In March of 1975, at the First Annual All Ontario Chiefs Conference, a joint First Nations Association Coordinating Committee was formed, constituting an unincorporated federation of the four major Ontario First Nation organizations. The purpose of the committee was to provide a single Ontario representative to the Assembly of First Nations (then, the National Indian Brotherhood). From this committee emerged the Chiefs of Ontario office whose basic purpose is to enable the political leadership to discuss and to decide on regional, provincial and national priorities affecting First Nation people in Ontario and to provide a unified voice on these issues.
Former Ontario Regional Chiefs, from left to right: Grand Council Chief Pat Madahbee, Deputy Grand Chief Gord Peters, Angus Toulouse, Charles Fox, Chief Tom Bressette.
About the Logo
The circle and the map represents the continuity, strength and harmony of the First Nations peoples of Ontario; the five feathers signify the four political organizations of the Chiefs of Ontario; the fifth feather represents the independent nations and First Nation peoples living off reserve, First Nations who are not forgotten. The overall symbol represents the continuance of the First Nations peoples of Ontario struggle for pride, culture, self-determination and spirituality.
THE LATEST FROM CHIEFS OF ONTARIO
Media Releases
Chiefs of Ontario Launch Ontario-Specific Closing the Infrastructure Gap Report, Aligning with Assembly of First Nations National Scale Report
(Toronto, ON – April 9, 2024) The Chiefs of Ontario and Ontario Regional Chief Glen Hare released a statement following the
Request for Proposals: Legal Opinion on Mining in Ontario and the Duty to Consult First Nations
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS: Legal Opinion on Mining in Ontario and the Duty to Consult First Nations Download Full RFP Here: RFP:
Chiefs of Ontario to Pursue Litigation Against Ontario over Exclusion of First Nations Laws in New Policing Act
(Toronto, ON – April 1, 2024) The Chiefs of Ontario (COO) is disappointed that the Ontario government has repeatedly ignored our
Ontario Regional Chief Glen Hare Issues Statement Regarding the Release of Ontario’s 2024 Budget
(Toronto, ON – March 28, 2024) Ontario Regional Chief Glen Hare issued the following statement in response to the 2024 Ontario