North Spirit Lake | North Spirit Lake First Nation

North Spirit Lake First Nation is an Oji-Cree community situated in the boreal forest region of northwestern Ontario, Canada

POPULATION

501

Rank #480 nationally

GEOGRAPHY

18.2 KM²

Rank #345 nationally

BAND COUNCIL TERM

03/31/2026

Term Expiration

Conflict Score

Community Profile

Overview

Last Updated 2025-07-10 15:16:35 UTC

Name

North Spirit Lake (ISC Code: 238)

Former Names

Spirit Lake Band, North Spirit Lake Reserve

Band Style

First Nation

Cultural Area

Boreal Forest

Indigenous Language

Oji-Cree

Number of Registered Members

501

Band Website

http://www.nsl.firstnation.ca/

Phone Number

(807) 776-0021

Fax Number

(807) 776-0026

Address

GENERAL DELIVERY, NORTH SPIRIT LAKE, ON

General Email

Not Available

Band Council

Governance Type

Not Applicable

Chief

BRANDON ADAM RAE

Term Expires

03/31/2026

Number of Council Members

BRANDON ADAM RAE

Chief

📧 Email not available

📞 Phone not available

DESTINY AMANDA MEEKIS

Councillor

📧 Email not available

📞 Phone not available

HOMER MEEKIS

Councillor

📧 Email not available

📞 Phone not available

COREY BARNEY RAE

Deputy Chief

📧 Email not available

📞 Phone not available

PHILLIP CAMPBELL

Head Councillor

📧 Email not available

📞 Phone not available

Administrative Contacts

Financial Overview

No expert reports available yet.

Band Financial Statements

2024 - Report Not Available

2023 - Report Not Available

2022 - Report Not Available

2021 - Report Not Available

2020 - Report Not Available

2019 - Report Not Available

2018 - Audited consolidated financial statements

2017 - Audited consolidated financial statements

2016 - Audited consolidated financial statements

2015 - Audited consolidated financial statements

2014 - Audited consolidated financial statements

2013 - Audited consolidated financial statements

2012 - North Spirit Lake20122013.pdf

2011 - North Spirit Lake20112012.pdf

2010 - North Spirit Lake20102011.pdf

2009 - North Spirit Lake20092010.pdf

2008 - North Spirit Lake20082009.pdf

2007 - North Spirit Lake20072008.pdf

2006 - North Spirit Lake20062007.pdf

2005 - North Spirit Lake20052006.pdf

2004 - North Spirit Lake20042005.pdf

2003 - North Spirit Lake20032004.pdf

2002 - North Spirit Lake20022003.pdf

2001 - North Spirit Lake20012002.pdf

Band Council Remuneration

2024 - Report Not Available

2023 - Report Not Available

2022 - Report Not Available

2021 - Report Not Available

2020 - Report Not Available

2019 - Report Not Available

2018 - Schedule of Remuneration and Expenses

2017 - Schedule of Remuneration and Expenses

2016 - Schedule of Remuneration and Expenses

2015 - Schedule of Remuneration and Expenses

2014 - Schedule of Remuneration and Expenses

2013 - Schedule of Remuneration and Expenses

Band Owned Corporations

No Content Available

Laws, Bylaws, and Codes

No content available

Intergovernmental Agreements

No content available

Active Court Cases

No active court cases at this time.

Downloadable Court Records

No court records available for download at this time.

Location Map

Reserves

ISC Code: 6340
NORTH SPIRIT LAKE
1815.8 Hectares
PARTS 1, 2, 6 & 7 LOCATION RF 156 CLSR 69612
[52.4828714, -93.0146142]

News Coverage Summary

No Content Available

Media Reports

North Spirit Lake Weather Update: Wildfire Smoke Prompts Air Quality Warning Issued: Monday, June 9, 2025 – 6:15 AM EDT

Local First Nations helping fire evacuees in Sault Ste. Marie

Community effort helping forest fire evacuees feel welcome in the Sault - Sault Ste. Marie News

Sault Ste. Marie to host 100 fire evacuees from North Spirit Lake First Nation

“A Law Without a Way to Enforce It”

Watay Power transmission project completed

Fire near Sandy Lake First Nation a 'sleeping giant' as evacuation flights pause

Native American Voters in North Dakota Urge Eighth Circuit to Reinstate Voting Rights and Fair Maps

Hundreds of wildfire evacuees from Webequie First Nation return home from Barrie, Ont.

