Current Problems: Treaties and Land Claims
Exploring Theme: "Duty to Consult/FPIC"
Updates on this page: 43
(Filtered by Stakeholder "Ontario")
April 2, 2024
Public Notice – Restrictions to Mining Exploration
NationTalk: This is a public notice that Netmizaaggamig Nishnaabeg (NN) and Biigtigong Nishnaabeg (BN) have identified areas north of Lake Superior that are off-limits to mining exploration and development. These areas are of high cultural value where mineral exploration and development would be damaging to the communities. This information has been routinely shared with the government of Ontario. These core...
March 27, 2024
‘The Gold Rush is over’: First Nations chiefs celebrate mining exploration court decision
APTN News: Leaders from the Gitxaała and Gitanyow First Nations are celebrating a historic victory after the Supreme Court of British Columbia ruled the province’s laws on mining stakes did not meet the Crown’s duty of consultation. The court challenge opposed the laws that let exploration companies stake claims without prior consent, often for as...
March 20, 2024
Ontario and Quebec have major plans for mineral extraction, but First Nations there say they are not being properly consulted and are taking the provincial governments to court.
B.C. Mining Advocates Urge Indigenous Engagement as Projects Face Legal Action in Quebec and Ontario NationTalk: Resource Works (EnergyNow.ca) – The Quebec government’s Northern Action Plan/Plan Nord promises that a total of $2.6 billion will be invested in “the sustainable development of the territory north of the 49th parallel.” Premier François Legault declared that, in this...
March 6, 2024
Injunction pauses road to gold in northern Ontario
Chief Russell Wesley in Cat Lake First Nation. Photo by Matteo Cimellaro / Canada’s National Observer Listen to article Canada’s National Observer: Cat Lake First Nation has won an injunction against a provincially approved winter road project that would lead to a proposed gold mine in northern Ontario. Chief Russell Wesley told reporters at a press conference at...
March 5, 2024
Province shuts down Chiefs of Ontario’s request for a moratorium on staking mining claims
The Chiefs of Ontario say a moratorium would offer some breathing room to catch up on claims First Peoples Law Report: CBC News -The office of Ontario Mines Minister George Pirie says a one-year moratorium on staking mining claims in Ontario is off the table. The Chiefs of Ontario were in Toronto on Tuesday to...
March 4, 2024
Demanding a proper say, Cat Lake First Nation’s injunction pauses First Mining Gold’s road work for project
‘First Mining continues to listen to the concerns of Indigenous communities,’ says CEO CBC Indigenous: Cat Lake First Nation has been granted an injunction pausing a gold-mining company’s construction of a temporary winter road leading to an exploration camp for a proposed open-pit mine in northwestern Ontario. In documents filed in divisional court, the Ojibway First...
February 23, 2024
Cat Lake First Nation Files Court Injunction to Stop First Mining Gold
First Peoples Law Report: NetNews Ledger – Cat Lake First Nation (CLFN) has filed for an injunction in the Divisional Court of Ontario seeking to stop First Mining Gold (FMG) from constructing a new access road using Permits issued by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources & Forestry (OMNRF). This is against the wishes of...
February 13, 2024
When First Nations push back against mining
Chief Chris Moonias of Neskantaga First Nation speaks during a rally raising concerns about mining in the Ring of Fire region in northern Ontario. Photo by Cole Burston/Canadian Press Canada’s National Observer: In Episode 5 of The Road, Isaac Phan Nay examines how some First Nations are pushing back against Ring of Fire development. In September...
February 6, 2024
What should consultation with Indigenous Peoples look like?
Ontario Indigenous Affairs Minister Greg Rickford said the province is meeting its duty to consult First Nations on the Ring of Fire. Photo by Alex Tétreault Listen to article Canada’s National Observer: For more than a decade, leaders of Ontario’s three main political parties have vowed to open the Ring of Fire up to mining. But it...
February 1, 2024
First Nations mull legal action, plan protests over Ontario’s online mining claims system
Provincial government rejected request for pause in 2022, won’t say if position has changed CBC Indigenous: First Nations leaders say they’ll up their protests and consider legal action if the Ontario government refuses to address their concerns with the province’s online system for staking mining claims. A 2018 move to digitize this process, which previously...
