SaskatchewanThe First Nation, which straddles the Alberta-Saskatchewan border, is installing rooftop solar panels on 123 homes in the community of about 7,000 people.Nation installing solar panels on 123 homes in community of about 7,000 peoplePhil Tank · CBC News · Posted: Oct 01, 2025 7:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 7 hours agoThis file photo from August shows solar panels on a roof in Calgary. Onion Lake Cree Nation is putting panels on 123 homes in the community of about 7,000 people. (Justin Pennell/CBC)Onion Lake Cree Nation wants to lead the way into a new era of solar power for Indigenous communities.The First Nation, which straddles the Alberta-Saskatchewan border about 50 kilometres north of Lloydminster, is installing rooftop solar panels on 123 homes in the community of about 7,000 people.The $1.28-million project is being paid for by federal grants and more than $500,000 from Raven Outcomes, which helps Indigenous communities find funding for projects.Jake Aaron, the director of capital projects for Onion Lake, said he wants to forge a path for other First Nations.”Hopefully, more will follow the processes we’re doing right now and make their own communities more sustainable,” Aaron said in an interview Monday.”We’re definitely a pioneer in this field moving forward.”Aaron said the benefits of the project go beyond lower power bills and more sustainable energy. The homes were chosen based on need, Aaron explained, with elders and social assistance recipients among those receiving the solar panels, with the caveat that roofs need a lifespan of at least 10 years to be eligible.The long-range plan, according to Aaron, is for every home in the community to be powered by roof solar panels.”I always have a 10-year realistic goal plan and I think that’s very doable,” Aaron said. “On [Wednesday], we are starting our construction on the set of the first 30 and with our partners, they’re doing two homes a day. So 10 years to have every home in Onion Lake is very doable.”Aaron said he expected the savings from the program to more than pay back the investment over 10 or 15 years. Workers in Onion Lake will help install the solar panels and learn how to maintain them, he added.Wáhiakatste Diome-Deer, the senior director of strategy for Raven Outcomes, said the community deserves credit for leading the way on the solar project.Raven Outcomes focuses on smaller initiatives that affect people’s day-to-day lives directly, rather than big projects like solar farms or energy storage facilities, Diome-Deer said.”That’s really our sweet spot,” she said in an interview Monday.Diome-Deer said Raven Outcomes wants to partner with more communities in Saskatchewan on projects like the one in Onion Lake.The rest of the funding for the Onion Lake project is coming from the federal Greener Homes Grant through Natural Resources Canada. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation is also helping to facilitate the project.Ridgeline Solar Ltd., an Alberta-based company, has been hired to install the solar panels.ABOUT THE AUTHORPhil Tank is a journalist in Saskatoon.
Onion Lake Cree Nation aims to be solar power ‘pioneer’