North Dakota Voter ID Law Stands After Last-Ditch Lawsuit (Published 2018)

Native American Voters in North Dakota Urge Eighth Circuit to Reinstate Voting Rights and Fair Maps

Two Arrested, $260,000 in Cocaine and Oxycodone Seized at North Spirit Lake Airport

Appeals court rules against North Dakota tribes in voting rights case

Court Orders North Dakota to Restore Native Voting Power Without Delay

Voters in Seven States Lose Right to Fight for Fair Representation, Native Americans Silenced in North Dakota

As 2 dozen wildfires burn across northwestern Ontario, 4 First Nations still under evacuation

Drug Trafficking Crackdown: Toronto Man Detained in North Spirit Lake

Senate Committee on Indian Affairs heading to Spirit Lake Nation

Vulnerable evacuees from North Spirit Lake getting settled in Sault Ste Marie

Appeals court rules against North Dakota tribes in voting rights case

Construction complete on largest Indigenous-led energy project in Ontario’s history

North Dakota activists race to turn out Indigenous vote despite mail-in ballot challenges

Ontario, Pikangikum First Nation and Canada Partnering to Advance Construction of Berens River Bridge

Spirit Lake Tribe gets new border signs

Two dead, one critical in Spirit Lake shooting

Spirit Lake Nation ends lockdown

Spirit Lake Tribe declares State of Emergency, enters lockdown

LANDBACK: Spirit Lake Nation regains land from Fish and Wildlife Service

Judge selects legislative district map in tribal voting rights case

Appeals court rules against North Dakota tribes in voting rights case

Tribal activists stand up for LI town’s Chiefs mascot after Trump pledges ‘fight’ over NY Native American logo ban

North Dakota tribal nations come together, share resources to help find their missing

Fire protection lagging in First Nations, MPP says

Spirit Lake Tribe pushes for more ways to help state's missing and murdered Indigenous people

Mar 28, 2013 - North Dakota Congressman Kevin Cramer Verbally Attacks Native Victim’s Assistance Program Director at State Meeting...

As Child Abuse Persists at Spirit Lake, Congress Steps In

Three people shot, killed on Spirit Lake Reservation; alleged shooter apprehended hours later

Child Abuse Concerns Spur Federal Takeover at North Dakota Indian Reservation | FRONTLINE

Faced with historical health disparities, North Dakota tribes battle to keep COVID-19 at bay

Spirit Lake Tribe, voters sue Benson County over county redistricting plan

North Dakota tribe files first-of-its-kind lawsuit against social media giants

Land Transfer Completed from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for Spirit Lake Nation

Ontario celebrates completion of construction on the largest Indigenous-led energy project in province’s history

Keystone Air Flight 231 Crashes into North Spirit Lake

Tribes, North Dakota partner to update 30-year-old textbooks on Native history

Spirit Lake Tribe: Two people from shooting dead, one in critical condition

Two tribes challenging North Dakota redistricting plan

Reporting Vignettes From the Past Year in Canada (Published 2022)

Democrats endorse 3 tribal members in District 9

North Dakota Redistricting (Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians v. Michael Howe)

Suspect in custody after 2 people killed on Spirit Lake Reservation in North Dakota

Secretary of State and North Dakota Tribes Agree to Settle Voter ID Lawsuit

Three people shot, killed on Spirit Lake Reservation; alleged shooter apprehended hours later

UPDATE: Arrest Made Following Murders on Spirit Lake Reservation, Three Dead

'Kind Hearted Woman' follows Spirit Lake Nation abuse saga

Fires destroy northwestern Ont. First Nation band office, home

N.D. woman sentenced in toddler death on reservation

North Dakota Congressman Kevin Cramer Allegedly Verbally Attacks Abused Native Women's Advocate

What’s Changed Since the BIA Took Over at Spirit Lake?

Members of drug ring connecting North Dakota Indian Reservations and Michigan residents face federal charges

North Dakota tribe sues state to block voter ID law

Standing Rock Tribe is latest to sue social media companies for alleged mental health effects

Spirit Lake Nation Opposes North Dakota Casino Push

Menominee Indian Tribe sues social media companies over Native youth suicides

Victory for Native American Voting Rights in North Dakota!

