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Ontario ministers long on talk, short on deliverables, say chiefs

A group of First Nation chiefs want money from the Ontario government to begin reparing their communities for mine development in the Ring of Fire. Chiefs from the Matawa First Nations issued a joint press release requesting $2.
Northern Ontario Business Staff

A group of First Nation chiefs want money from the Ontario government to begin reparing their communities for mine development in the Ring of Fire.

Chiefs from the Matawa First Nations issued a joint press release requesting $2.1 million from the province to hire technical help, communications liaison officers and set a budget for a Ring of Fire coordinator's position.

They are setting a Sept. 15 deadline for the province to respond.

“This isn't the first time the province has seen this proposal,” said Aroland First Nation Sonny Gagnon in an Aug. 24 press release. “We presented it back in April. It isn't new and should be acted on immediately.”

The chiefs issued the release following a meeting with three Ontario cabinet ministers – Northern Development, Mines and Forestry Minister Michael Gravelle, Aboriginal Affairs Minister Chris Bentley and Natural Resources Minister Linda Jeffrey – in Thunder Bay.

The chiefs want the McGuinty government to start delivering on a spring budget promise that $45 million will be spent over the next three years for skills training to help their people secure future mining-related jobs.

Constance Lake First Nation Chief Arthur Moore expressed “great disappointment” that the ministers arrived without any “tangible commitment.”

"This funding is critical for our communities to move forward,” said Moore. “No development of any kind will happen in the Matawa First Nation traditional territory unless each individual community is consulted and accommodated, and in order to do that, we need proper resources in place.”

Moore said past government funding has gone toward their Interim Mineral Measures Process (IMMP), a document providing guidelines on how communities interact with the mineral exploration and mining industry.

“The IMMP is just a starting point for dialogue to begin and to bring First Nations and mineral companies together on some common understandings. In order to continue the process, our people need to be properly informed.”

Webequie First Nation Chief Cornelius Wabasse said the mineral discoveries will bring “enormous challenges and opportunities” for First Nation communities that will be impacted by mine development and all the regional infrastructure that comes with it.