January 29, 2024
‘The mining rush for green energy’: Why Ontario chiefs are asking for a moratorium on claims
Chief Chris Moonias of the Neskantaga First Nation is photographed in Neskantaga, Ont., Friday, Aug. 18, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young Listen to article Canada’s National Observer: Today, anybody can make a mining claim on the Ontario government’s website as long as they have a few minutes, a computer and $50. The mineral claims process happens...
December 12, 2023
Mining claims jump in northern Ontario’s Ring of Fire as EV battery interest grows
More than 31,000 mining claims are now registered in the area, says advocacy group Sarah Law · CBC News · CBC News: Posted: Dec 07, 2023 3:47 PM EST | Last Updated: December 12 Mining claims staked in northern Ontario’s Ring of Fire area have risen by 30 per cent since last year, according to provincial data analyzed...
November 27, 2023
Cat Lake First Nation is ready to take on Doug Ford’s government over unsustainable mining development
A portrait of Chief Russell Wesley in Cat Lake First Nation. Photo by Matteo Cimellaro / Canada’s National Observer Listen to article Canada’s National Observer: When the chief of Cat Lake First Nation gave a button to Ontario’s minister of Indigenous Affairs and Northern Development, he apologized. “This is what the activities up until now have...
October 23, 2023
Thousands protest, demanding Ontario government stop mining on First Nations’ lands
More than 6,000 protesters call for end to “free entry” mining system NationTalk: The Varsity – Over 6,000 people protested against the Ontario government’s policies allowing companies to mine on some First Nations’ traditional lands as part of the March for the Land, which took place in Toronto on September 27. The First Nations Land...
October 10, 2023
Inside the battle over the Ring of Fire in northern Ontario
The Globe and Mail: NESKANTAGA FIRST NATION, ONT. – On a rock-covered beach in the heart of the Ring of Fire in northern Ontario, Alex Moonias gazes east, then north. All he sees is undisturbed land, water and air. Some 100 kilometres from where he stands, the province plans to build a road as part...
October 6, 2023
Ontario Mining Minister George Pirie is about to get a lot more powerfu
The Doug Ford government’s new amendments to the Mining Act will have politicians assess project safety and closure plans, rather than technical experts Through Bill 71, Ontario Mining Minister George Pirie, centre, will gain new powers to review exploration and mine closure plans. Photo: Carlos Osorio / The Narwhal The Narwhal: A year after being named...
September 26, 2023
Several First Nations from Ring of Fire region demand meeting with Premier Doug Ford
Ford wanted to send Indigenous affairs minister but the offer was refused. Members of the Land Defence Alliance, left to right, Chief Rudy Turtle of Grassy Narrows First Nation, Sol Mamakwa MPP, Elder Alex Moonias from Neskantaga First Nation and Cecilia Begg from Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation hold a press conference at Queen’s Park in...
August 3, 2023
First Nation calls mining stakes ‘unlawful, invalid’ as it challenges Ontario’s free-entry system
Chief warns of legal action if community’s concerns aren’t addressed by province, Ottawa NationTalk: A First Nation in northwestern Ontario has issued a public notice to warn mining prospectors away from its traditional territory, and says the province’s free mine staking system is putting a potential treaty settlement at risk. The notice by Kiashke Zaaging Anishinaabek (KZA),...
July 21, 2023
Members from several First Nations rally against northern Ontario mining plans
By Nairah Ahmed The Canadian Press NationTalk: Global News – TORONTO — Members of several First Nations rallied outside the Ontario legislature Thursday to raise concerns about mining exploration they say is happening on their lands against their will. Indigenous leaders and community members said they weren’t consulted as mining prospectors staked claims on their territories. They also pushed back against the...
July 13, 2023
First Nation takes Ontario to court over Ring of Fire road
Former Neskantaga First Nation chief Wayne Moonias, seen at the far end of the boat. Photo submitted Listen to article Canada’s National Observer – On Thursday and Friday, Neskantaga First Nation will face off in court against the Ontario government over what the nation argues was a flawed consultation on a road that will link the...
July 11, 2023
Nuclear waste issue must be resolved before new facility can be explored, says Saugeen Ojibway Nation
The Bruce Nuclear Station was built in the 1960s without the consultation or consent of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation. An aerial shot of the Bruce Power facility on the eastern shore of Lake Huron. Photo: Bruce Power. APTN News: The Saugeen Ojibway Nation is not making any commitments on the proposed expansion of the Bruce...
