOR/2008-197).