Neskantaga First Nation calls for halt to environmental study process on Ring of Fire road – by Staff (Northern Ontario Business – May 10, 2021)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Moonias, a frequent critic of the Ring of Fire planning process, said
local leadership already have enough on their plate with an ongoing
health emergency, a community water crisis, and the “marginalization of our
voices” in the EA process.

Neskantaga First Nation is calling for a halt to all the environmental assessment (EA) processes in the Ring of Fire.

Chief Wayne Moonias is demanding a “pause” in the process until the pandemic is over when meaningful consultation can take place on the proposed north-south corridor to access the Far North mineral belt.

In a letter to provincial Environment, Conservation and Park Minister Jeff Yurek, Moonias expressed his displeasure that the early stages of the provincial EA process is about to begin the Northern Road Link, the middle section of the Ring of Fire road, between Marten Falls and Webequie First Nations.

“Simply put this is the wrong process at the wrong time,” said Moonias in his letter. The fly-in/fly-out community of 400 on and off-reserve members is 430 kilometres north of Thunder Bay and about 130 kilometres away [upriver] from the mineral claims.

Last week, a news release was issued by the road proponents – Marten Falls and Webequie First Nations – that the EA process was ready to begin on the proposed 120-kilometre link, connecting the Marten Falls Community Access Road, to the south, with the shorter Webequie Supply Road, which will run into the individual mine sites.

For the rest of this article: https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/regional-news/far-north-ring-of-fire/neskantaga-first-nation-calls-for-halt-to-environmental-study-process-on-ring-of-fire-road-3766769