Northwestern Ontario — The two Indigenous communities in closest proximity to the future Ring of Fire mineral belt say they are best positioned to lead a regional environmental assessment relating to future mines and access roads.
Both the Webequie and Marten Falls First Nations said last week in a news release “they wish to be clear that the focus of the (regional assessment) is on their traditional territories, and that they therefore intend to lead all activities in their traditional territory, without exceptions.”
The Impact Assessment Agency of Canada is leading the regional assessment into the remote Ring of Fire located about 550 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay. The agency said earlier that it plans to incorporate Indigenous input into the assessment process, but has stopped short of committing to an Indigenous-led one.
Currently, Webequie and Marten Falls are respectively overseeing environmental reviews into east-west and north-south all weather roads into the Ring of Fire.
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