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Cat Lake and Slate Falls First Nations begin public consultations on Land Use Planning process

November 13, 2008 - 3:29pm | by brianbeaton

Ontario gov't press release  

Public Consultation Begins On Cat Lake and Slate Falls Land Use Planning Process - First Nations Proposal Supports Ontario's Commitment to Far North

November 13, 2008

Cat Lake and Slate Falls First Nations invite the public to participate in a community-based land use planning process, developed in partnership with the Ontario government, for a 1.5 million-hectare area located 150 kilometres north of Sioux Lookout in Ontario’s Far North.

The land use planning process supports Premier McGuinty’s commitment to protect at least half of Ontario’s vast Far North boreal region.

Community-based land use planning gives Far North First Nations a leadership role in determining how and where resource development may occur. The process encourages greater economic self-sufficiency for First Nations and supports the Ontario government’s Far North planning goals of ecosystem conservation, Aboriginal community involvement and environmentally sustainable economic development. The Cat Lake and Slate Falls proposal includes conservation of woodland caribou habitat, addresses climate change and recognizes the essential cultural connections between Aboriginal people and the land.

The terms of reference for consultation are posted on the province's Environmental Registry at ontario.ca/environmental registry, Registry Number 010-4061, until January 16, 2009. Information centres to welcome public participation and provide information will be held in early December in Cat Lake, Slate Falls and Sioux Lookout.

QUOTES

“The Cat Lake and Slate Falls First Nations demonstrate leadership by identifying local economic development opportunities that benefit their communities; all while balancing environmental protection and traditional uses,” said Natural Resources Minister Donna Cansfield. “Community-based land use planning is one of the cornerstones of Ontario’s Far North strategy. It's key to a fair deal for First Nations communities and a strong, sustainable northern economy.”

“Working in partnership with our First Nations in the land use planning process will not only help provide for greater economic development opportunities, but ultimately help improve the quality of life in First Nation communities," said Aboriginal Affairs Minister Brad Duguid.

Cat Lake and Slate Falls community leadership said: “Our communities are leading this land use planning initiative to maintain our Anishnawbe relationship to the land and to maintain the Anishnawbe way of life in harmony with new land use activities.

These new activities will be integrated with traditional land uses in a way that is guided by our traditional values and principles. Cat Lake First Nation and Slate Falls Nation are collectively working in partnership with the Ministry of Natural Resources on this important planning initiative.”

QUICK FACTS

  • Ontario’s Far North represents 43 per cent of Ontario’s land mass, and is defined as all lands north of a line running from the Manitoba border in the west to James Bay in the east, several hundred kilometres north of Red Lake, Sioux Lookout and Cochrane.
     
  • More than 24,000 people live in 33 First Nations communities in the Far North, representing more than 90 per cent of the area’s population.
     
  • The vast boreal landscape of Ontario’s Far North plays an essential role in mitigating effects of global climate change because of its capacity to absorb and store greenhouse gasses.
     
  • Ontario’s Far North offers significant economic development opportunities in the form of renewable energy, mining, forestry and tourism.

LEARN MORE

For More Information
Ivan Langrish, Minister’s Office, 416-314-2212
Barry Radford, Communications Services Branch, 416-314-2123

General Enquiries
Natural Resources Information Centre
1-800-667-1940
TTY 1-866-686-6072 (Hearing Impaired)

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