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The Pays Plat First Nation is working with Ventus Energy Inc of Toronto to explore the wind potential on its reserve lands in southwestern Ontario. Ventus, a wind industry newcomer, will install a meteorological tower on the reserve, located on the north shore of Lake Superior, to determine if the area is a viable site for a wind project. "We believe that this co-development agreement is the first of its kind between a wind developer and a First Nation Band in Canada," says Ventus boss John Douglas. The company is a developer of early-stage wind projects, using its capital to fund site feasibility costs such as wind assessment, connection assessment, environmental permitting and preliminary engineering design. Pays Plat Chief Raymond Goodchild believes wind development would have a "positive economic impact" on his community. The reserve is home to 174 aboriginal people, 87 of whom live off the reserve.