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Aboriginal and Inuit Mining and Oil/Gas

Ottawa’s Ring of Fire assessment process declared unconstitutional by Alberta court – by Staff (Northern Ontario Business – May 16, 2022)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Pro-oilsands First Nations calls non-binding decision a ‘victory for Indigenous rights’

The federal environmental and social assessment being applied in the Ring of Fire was declared unconstitutional by an Alberta court. And an Indigenous business organization in that province is “gratified” with the opinion.

Alberta’s Court of Appeal handed down a non-binding decision on May 10 that the Impact Assessment Act (IAA) is “legislative creep” that threatens the division of power between the federal and provincial government guaranteed in the Constitution.

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Party leaders pressed on their stance on Ring of Fire development at FONOM conference – by Jennifer Hamilton-McCharles (North Bay Nugget – May 12, 2022)

https://www.nugget.ca/

Debate about the development of the Ring of Fire was noticeably absent during Tuesday’s Northern Ontario Leaders’ Debate at the Capitol Centre. National and local media had an opportunity to raise the issue with the party leaders following the debate hosted by the Federation of Northern Ontario Municipalities (FONOM).

Conservative Leader Doug Ford left the building immediately after the debate. NDP leader Andrea Horwath acknowledged some topics were missing, however “we were respectful about what they wanted to put on the agenda.”

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Nunavut hunters urge Baffinland mine to stop icebreaking, citing narwhal decline (CBC News North – May 11, 2022)

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

Nunavut hunters and environmental groups say shipping activity from Baffinland’s Mary River mine is having a real and potentially lasting effect on narwhal numbers in the area.They’re calling on the mining company to, again, alter its shipping plans this year as a precaution.

In a letter to Nunavut regulators last week, the Pond Inlet-based Mittimatalik Hunters & Trappers Organization (HTO) says the abundance of narwhal summering in Eclipse Sound has been in steady decline in recent years and that Baffinland is responsible.

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The Drift: Mining and movement in the Ring of Fire six years out, says Noront boss – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – May 4, 2022)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Wyloo Metals preparing to puts its stamp on James Bay mineral projects

Expect 2028 to be the year when the first truckloads of nickel concentrate will be rumbling out of the James Bay lowlands to market.That was the best educated guess from Noront Resources CEO Alan Coutts on an approximate date when the Eagle’s Nest nickel mine in the Ring of Fire will go into production.

During a Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce webinar on May 3, Coutts delivered an update to an online audience on the latest goings-on with the company and a basic primer on how Noront’s new Australian owners, Wyloo Metals, intend to approach development in Ontario’s Far North. Wyloo’s $616.9-million acquisition of Noront was finalized in early April.

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Wyloo takeover could be refresh needed for stalled Ring of Fire project: Noront CEO Alan Coutts speaks to Sudbury chamber of commerce – by Mia Jensen (Sudbury Star – May 4, 2022)

https://www.thesudburystar.com/

Fifteen years without material progress has made Northern Ontario’s Ring of Fire mining project the source of much talk and scrutiny. But Noront Resources CEO Alan Coutts said Tuesday that the company’s recent acquisition by Australian company Wyloo Metal Ltd. may be the kick-start the project needs.

Coutts made the comments during an address hosted by the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commons. His goal was to provide details of the tumultuous last few months, where a bidding war for control of Noront raised questions about the Ring of Fire’s future. Due to its prevalance in the mining industry, Sudbury has always had a particular interest in the project.

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Barrick’s massive Donlin gold project in Alaska faces pushback from Indigenous groups – by Nial McGee (Globe and Mail – May 3, 2022)

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

Barrick Gold Corp. is facing pushback from Indigenous stakeholders in Alaska who are concerned about the environmental damage the massive Donlin gold mine could cause if it gets the go ahead.

Toronto-based Barrick, the world’s second biggest gold producer, held its annual shareholder meeting on Wednesday and two of the three questions asked by stakeholders revolved around Donlin’s potentially negative impact on the ecosystem.

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Why the Debate Over Russian Uranium Worries U.S. Tribal Nations – by Simon Romero (New York Times – May 2, 2022)

https://www.nytimes.com/

If imports end because of the war, American companies may look to increase domestic mining, which has a toxic history on Indigenous lands.

KAIBAB NATIONAL FOREST, Ariz. — After Russia invaded Ukraine in February, the United States slapped bans on Russian energy sources from oil to coal. But one critical Russian energy import was left alone: uranium, which the United States relies on to fuel more than 90 nuclear reactors around the country.

That dependence on Russia is breathing life into ambitions to resurrect the uranium industry around the American West — and also evoking fears of the industry’s toxic legacy of pollution.

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Some in Nunavut community question where money from mining company has gone – by Emma Tranter (CBC News North – April 29, 2022)

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

Baffinland offering no details on how it spent $42.9 million in Sanirajak, pop. 850

A company that runs the largest mining operation in Nunavut says it has given tens of millions of dollars in contracts to Inuit firms in the hamlet of Sanirajak, but some residents say they don’t know where that money has gone.

