A northwestern Ontario First Nation is asking Ottawa for support tied to Indigenous-led data centre and artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure projects, according to a recent lobbying registration update.

Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation says it’s engaging several federal departments to develop “Indigenous led data centre infrastructure in Northwestern Ontario,” including projects tied to digital sovereignty, national data capacity and even building data centres on the community’s land.

The Nation’s engagement is targeted at Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Indigenous Services Canada and the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario to seek support for initiatives linked to energy systems, digital connectivity and economic development.

The update to the federal registration comes as Canada pushes to expand artificial intelligence and data centre infrastructure, including Indigenous-led projects and Indigenous data sovereignty efforts.

That includes Woodland Cree First Nation, which announced plans last year for a data centre project in Alberta on the site of an abandoned power plant.

Other parts of the filing reference housing, water infrastructure, energy generation and transmission, and planning for Canada’s proposed Deep Geological Repository for used nuclear fuel. The project would involve the long-term underground storage of used nuclear fuel and is expected to span more than a century.

Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation and the Township of Ignace were selected in November 2024 as host communities for the repository.

The registration also says the Nation is seeking recognition of its Regulatory Assurance and Accountability Protocol, which is grounded in Anishinaabe law, in federal permitting and approval processes connected to the project.

The IJF has reached out to Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation, the Nuclear Waste Management Organization and federal departments for comment.

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