https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/
Indigenous leaders warn province to think again about granting access to Ring of Fire without proper consent
Fortress Am-Can might be Premier Doug Ford’s plan to expedite critical minerals production in the Ring of Fire, but the majority of chiefs with Matawa First Nations tribal council are pushing back that it certainly isn’t theirs.
In a Jan. 16 news release, the leadership warned that, as they are the inherent, treaty and Aboriginal rights holders to the area in and around the undeveloped Far North mineral belt, the Ontario government’s ability to grant access to critical minerals “within our traditional homelands is precarious.”
As far as the chiefs are concerned, “the premier’s strategy is absent of any participation, input or engagement with the impacted communities.” Fortress Am-Can is the premier’s strategy to avoid upcoming U.S. trade tariffs on Canadian goods by using goods and commodities like critical minerals as a bargaining chip to stimulate cross-border trade relations. Ford wants to cut regulatory red tape and fast-track more critical mines into production.
For the rest of this article: https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/regional-news/far-north-ring-of-fire/matawa-tribal-chiefs-not-so-keen-on-fortress-am-can-10087076