An Oct. 18, 2021, memo from Baffinland Iron Mines, which runs the Mary River iron ore mine near Pond Inlet, summarizes community engagement with its neighbours. A section of the memo highlights direct benefits to Sanirajak, a community of about 850 people, including $42.9 million awarded to Inuit firms there since 2018.

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Ring of Fire Remarks by the Honourable Peter Bethlenfalvy – Ontario Minister of Finance – 2022 Ontario Budget Address (April 28, 2022)

Check Against Delivery

And while we’re at it, Mr. Speaker… It is time to do more to tap into the enormous resource potential spread across this province. Starting with the Ring of Fire.

Canada is the only country in the Western Hemisphere with all of the raw materials required for a lithium-ion battery… With Northern Ontario producing graphite, cobalt, lithium, nickel and other required minerals.

The Ring of Fire has the potential to bring multigenerational prosperity to Northern and First Nation communities… While supporting a home-grown supply chain for battery technology, electronics, and electric and hybrid vehicles.

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Navajo residents affected by uranium share stories at U.S. Nuclear Commission (Navajo-Hope Observer – April 26, 2022)

https://www.nhonews.com/

CHURCH ROCK, N.M. — On April 22, Navajo uranium and contamination victims voiced concerns to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission over the devastating health and environmental impacts caused by federal uranium mining.

Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez and Navajo Nation Environmental Protection Agency Executive Director Valinda Shirley were on hand for the meeting along with U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Christopher T. Hanson, Commissioner Jeff Baran, and Commissioner David Wright who met at the Redwater Pond Road community, located within the Church Rock Chapter on the Navajo Nation.

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Renewable energy depends on rare metal, but can it be mined sustainably? – by Benjamin Powless (Welland Tribune – April 25, 2022)

https://www.wellandtribune.ca/

Long Point First Nation is calling for more comprehensive environmental reviews after an Australian mining company said it wants to expand operations in the area. The Anishinabek community situated in Winneway is concerned about the impacts of lithium mining, a key component in the global efforts to move towards sustainable energy.

As environmental initiatives push consumers towards electric vehicles, debates rage over how “green” is the production of key elements like lithium, as mining can devastate landscapes.

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Diamond mines in the Northwest Territories are not a girl’s best friend – by Rebecca Hall (The Conversation – April 21, 2022)

https://theconversation.com/

Almost three years ago, the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) released its final report and among its findings, the report identified resource extraction as a site of gender violence.

The relationship between extraction and gender violence has been observed in extractive sites around the globe. And in Canada, this gender violence is shaped by extraction and settler colonial dispossession of Indigenous lands and livelihoods. What is it about extractive projects that creates the conditions for gender violence?

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Thunder Bay palladium company inks exploration agreement with three First Nation communities – by Staff (Northern Ontario Business – April 18, 2022)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Potential mine development could provide benefit for northwestern Ontario Indigenous bands

A Thunder Bay palladium company has signed an exploration agreement with three First Nations.

Clean Air Metals, Fort William First Nation, Red Rock Indian Band and Biinjitiwaabik Zaaging Anishinaabek announced last week that they’ve advanced their ongoing relationship with a signed exploration agreement. A year ago, all the parties signed an initial memorandum of understanding concerning the company’s Thunder Bay North project.

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‘Actions speak louder than words,’ says Wyloo Metals CEO on their Ring of Fire plans – by Ian Ross (Northern Ontario Business – April 16, 2022)

https://www.northernontariobusiness.com/

Western Australian miner intends to make Eagle’s Nest mine a zero-emissions operation, built on Indigenous procurement and input

Well done is better than well said. That was the message from Wyloo Metals CEO Luca Giacovazzi, the new man at the controls of Noront Resources and its prized Eagle’s Nest nickel project in the Ring of Fire.

Giacovazzi made a crack-of-dawn introductory media call — Western Australia time — only hours after the Perth-headquartered mining company celebrated the closing of its $616.9-million acquisition of the Toronto junior miner on April 7.

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EVs require mined minerals. What if Indigenous people say no to more mining? – by Mark Podlasly (Green Biz.com – April 19, 2022)

https://www.greenbiz.com/

At the peak of the summer, my nation, the Nlaka’pamux, one of the Indigenous Peoples of south-central British Columbia, used to know when the salmon had returned to local rivers by the annual blooming of the waxz’ethlap, or wild mock-orange shrub. This flower’s annual bloom along the shores of the Thompson River used to tell us when to prepare our salmon nets and fish-drying racks to harvest what is one of our most important protein sources.

However, because of the impacts of climate change on the lands and waters in our territories, this annual bloom is no longer synchronized with the salmon’s journey up the rivers to spawn. The waxz’ethlap flowers that once welcomed the salmon home miss the yearly migration by several weeks.

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