May 30, 2023
‘Get off the bulldozer’ and come to the table, Matawa chief tells Premier Ford
“Any activity in our territory without our consent is cultural genocide. Because, you know what? We are Cree. We’re not separate and apart from the land.” — Constance Lake First Nation Chief Ramona Sutherland WindSpeaker: Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he’s ready to jump on the bulldozer and build the access road to the Ring...
May 12, 2023
‘We’re building that Ring of Fire,’ says Doug Ford
Premier said Far North mine and road development will elevate standard of living in remote communities Listen to this article00:03:32 First Peoples Law Report: Northern Ontario Business – Threats of litigation and conflict aside, Ontario Premier Doug Ford isn’t backing down from his government’s commitment to develop mines in the James Bay lowlands. “We’re building...
April 27, 2023
Changes to Mining Act expose cracks in Ontario’s duty to consult with First Nations
Ministry of Mines says it engaged with First Nations after Bill 71 was introduced First Peoples Law Report: CBC News: A First Nation chief was sitting at his desk when he received an email from the Ministry of Mines informing him that the government was working to amend the Mining Act. This was the first...
April 27, 2023
Atikameksheng Anishnawbek issues a formal response to Ontario government’s proposed Bill 71, Building More Mines Act
We do not support Bill 71 and call for a complete review of the Ontario Mining Act in collaboration with First Nations in Ontario NationTalk: AnishinabekNews.ca – ATIKAMEKSHENG ANISHNAWBEK – After careful review and consideration of the impacts that Ontario’s Bill 71, Building More Mines Act, 2023, will have on the traditional territories of Atikameksheng Anishnawbek,...
April 26, 2023
Can the Crown make land decisions without First Nations consent? Treaty 9 lawsuit argues no
Lawyer calls lawsuit ‘frontal attack’ on colonial idea governments have ‘supreme right to rule’ CBC News: Several First Nations have announced their intention to take the Ontario and Canadian governments to court, in a lawsuit their lead lawyer says could fundamentally change the way resource and land management decisions are made in the Treaty 9 area. Leaders...
April 26, 2023
10 First Nations sue Ontario and Canada over resource extraction and broken Treaty 9 promises
Arguing that resource extraction has violated Indigenous jurisdiction for over a century, the case could stall the Ontario government’s plans to mine the Ring of Fire The Narwhal: Ten northern First Nations launched a lawsuit against the Ontario and federal governments Wednesday, arguing that resource extraction on their territories has infringed upon their jurisdiction for...
April 26, 2023
First Nations leaders in Treaty 9 say their message is clear — no development without us as partners
Chiefs from 10 communities in the region launch lawsuit, arguing Crown can’t make unilateral land decisions Treaty 9 First Nations leaders say their message is clear, no development without us as partners To view the above video click on the following link: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay/first-nations-lawsuit-ring-of-fire-development-1.6822920 CBC News: First Nations leaders in northern Ontario are ramping up political...
April 17, 2023
Indigenous leaders, conservation charity not huge fans of Mining Act changes
Critics object to lack of consultation with First Nations, fear long-term damage to the environment Northern Ontario Business: Cutting bureaucratic red tape at Queen’s Park to expedite the process of putting more mines into production isn’t flying with Indigenous leadership across Ontario. The Chiefs of Ontario are throwing their support behind the Matawa Chiefs Council and their...
April 12, 2023
The Chiefs of Ontario Express Support for Matawa Chiefs Council Response Against Ontario’s Bill 71: Building More Mines Act
NationTalk: (Toronto, ON) The Chiefs of Ontario express their full support of the Matawa Chiefs Council and their statement regarding their formal response to Ontario’s proposed Bill 71: Building More Mines Act. “The Chiefs of Ontario entirely support and stand with the Matawa Chiefs Council in their statement regarding Ontario’s lack of meaningful consultation, environmental oversight,...
April 3, 2023
Matawa Chiefs Council issue formal Response to Ontario Government’s Proposed Bill 71 – Building more Mines Act
Ontario prepares itself to Boom on Mining and Critical Minerals while minimizing Environmental Oversight and Avoiding Crown Responsibilities to First Nations across the North NationTalk: MATAWA TRADITIONAL TERRITORIES AND HOMELANDS: As the Matawa member First Nations have taken time to review and consider the impacts of Ontario’s Bill 71 – Building More Mines Act introduced...
