E-7001 Indigenous-led Bear Train funding request Petition Tracker | Signature Growth — Canadian Petition Tracker
Track E-7001 — Indigenous-led Bear Train funding request — with 571 signatures and counting. Sponsored by Terry Sheehan. See signature growth trends and provincial breakdown on PetitionTracker.ca.
Canonical URL: https://petitiontracker.ca/petition/e-7001
Petition Details
- Status: Closed
- Closing date: June 12, 2026
- Sponsor: Terry Sheehan (Sault Ste. Marie—Algoma)
- Category: Transportation
Signature Statistics
- Total signatures: 571
- Daily increase: +5 in the last 24 hours
- Seven-day increase: +18 over the last 7 days
- Growth velocity: ~3 new signatures per day (7-day average)
- Tracking started: March 25, 2026 — 103 data points recorded
Milestones
- Debate threshold (500 signatures) reached on May 13, 2026 — total at that point: 510
Provincial Distribution
- Ontario: 477 signatures
- Quebec: 25 signatures
- Alberta: 20 signatures
- British Columbia: 19 signatures
- Manitoba: 9 signatures
- New Brunswick: 4 signatures
- Newfoundland and Labrador: 4 signatures
- Nova Scotia: 3 signatures
- Saskatchewan: 3 signatures
Historical Signature Growth
| Date | Signatures |
|---|
| March 25, 2026 | 357 |
| March 30, 2026 | 365 |
| April 5, 2026 | 374 |
| April 16, 2026 | 382 |
| April 21, 2026 | 391 |
| April 24, 2026 | 456 |
| April 28, 2026 | 473 |
| May 5, 2026 | 484 |
| May 9, 2026 | 497 |
| May 18, 2026 | 519 |
| May 22, 2026 | 538 |
| May 28, 2026 | 549 |
| June 9, 2026 | 560 |
| June 12, 2026 | 571 |
Petition Text
Petition to the Government of Canada
Whereas:
• As the only Indigenous-led train in Ontario, it would recognize the rights of Indigenous peoples and demonstrate positive steps toward reconciliation, including access through their remote traditional territories for several First Nations and the Metis Nation of Ontario and providing much needed employment opportunities and recognizing culturally sound practices;
• The Bear Train will be under the direction of the Mask-wa Transportation Association Inc. (MTA Inc.) created by Missanabie Cree First Nation;
• MTA Inc. has a collaborative relationship with Watco, owner of the Agawa Canyon Railroad line, and Watco has agreed to be the operator of the Bear Train when all funding has been obtained;
• Would provide safe, affordable, all-season access to remote wilderness areas;
• Transportation for Indigenous tourism, Group of Seven tourism, Francophone-Ontarian tourism, eco-tourism, accessible tourism and snowmobile tourism;
• An important all-season transportation for employees of mines and forestry operations;
• Provide all-season access to health-care and accessible transportation for people with disabilities and seniors;
• Proven economic benefits to all communities along the line---between $38 million and $48 million annual economic benefits and $6 million annual tax revenues (2014 study);
• Train travel to Searchmont Ski Resort; and
• Would support sustainable development by decreasing reliance on travel by road or air, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
We, the undersigned, citizens of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to fund 50% of the cost to restore passenger train service north of Sault Ste. Marie to Oba Lake in the form of the Mask-wa Oo-ta-ban (Cree for "Bear Train") for the above reasons.
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