First Nation, junior miner fight heads to court

A northeastern Ontario First Nation said it's going to court to stop a Toronto junior miner from drilling on its traditional lands.

Wahgoshig First Nation accuses Solid Gold Resources of conducting exploration without seeking permission from the community, located east of Matheson.

In a Dec. 11 press release, the First Nation said the company has refused to stop drilling despite community protests and a letter from the province.

The First Nation considers land near Lake Abitibi, where the company is drilling, to be sacred, “replete with cultural heritage values such as burial grounds and other archaeological sites, many of which remain undiscovered.”

The Chiefs of Ontario have voiced their support for Wahgoshig.

The company is drilling on a 200-square-kilometre property, near the Quebec border, and north of the Porcupine Destor Fault zone at Lake Abitibi, an area known to host gold deposits.

In a statement, Chief David Babin said the company's actions are reminiscent of “the old days when companies would just walk into our territory and do what they like. It's not the 1900s anymore, we have rights and values in these lands and they need to be respected.”

The First Nation is pursuing an injunction, scheduled for Dec. 20 in the Superior Court in Toronto.

Solid Gold intends to stand its ground and expects to “vigorously” defend its rights to conduct exploration “without interruption.”

In a Dec. 8 press release, the company, which calls the matter a “political dispute” between First Nations and the Crown, said if the First Nation were successful in shutting down drilling, it would deal a “severe blow” to the North's economy and set dangerous precedence.

Solid Gold said the First Nations are claiming that it's a constitutional violation for the Crown to authorize mineral exploration and issue a mining permit, and the band is challenging provisions in Ontario's Mining Act regarding the Crown's duty to consult and accommodate.

Under these circumstances, the company, mineral and timber harvesting would be brought to a halt unless first meeting the demands of the First Nations, which include expensive traditional land use and archaeological.”

“Such uncertainty would be a stake in the heart of the mining business and could ultimately mineral supply.”

Solid Gold claims it remains committed to sharing information with the First Nation and the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines.