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Aboriginal and Inuit Mining and Oil/Gas

Province’s key Ring of Fire road ally not sold on mining in the Far North – by Staff (Northern Ontario Business – June 9, 2025)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Aroland Chief Sonny Gagnon pushes back on Ford, sides with Ontario First Nations against Bill 5

A key Indigenous ally in the Ford government’s push to build a permanent road to the Ring of Fire is calling out the premier for making misleading statements to the media.

Aroland First Nation issued a June 9 news release that the Premier Doug Ford is putting out “misleading and incorrect statements” to a Toronto media outlet that it’s consenting to mining activity in Ontario’s Far North now that the controversial, pro-mining Bill 5 is now law.

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Breaking down what’s in Ontario’s Bill 5, and why it’s controversial – by Marc Benoit (Cornwall Standard Freeholder – June 10, 2025)

https://www.standard-freeholder.com/

Ontario’s Bill 5 has been drawing a lot of attention and making headlines this spring. What’s in the bill that’s so concerning?

A new provincial law aimed at “unleashing” Ontario’s economy will also directly impact local governance, labour laws and environmental protections, which some say will open a “Pandora’s box of bad consequences.”

The bill, was granted royal assent on June 5 and is officially titled the Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, 2025. Bill 5 presents a comprehensive set of changes to various aspects of Ontario law, with major implications for the province. The new law amends several key pieces of legislation with the goal of fast-tracking economic development, specifically mining in key regions of the province, like the Ring of Fire located roughly 500 kilometres north of Thunder Bay.

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Two First Nations working on roads to Ring of Fire do not support new mining law – Liam Casey (Canadian Press/Financial Post – June 9, 2025)

https://financialpost.com/

The legislation allows Ontario to suspend provincial and municipal laws by creating so-called special economic zones for certain projects

TORONTO — Two First Nations that signed deals with the provincial government to improve access to the Ring of Fire are speaking out against a new Ontario law that seeks to ease mineral extraction in the northern region.

Aroland First Nation Chief Sonny Gagnon said his community objects to the law known as Bill 5, which seeks to speed up development in the face of pressure from the United States. The legislation passed last week and allows Ontario to suspend provincial and municipal laws by creating so-called special economic zones for certain projects it chooses, such as new mines.

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Ontario passes controversial mining law as Doug Ford warns against blockades – by Liam Casey and Allison Jones (Canadian Press/CBC Toronto – June 4, 2025)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/

Proposed legislation has sparked an backlash from First Nations who say it tramples on their rights

Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s government has given itself the power to suspend provincial and municipal laws for chosen projects in areas it deems to have economic importance. On Wednesday afternoon, the province passed Bill 5, the so-called Protect Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act, which has sparked a firestorm of anger among First Nations.

The province has said the bill is needed to speed up large projects, particularly mines, in the face of U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war. Jeers from dozens of First Nations members echoed in the legislature as the bill was passed into law. Ford did not show up for the final vote.

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Ford government passes contentious ‘special economic zones’ law – by Charlie Pinkerton (The Trillium – June 4, 2025)

https://www.thetrillium.ca/

Opposition efforts to prevent Bill 5 from passing couldn’t overcome Doug Ford’s PCs majority

Premier Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives have passed Bill 5, setting their controversial “special economic zones” legislation to become law in Ontario. Ford’s PCs voted on Wednesday to pass the legislation titled the Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act. The bill which includes the new Special Economic Zones Act, only awaits Ontario’s lieutenant-governor’s royal assent sign-off.

The law will give the provincial cabinet the power to designate “special economic zones” where it could then exempt specific projects and proponents, like companies, from any provincial laws, regulations and local bylaws. Being provincial legislation, the requirements of federal laws would still apply.

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Inside the ambitious Indigenous-led plan to protect northwestern Ontario’s “Breathing Lands” – by Susan Nerberg (Canadian Geographic – June 04, 2025)

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On the western shores of James and Hudson bays, a group of Omushkego Cree nations have been working to protect both water and land

You can’t blame Sam Hunter for not being in the mood for a boat ride. Rain is pelting the hamlet of Peawanuck, and the northeasterly wind coming in from Hudson Bay sweeps the coastal lowlands of northern Ontario. “I don’t like this weather,” Hunter says from underneath a furrowed brow, even as he and his German shepherd puppy, Niska, make their way by ATV from his house to the boat launch on the Winisk River.

There’s no one there to brag about how good the fishing had been upstream, no one to lament how the thawing permafrost downstream is tearing apart the riverbank, leaving the bank swallows to search for new homes. And there is no one around to debate the merits of a proposal to formally protect the tawich, the coastal area with its tidal marshes, mudflats and rivers, and the sea beyond, to which Hunter and others from Weenusk First Nation are inextricably linked. There is only the voice of the river.

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Blackwater Mine, Canada’s Newest Gold and Silver Mine Officially Open (Nation Talk – June 2, 2025)

https://nationtalk.ca/

Vancouver, British Columbia – Artemis Gold Inc. (“Artemis Gold” or the “Company”) announces that Blackwater Mine, Canada’s newest gold and silver mine, was officially opened in a ceremony at the mine site today.

B.C. Premier David Eby, along with Jagrup Brar, Minister of Mining and Critical Minerals, Acting Chief June Baptiste of the Lhoosk’uz Dené Nation, and Chief Charlie Williams (represented) of Ulkatcho First Nation, attended the event. Other attendees included representatives of Indigenous and municipal governments, industry associations, business partners, contractors and other stakeholders.