ND delegation introduces bill to rename Spirit Lake Indian Reservation game preserve

Voting in North Dakota’s 2018 Election

North Dakota Native Americans Speak Out to Protect Their Right to Vote

Voters and Tribal Nations defend critical ND redistricting win from appeal

Spirit Lake Tribe, et al. v. Jaeger

‘A historic victory’: Spirit Lake Nation reclaims land taken by federal government

Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, Spirit Lake Nation, et al., v. Jaeger

Department of the Interior Announces Completed Land Transfer from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for Spirit Lake Nation

Goal scored for Cat Lake First Nation

Indian Country headlines for Friday

Tribes strike historic deal with Army over repatriations

The Indian Child Welfare Act: The Nation’s First Family Separation Policy

Two tribal nations sue social media companies over Native youth suicides

Indigenous Nations Allege New Maps in North Dakota Violate Voting Rights Act

Interior Dept. Completes Land Transfer to Spirit Lake Nation

Tribal food assistance program in shambles after USDA warehouse consolidation

Devils Lake or Spirit Lake? In 1996, Mni Wakan Oyate voted to change tribe's name to reflect true translation

Parties agree to plan to build permanent Berens River bridge

$28.5 million for Upgrades to Diesel Generating Stations Across North

Kind Hearted Woman | FRONTLINE

Standing Rock Tribe is latest to sue social media companies

Two Tribal Citizens Killed on Fort Totten Reservation in North Dakota

Menominee, North Dakota tribes sue social media companies over Native youth suicides

Three dead in shooting on North Dakota reservation, suspect arrested

Ontario, Pikangikum First Nation and Canada Partnering to Advance Construction of Berens River Bridge

Two charged in connection with kidnapping and murder of Spirit Lake Nation woman

North Dakota reservation orders masks after COVID-19 spike

Northern Plains tribes get $135 million for solar power

LANDBACK: Spirit Lake Nation regains land from Fish and Wildlife Service

New hotel opens in North Spirit Lake

4 charged in northwestern Ont. drug bust, cash, replica firearms and drugs seized

Polaris prepares to roll out Indian Scout motorcycle

Drug Traffickers Target American Indian Reservations Across the U.S. -

UPDATE: North Spirit Lake First Nation declares State of Emergency

Election 2024: The Native Vote

When Your Loved Ones Go Missing and Authorities Don’t Care

Reports detail high COVID-19 burden in Native Americans

Search underway for person believed to armed and dangerous on North Dakota reservation

North Dakota Monitor: Tribes share priorities with state lawmakers

Movement to investigate legacy of Native American boarding schools picks up steam in North Dakota

Accessing documents relating to investigations on North Dakota's tribal lands proves difficult

Bill seeks to strengthen tribal consultation on North Dakota legislation

Watay Power transmission project completed

First Nations struggle to house, keep teachers

Pikangikum bridge and all-weather road to be built

Northern Ontario Grid Connection Project

New forest fires in northwestern Ontario hit single-day high amid evacuations

Man pleads guilty to killing wife hours after wedding

Warm clothing the latest campaign drive for Mikinakoos Children’s Fund

Two people dead after Fort Totten stabbing

Native vote case in North Dakota goes before federal appeals court

Denver’s Native American restaurant Tocabe providing meals to North Dakota reservation

North Spirit Lake First Nation declares state of emergency over water, drugs

Wisconsin tribe sues social media companies over suicide rates among Native youth

Spirit Lake rapper amplifies voices of Native youth

North Dakota tribe files first-of-its-kind lawsuit against social media giants

Ontario’s largest Indigenous-led energy project complete

Ontario forest fires burned record area of land this summer as they displaced First Nations in northwest

'Huge loss': Fire destroys band office in northern Ontario First Nation

North Spirit Lake First Nation Declares State of Emergency

Sault Ste. Marie to host 100 fire evacuees from North Spirit Lake First Nation

Native Americans gain representation in North Dakota Legislature as Republicans keep supermajority

A week after his daughter died in foster care on the Spirit Lake Indian Reservation, Fargo father seeks answers

Tribal food assistance program in shambles after USDA warehouse consolidation

VICTORY: Court Blocks North Dakota Voting Map that Discriminated Against Native Voters

Ontario spending more than $500K to support Eabametoong First Nation's recovery after devastating school fire