March 30, 2023
‘No consent, no Ring of Fire’: Far North First Nations take mining battle straight to Ontario legislature
First Nations leaders kicked out of Queen’s Park, after dozens of people travelled thousands of kilometres to oppose development without Indigenous consent The Narwhal: In a balcony at the Ontario legislature, overlooking rows of lawmakers sparring over mining in the Far North, Chris Moonias rose to his feet. The Chief-elect of Neskantaga First Nation was...
March 29, 2023
First Nations leaders walk out of Queen’s Park after heated exchange over mining proposals
First Nations alliance won’t allow mining without first giving free, prior, informed consent CBC News: Leaders of five First Nations who are pushing for their voices to be heard when it comes to proposed mining projects walked out of the Ontario Legislature on Wednesday after a heated exchange. Ahead of question period in the Legislature, the...
March 7, 2023
Neskantaga First Nation says it wasn’t adequately consulted in key Ring of Fire environmental study
First Peoples Law Report: The Globe and Mail: Neskantaga First Nation says it wasn’t adequately consulted in a key Ring of Fire environmental study, and is warning Ring of Fire Metals, the Australian mining company bent on developing the region, that it will have to use force against members of the First Nation before they...
December 15, 2022
Matawa Chiefs’ Council Call on the Government of Canada to Stop the Colonial Backroom Deals and Establish a Dedicated Federal Crown Table to Prepare for the Development of the Ring of Fire Region and Critical Minerals
NationTalk: THUNDER BAY, ON: At their meeting today, the Matawa Chiefs Council issue the following statement related to the activities of the Governments of Canada, Ontario, the Assembly of First Nations (AFN), the Chiefs of Ontario (COO) and the Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) who are compromising the positions of Indigenous rights holders: “We have watched...
January 16, 2022
Flood compensation after 134 years
CBC – More than a decade after they began, negotiations on flood claim settlements between several First Nations in southeastern Manitoba and northwestern Ontario and the federal and provincial governments appear to be drawing to a close. But some are wondering what those settlements will mean for the First Nations affected — and why it’s...
November 30, 2021
Neskantaga FN sues government
CBC – Neskantaga First Nation is taking Ontario to court looking for “ground rules” on how the province should consult and accommodate Indigenous communities that are in a state of crisis. For example: Forced evacuation of entire reserve in October 2020 (300 people) due to tainted water Under boil water advisory for 26 years State...
February 24, 2021
Neskantaga FN sues government
CBC – A state of emergency has been declared by Neskantaga First Nation after a number of its members living off-reserve tested positive for COVID-19. Chief Chris Moonias says six per cent, or 12 of the 217 members living off-reserve, have tested positive for the virus. That includes one person in critical condition at the...
February 18, 2021
Failure to consult First Nations around Mining projects in their territories
WindSpeaker – “It must be acknowledged that the 15 proposed mining projects that are planned for the next decade are on the ancestral, inherent, customary, traditional lands of many First Nations in Northwestern Ontario and that their free, prior, informed consent will be required before any development proceeds.” — Jason Rasevych, president of the Anishnawbe...
December 17, 2020
Failure to extend consulting period
CBC – Five First Nations in Northern Ontario – Neskantaga, Attawapiskat, Fort Albany, Kashechewan and Weenusk First Nations – sent a letter on Dec. 10, 2020 to the federal Impact Assessment Agency demanding more time for the consultation process announced on Nov. 12, 2020 with a deadline of Jan. 21, 2020. They wanted the date...
June 9, 2020
Using COVID to deny Duty to Consult
CBC – Nine faculty members at York University’s Osgoode Hall Law School are calling on the provincial government to press pause on mineral staking and permitting processes on Indigenous territory in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a letter addressed to Greg Rickford, the province’s minister of energy, northern development and mines state that continued...
May 22, 2020
Using COVID to deny Duty to Consult
Policy Options – “Pandemic shouldn’t impede meaningful Indigenous engagement on Ring of Fire”. Ontario government announced that “a regional assessment of potential mining operations for the Ring of Fire will be undertaken”. The announcement only posted on the agency website severely impacts the ability of First Nations to meaningfully engage in the consulting process. Only...
April 5, 2020
Using COVID to deny Duty to Consult
NationTalk – Attawapiskat, Fort Albany, and Neskantaga First Nations in the James Bay lowlands have declared a moratorium on April 1 on any development in or to facilitate access to the Ring of Fire mining area in accordance with: Our Indigenous Laws including the Natural Laws of the Creator; Our Inherent Rights (arising from the...
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