Ontario First Nation bittet um den Halt, um die Entwicklung von Feuerabbau zu ringeln
Ontario First Nation asks for halt to Ring of Fire mining development
Ontario First Nation bittet um den Halt, um die Entwicklung von Feuerabbau zu ringeln
Ontario First Nation asks for halt to Ring of Fire mining development
5 Kommentare
This is probably a hot take here, but the hardest part of nation building or developing strategically important sectors is definitely indigenous chiefs. These chiefs have so much more power at influencing federal and provincial politics compared to any other municipality.
Better headline:
Chief who represents a nation of 243 people wants to halt any development in an area covering 5,000 square kilometers.
Consent isn’t required to undertake development, only meaningful consultation. If we gave every First Nation a legal veto nothing will ever get done.
But, if PP is elected the leader of the opposition part he’s going to ram all of the Ring of Fire mining projects through, don’t the First Nations know that?!
Everyone needs to chill the fuck out.
There are at least six fly-in First Nations in the Ring of Fire area, as well as some others with existing road access. Marten Falls has been among the nations most supportive of mining development — some other nearby nations are more aggressively opposed. When the pro-development guys suddenly flip to an anti-developing position, it signals that something is up. Rightly or wrongly, they are suddenly getting the impression that the government is going to run roughshod over their rights and interests.
It looks like Marten Falls is hitting the breaks because they are spooked by Bill C-5 (feds) and Bill 5 (Ontario). Their support has always been a cautious one and for good reason. When you live 200 km from the nearest road and rely on hunting/fishing for a lot of your calories, the health of local fish and wildlife has a direct impact on what you and your family eat. Governments need to be careful not to give the impression that they do not take things like food security seriously.
The Ring of Fire will not make or break the Canadian economy or even the Ontario economy. The average person in Toronto will not even notice it. But it will dramatically and irreversibly transform how Matawa First Nations live. It’s a big decision for them and they are right to be apprehensive, even if they do ultimately want the mine built. There are also pretty big cultural barriers: the average person there speaks Ojibway at home, for example. Making deals across cultures is hard. It’s a lot easier to burn bridges than it is to build — or re-build — them.
For this reason, everyone needs to chill the fuck out.