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‘Unleashing a reckoning’: Ford government set to pass Bill 5 – by Jessica Smith Cross (The Trillium – June 2, 2025)

https://www.thetrillium.ca/

Kiiwetinoong MPP Sol Mamakwa was ejected from the legislature for accusing the premier of lying about the bill

Indigenous people rallied at Queen’s Park Monday afternoon, demanding the Ford government “kill Bill 5.” Inside, MPPs debated the government’s move to time-allocate the bill, which will speed it through the legislative process and curtail debate.

Bill 5 would give the provincial cabinet the power to designate an area a “special economic zone,” and then exempt selected proponents and projects from requirements under any provincial law or regulation, including bylaws of municipalities and local boards, that would otherwise apply.

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First Nations warn Doug Ford to fix mining bill or face backlash – by Rob Ferguson (Toronto Star – June 3, 2025)

https://www.thestar.com/

With the Progressive Conservative majority set to pass the bill later this week, about 300 protesters from across the province gathered in front of the building to voice concern about the “special economic zones” it will create.

Premier Doug Ford is running out of time to fix his controversial Bill 5 — which fast-tracks mines and infrastructure developments — before it ignites a summer of unrest, First Nations leaders warned Monday.

With the Progressive Conservative majority set to pass the bill later this week, about 300 protesters from across the province gathered in front of the building to voice concern about the “special economic zones” it will create, bypassing local and provincial rules to speed development in the face of U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

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Ontario Mining Association president defends Bill 5 – by Len Gillis (Sudbury.com – May 30, 2025)

https://www.sudbury.com/

Priya Tandon said more education and awareness is needed to help the public understand why the Ontario government wants to streamline the process

The woman who heads up the Ontario Mining Association (OMA) said mining in Ontario needs to be recognized as a responsible industry that is environmentally sound and safer than ever for its thousands of workers.

Priya Tandon, president of the OMA, was a guest speaker at the BEV-In-Depth conference in Sudbury on Thursday. The conference is held each year to promote the greater use of electric vehicles in mining as well as to promote the critical minerals supply chain to benefit the use of more battery electric vehicles.

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Bill 5 will slow down, not speed up development, native leaders warn (Canadian Press/Sudbury Star – May 31, 2025)

https://www.thesudburystar.com/

Robinson Huron chiefs urge the provincial government to scrap the legislation and start over

Native leaders in northeastern Ontario are joining others in calling on the Ford government to scrap Bill 5, a proposed law that seeks to speed up the development of large projects such as mines. In a release, the Robinson Huron chiefs said Bill 5, Protecting Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act, 2025, is “a direct threat to the lands, jurisdiction, and sovereignty of First Nations within the Robinson Huron Treaty territory.”

“Ontario needs our permission — not just consultation, but consent,” Gimma Dean Sayers, spokesperson for the Robinson Huron Treaty chiefs and a member of the Robinson Huron Waawiindamaagewin Political Working Group, said in a release.

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Juukan Gorge traditional owners sign landmark agreement with Rio Tinto (Australian Broadcasting Corporation – June 2, 2025)

https://www.abc.net.au/

Just over five years after Rio Tinto destroyed sacred sites at Juukan Gorge in WA’s Pilbara region, the area’s traditional owners have signed a new deal with the mining giant. The Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura (PKKP) Aboriginal Corporation and Rio Tinto announced the deal, which governs the company’s iron ore operations on PKKP lands, on Monday morning.

In a statement, the corporation says the deal gives traditional owners a “much greater say” about what happens on their country. It comes after years of tense relations between the PKKP people and Rio Tinto in the wake of the destruction of 47,000-year-old rock shelters.

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Digging for Opportunity – Crees take greater role in mining industry – by Patrick Quinn (Nation News – May 29, 2025)

http://nationnews.ca/

With Eeyou Istchee recognized as a top-tier global mining destination, Cree leaders are now more visible at influential industry events. A pragmatic approach to government-industry collaboration has enabled extensive Cree participation in the region’s exploration and extraction projects.

At the Resourcing Tomorrow conference in London last December, former Grand Chief Mandy Gull-Masty emphasized that as sustainability is central to project development, collaboration must focus on mitigating long-lasting impacts while promoting development opportunities and knowledge sharing with community members.

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Ford heads to First Ministers meeting with Ring of Fire, pipelines, and nuclear at top of agenda -by Barbara Patrocinio (QP Briefing – June 2, 2025)

https://www.qpbriefing.com/

In a letter sent out in May to the Prime Minister, Ford said the number one priority was the Ring of Fire, including critical mineral mining projects and the infrastructure needed to support them (all-season roads, electricity transmission lines, etc.).

As Premier Doug Ford heads into this Monday’s first ministers meeting, he says his message is clear: It’s time to build pipelines, nuclear plants, and roads into the Ring of Fire.

“This is an opportunity of a lifetime,” Ford said, speaking to reporters at Queen’s Park last Friday about his priorities. “No provincial government has ever given the Indigenous communities across the province what we’re proposing now. They will thrive, they will prosper.”

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Carney and Ford show two different paths for ‘unleashing’ Canada’s economy – by Tanya Talaga (Globe and Mail – May 31, 2025)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

The governments of Ontario and Canada are both moving to fast-track development in the Ring of Fire region – but they are going about it in very different ways.

According to a May 23 letter from Canada’s Privy Council Office obtained by The Globe and Mail, Canada has invited Mushkegowuk Council Grand Chief Leo Friday to Ottawa to “consult and cooperate” on proposed legislation around projects identified to be in the national interest. It says new legislation is coming in early June that would facilitate regulations and development by creating a new Major Projects Office.

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