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Key recommendations affecting First Nations were left out of the Rosehart Report as the story below indicates. Along with the "Duty to Consult" and "Resource Revenue Sharing", there were no recommendations concerning improving telecommunication services and electrical grid development, although these items were also "mentioned" in the report.

From the Thunder Bay Chronicle Journal

Rosehart overlooked key issues in report: chiefs

By JIM KELLY - Saturday, March 29, 2008

The Rosehart report on the Northwestern Ontario economy has two major oversights affecting First Nation communities, say Matawa First Nations chiefs.

The comprehensive report was released last week.

The chiefs claim that revenue sharing and consultation have been overlooked.

“There are so many opportunities that could arise from resource revenue sharing agreements with First Nations,” said Chief Scott Jacob of Webequie First Nation.

“It is an embarrassment that these opportunities are not part of the provincial agenda to building economic strength for the people of Ontario,” he said.

“As First Nations, we see resource sharing as a path to creating business and employment opportunities for our youth and in building more prosperous and self-sufficient First Nations.

Chief Celia Echum of Ginoogaming First Nation near Longlac echoed Jacob‘s remarks.

“We have a lot of mining and forestry companies in our area and we want to get the revenue that comes out of that for our young people,” she said Friday.

“We‘re looking out for our young people.”

Echum said things have changed over the past century.

“In the last 100 years, everything was given to us and we didn‘t have a say (over) what came into the First Nations.

“Now, we have to turn around and say, ’This is what we want and this is where we want to go from here,‘” she said.

The Matawa chiefs also noted the Rosehart report makes no specific recommendation for Ontario to upgrade its legislation with respect to the duty to consult with First Nations over resource development on traditional lands.

Reached at a golf course in Venice, Fla., Rosehart said his report does cover revenue sharing and consultation with First Nations in separate parts of the 74-page document.

“I don‘t blame them for missing it, but they‘re both in there,” he said.

“It does talk about revenue sharing and basically saying the government should be more open to revenue sharing arrangements,” he said.

“It‘s in there. There‘s no specific recommendation but there is text that talks about it.”

In the area of consultation, Rosehart said his recommendation that the province designate a First Nations relationship partnership fund will help First Nations to become true partners in future developments.

“I figured they needed money through this fund to help put them on an equal footing, but they haven‘t read it that way,” he said.

In the mining section, Rosehart‘s recommendation of geoscience mapping would involve necessary consultation and participation of First Nations as well as local communities.

Nishnawbe-Aski Deputy Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler questioned why the province commissioned the Rosehart report at the same time there was ongoing discussions between the Ontario government and NAN.

They are seeking to mutually address the unique challenges experienced by northern First Nations in achieving prosperity.

“We were supposed to be having a bilateral process with Ontario on the same issues (as in the Rosehart report),” he said.

Northern Development and Mines Minister Michael Gravelle defended Rosehart‘s report.

“Dr. Rosehart made some significant recommendations relating to First Nations,” he said.

“You could speak to other people who might say, ’He didn‘t cover this or he didn‘t cover that,‘ but he did the best he could,” Gravelle said.

“I don‘t think it‘s fair to expect him to cover all the subjects that everybody expected him to.”

Gravelle said the province has made a commitment to deal with the issue of revenue sharing between industry and First Nation communities.