North Dakota tribe files first-of-its-kind lawsuit against social media giants

Spirit Lake rapper amplifies voices of Native youth

Band office, home destroyed in North Spirit Lake in latest fires in First Nations in northwestern Ontario

Bearskin Airlines to offer new northern connections

Six Northwestern Ontario First Nations funded for multi-purpose centres

St. Michael woman named to 2024 class of Bush Fellows

Judge orders North Dakota to use Native plaintiffs' proposed legislative map

Fires destroy northwestern Ont. First Nation band office, home

Construction complete on Ontario’s largest Indigenous-led energy project

Judge Issues Life Sentence for North Dakota Man in Child Abuse Death of 5-Year-Old Native American Girl on Reservation

Native American Women Lead Fight for Missing, Murdered

North Dakota's tribes team up to attract international tourists

North Dakota Tribal Food Assistance Program Facing Problems After Warehouse Consolidation

NDSU honors Indigenous Peoples' Day with tipi display

Flood fight to come to Devils Lake, Spirit Lake Indian Reservation

United Tribes Technical College Hires First New President in 37 Years

‘Gross negligence’: Shortages in USDA food aid for Native Americans blasted in Congress

Ontario Investing Nearly $17 Million to Support Workers in Northern Ontario

Pilot killed in Ontario plane crash mourned

Defendant sentenced for kidnapping and murder of Spirit Lake Nation woman

A Tribe’s Epidemic of Child Sex Abuse, Minimized for Years (Published 2012)

Savanna's Act, a bipartisan bill to address 'tragic issue' of missing and murdered Native Americans, passes US House

Dateline: Unforgettable: 4 key details about Carla Yellowbird's murder case

Native Americans gain representation in North Dakota Legislature as Republicans keep supermajority

Clean Water bill ‘just the first step,’ NAN grand chief says

Native Voters Restore Fair Elections In North Dakota

Spirit Lake School Board Votes 4-1 To Keep Indian Mascot

North Dakota Voter ID Law (Brakebill v. Jaeger)

'Huge loss': Fire destroys band office in northern Ontario First Nation

Benson County (ND) Redistricting (Spirit Lake Tribe v. Benson County)

Spirit Lake Nation commodity food program turns to tribal buffalo herd for meat

Carla Yellowbird Murder: How Did She Die? Who Killed Her?

Feds announce money for Pikangikum-area bridge project

RCMP identify 4 killed in northern Ontario plane crash

Ontario crash survivor crawled from burning plane

Ontario First Nations plan power line to help remote communities get off diesel

Canada boosts support for winter roads, connections to remote Ontario First Nations

First Nations call for better airports on reserves

Community support is vital, Frontier Lithium official says

'We are not Oji-Cree': 22 First Nations across Manitoba, Ontario clear the air on distinct identity

Indigenous Leaders: Mission accomplished, Watay Power declares on northwestern Ont. power line project

Six Northwestern Ontario First Nations funded for multi-purpose centres

Northern Ontario chiefs council meeting with 2nd First Nation exploring nursing transfer

For boys who died at North America’s first residential school, reburial offers peace to the living and dead

10 First Nations with more than 10 years of bad water

Construction complete on Ontario’s largest Indigenous-led energy project

Indian Country Today: 'We tripled ... Native American women running' for North Dakota Legislature

4 charged in northwestern Ont. drug bust, cash, replica firearms and drugs seized

Diesel-generated electricity costly for environment, economy, Ontario First Nations say

Bad water: Innovative solution for remote northern Ontario First Nations

Why are Indigenous babies being hospitalized more often?

Native American Tribe Defends Fighting Sioux Logo

Plane crash in northwestern Ontario kills 4

Infant dies at Spirit Lake Indian Reservation after ignored neglect reports

26 indicted in ‘unprecedented’ drug trafficking bust on ND reservations

Intense wildfire season forces evacuations from Oregon to Ontario

Frank Black Cloud: Spirit Lake Nation supports 'Fighting Sioux'

3 days, 2 kids, 1 quest: girls find way to Toronto from fly-in First Nation

Tribes and candidates react to North Dakota's new state House subdistricts

Rising Youth Mortality Rates Hit Native American, Black Youth the Hardest

Two Tribal Nations Sue Social Media Companies Over Youth Suicides

In the Spirit of Survival: How Indigenous Protectors Are Saving Rez Dogs

Report identifies 12 Indian boarding schools in North Dakota from 1876 to 1961

'Their spirits are still here': Tribe, state to search for remains at North Dakota boarding school

