Ontario government making promises for NAN First Nation traditional territory
NAN press release
NAN Reacts to McGuinty's Five-Year Plan which Promises Development in the Ring of Fire
THUNDER BAY, ON February 26, 2010: Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) Grand Chief Stan Beardy is reacting to the Ontario Liberal government’s proposed five-year plan called ‘Open Ontario’ to be unveiled in the March 8, 2010 throne speech.
Among other promises, ‘Open Ontario’ includes a plan to develop a large chromite deposit in NAN territory in an area known as Ring of Fire.
“The province can make any promises they want but at the end of the day there will be no resource development happening on our homelands without consent by First Nations,” said NAN Grand Chief Stan Beardy. “We are not against the development however, we want a guarantee that we will have meaningful participation and economic benefits from the development or we will have no choice but to halt it.”
Ring of Fire, located about 500 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay – between Marten Falls First Nation and Webequie First Nation, is the subject of an ongoing blockade which began January 18, 2010. Ice landing strips at both Koper Lake and McFaulds Lake have been closed to prevent further mineral exploration and development from continuing in that area.
A list of ten issues have been outlined by Marten Falls First Nation and Webequie First Nation leadership and have been presented to both the government and mineral exploration companies in order for the blockade to end and for development to continue.
Nishnawbe Aski Nation is a political territorial organization representing 49 First Nation communities in James Bay Treaty 9 and Ontario portions of Treaty 5 – an area covering two thirds of the province of Ontario.
Amy Harris on 3/1/2010