Members from a number of First Nations rally in opposition to northern Ontario mining plans

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TORONTO — Members of a number of First Nations rallied exterior the Ontario legislature Thursday to boost considerations about mining exploration they are saying is occurring on their lands in opposition to their will.

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Indigenous leaders and neighborhood members mentioned they weren’t consulted as mining prospectors staked claims on their territories. In addition they pushed again in opposition to the province’s plans to develop mining within the mineral-rich Ring of Hearth area, about 500 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay.

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“We wish our land to remain pure. We aren’t simply doing this for us right this moment, we’re doing it for future generations so they may be capable to proceed to do our conventional practices and lifestyle,” mentioned Grassy Narrows First Nation Chief Rudy Turtle.

“We’re preventing for that.”

In February, 4 first Nations — Grassy Narrows, Wapekeka, Neskantaga and Huge Trout Lake First Nations — mentioned they fashioned an alliance to defend their lands and waters after mining prospectors staked 1000’s of recent claims on their lands over the previous few years.

They mentioned they wished the provincial authorities to hunt their communities’ knowledgeable consent earlier than permitting firms to discover the First Nations’ lands for valuable minerals.

Muskrat Dam First Nation has since joined that alliance and Turtle, of Grassy Narrows, mentioned he hopes extra communities develop into a part of the group.

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Grassy Narrows First Nation, situated about 100 kilometres northeast of Kenora, Ont., has mentioned it has seen about 4,000 mining claims on its lands since 2018, when the Ontario authorities allowed any licensed prospector to register a mining declare on-line for a small payment.

The federal government’s on-line mining system doesn’t inform prospectors earlier than they stake a declare whether or not the land is a part of an Indigenous territory.

A authorities spokesperson mentioned in a press release Thursday that the Supreme Courtroom of Canada “has confirmed that Ontario can authorize growth inside the Treaty 3 space” within the province topic to satisfaction of its obligations relating to Indigenous Peoples, together with the responsibility to seek the advice of.

“We’ll proceed working in direction of consensus on useful resource growth alternatives by rigorously balancing the priorities, wants and considerations of Indigenous communities that train Aboriginal or treaty rights within the Northwest, together with different Indigenous communities that, like Grassy Narrows, maintain rights below Treaty 3,” the spokesperson mentioned.

On Thursday, First Nations members additionally raised considerations in regards to the province’s growth plans within the Ring of Hearth, saying they wished additional engagement with the federal government as they regarded to have their land rights safeguarded.

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“There hasn’t been any session in any respect and right here’s Ontario saying they’ve legally consulted the neighborhood throughout the pandemic once we couldn’t even meet throughout the pandemic, we had our neighborhood lockdown,” Neskantaga First Nation Chief Chris Moonias mentioned.

These rallying on the legislature mentioned Thursday that a number of First Nations teams deliberate to carry a march in September to reiterate their name for the federal government to “finish undesirable mining exercise on their territories.”

The Indigenous affairs minister has beforehand mentioned the federal government is concentrated on constructing relationships and meets repeatedly with Indigenous leaders from throughout the province.

This report by The Canadian Press was first printed July 20, 2023.

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