An Outpouring of Sympathy for North Spirit Lake First Nation, Devastated by Plane Crash

February 2019 progress update on long-term drinking water advisories on public systems on reserve

Strangers on the prairie

New Details Emerge in Hearing on Abuse at Spirit Lake | FRONTLINE

Savanna's Act

What Happened on the Spirit Lake Reservation

Native Americans gain representation in North Dakota Legislature as Republicans keep supermajority

Indigenous candidates face off in North Dakota

More Than a Century after Their Death, the US Army to Return Remains of Five More Indigenous Children to Their Tribal Communities

Looking ahead with Brad Hawk, executive director of North Dakota Indian Affairs Commission

Missing and murdered Indigenous people featured in Dateline NBC’s Missing in America and Cold Case Spotlight series

Indigenous nations sue North Dakota over ‘sickening’ gerrymandering

North Spirit Lake First Nation declares state of emergency

Tribes seek youth police academy to fill open jobs

First Nations teen solves remote community's drinking water problems

Indigenous voters challenge North Dakota voter ID rules, gerrymandering

With speeches, salutes and drum songs, Tribal Flags installed at School of Law

'Dateline NBC' Focuses on Epidemic of Missing, Murdered Indigenous Women

Native Voters in North Dakota Secure Big Wins for Fair Representation

Spirit Lake school board votes 4-1 to keep Indian mascot

Judge finds Voting Rights Act violation in North Dakota redistricting for two tribes

House fire displaces family of 6 in remote First Nation in northwestern Ontario

Jemini Posey remains 'only one of many' missing Indigenous North Dakotans

Indigenous Services Canada responds to recent house fires in remote northern Ontario First Nations

Standing Rock Tribe is latest to sue social media companies for alleged mental health effects

Spirit Lake public schools will keep Indian mascot

Watch the Dateline episode "The Secrets of Spirit Lake" now

Restoring Food Sovereignty on the Spirit Lake Reservation

Frontier Lithium project has northwest Indigenous opposition

Court Orders North Dakota to Restore Native Voting Power Without Delay

Spirit Lake Nation ends lockdown

Construction Complete on Largest Indigenous-led Energy Project in Ontario’s History

Six Indigenous tribes have filed lawsuits against social media companies for teen mental health concerns

North Dakota tribe files complaint against social media giants

With Unfit Drinking Water, Indigenous Communities in Canada Bear Hardship (Published 2022)

Band office, home destroyed in North Spirit Lake in latest First Nations fires in northwestern Ontario

Spirit Lake Faces Another Tragic Disappearance

Tribes Ask Court to End North Dakota’s Appeal of Native Voting Rights Victories

Spirit Lake Tribe declares State of Emergency, enters lockdown

Two-day, community-led search scheduled for two Indigenous people missing from Fort Totten

Tribes, state argue redistricting case to federal appeals court

Academic Research

Spirit Lake Nation: Assets Strengthening Dakotah American Indian Community Solidarity

The last Wakan Wacipi at the Spirit Lake Reservation: An ethnohistory of Dakota Sioux religion and cultural revitalization

Implementation of an educational initiative for the youth through community-based participatory approach in Spirit Lake Nation, North Dakota

Water: A First Nations' Spiritual and Ecological Perspective.

A study of the impact of oil and gas development on the Dene First Nations of the Sahtu (Great Bear Lake) Region of the Canadian Northwest Territories (NWT)

In my Native tongue: Reflections from the shore of Spirit Lake

Landowning, Dispossession and the Significance of Land among Dakota and Scandinavian Women at Spirit Lake, 1900-29.

As I drove out to the Spirit Lake Dakota Indian Reservation for the first time, I was filled with trepidation. I had never been on an Indian reser

Forces of nature: an environmental history of Inkpaduta's 1857 attack on Spirit Lake

Gendered entanglements: Dakotas and Scandinavians at Spirit Lake, 1900–1930

Indigenous Revitalization, Rock Music, and the Holy Spirit: The Religious Logic of Healing at Lake Junaluska

Night spirits: The story of the relocation of the Sayisi Dene

Band Publications

No Content Available

Third Party Reports

No Content Available