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Aboriginal and Inuit Mining and Oil/Gas

Chiefs stand together to demand development on their own terms – by Ian Graham (Thompson Citizen – May 3, 2013)

The Thompson Citizen, which was established in June 1960, covers the City of Thompson and Nickel Belt Region of Northern Manitoba. The city has a population of about 13,500 residents while the regional population is more than 40,000.  

ian@thompsoncitizen.net

Representatives of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC), Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak (MKO) and the Southern Chiefs’ Organization (SCO) held a press conference outside the provincial governments Mines Branch and Mineral Resources Division office in Winnipeg on April 26 to announce that Manitoba First Nations are declaring moratoriums on resource development in their traditional territories and that stop work orders on mine development are being posted and will be enforced.

“We’re no longer going to be sitting back watching corporations and governments come into our traditional territories and ancestral lands and exploit our resources, leaving us nothing at the end of the day,” said AMC Grand Chief Derek Nepinak. “We’re not going to accept that. The status quo is done. For far too many generations now, provincial governments, federal governments have worked in collusion with the corporate industries to come into our territories and to take the vast wealth of our ancestral lands. Meanwhile they come back to us with contribution agreements that are wholly inadequate to provide for the basic needs of our communities and our citizens. Those days are over, those days are done and what’s happening here I think is an emergence of a new unified position. Once again our people are leading the way.”

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Eviction notice adds to gloom in mining sector – by Martin Cash (Winnipeg Free Press – July 4, 2013)

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/

These are not the best days to be in the mineral-exploration business in Manitoba.

Metal prices are low — gold prices are at their lowest level in 36 months; nickel, lowest in 48 months; copper, lowest in 30 months; and zinc, lowest in 18 months — investors’ appetite for risky (albeit tax-deductible) exploration plays is just about non-existent and starting this week in Manitoba, there is an additional one percentage point of sales tax on expensive equipment.

On top of that there is the potentially deal-breaking uncertainty over treaty land claims. One exploration company — Mega Precious Metals — that has been diligently working on a Manitoba gold property called Monument Bay for many years was surprised this week with an eviction notice from nearby Red Sucker Lake First Nation in northeast Manitoba.

In a news release, the band referred to the operation as “a mineral-exploration company operating illegally in Red Sucker Lake First Nation traditional territory.” But that same mineral-exploration company has been co-operating with the band for years and signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Red Sucker Lake in 2010.

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Manitoba First Nation evicts mineral-exploration company – by Staff (Winnipeg Free Press – July 2, 2013)

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/

The Red Sucker Lake First Nation presented a stop-work order and eviction notice over the weekend to a mineral-exploration company that reserve officials say is operating illegally in its traditional territory.

Mega Precious Metals, a mineral-exploration company based in Thunder Bay, has been drilling and developing a potential gold mine for a few years at Monument Bay, about 60 kilometres northeast of Red Sucker Lake First Nation.

Red Sucker Lake is about 700 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg. A spokesman for the band said action was taken now because new permits were issued recently without appropriate consultation with the band.

“The permits and licences granted to Mega Precious Metals Inc. are unlawful due to the absence of adequate consultation and accommodation,” says a statement from the band.

A spokesman for the band said there has been no violence or aggressive action related to the eviction notice.

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Negotiators in Ring of Fire make big bucks – CBC News Thunder Bay (July 4, 2013)

http://www.cbc.ca/thunderbay/

Better governemnt policy would eliminate need for negotiators, First Nation policy analyst says

Ontario taxpayers are footing a bill in the hundreds of thousands of dollars for negotiations on the future development of the Ring of Fire region, and one First Nations policy analyst sees it as money poorly spent.

Former Supreme Court Justice Frank Iacobucci and former Liberal MP Bob Rae are being paid by the province to work out a mining deal between the province and nine First Nations, closest to the mineral reserves. But First Nations policy analyst Russell Diabo said that expense could be spared if governments imposed mining rules that respect treaty rights.

“So there are ways to streamline it if the political will is there. But often the economic interests are so great that they want to subjugate First Nations interests and make it complicated where they can,” Diabo said

The government hopes to see billions of dollars in investment in the mineral-rich area, investment it hopes will also benefit First Nations in the area.

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Ring of Fire Negotiators Pay – CBC News Thunder Bay (July 4, 2013)

http://www.cbc.ca/superiormorning/ Morning radio show Superior Morning highlights what’s happening now in Thunder Bay and Northwestern Ontario. Rae vs Iacobucci. Those are the two high profile negotiators for the Ring of Fire mining development. But First Nation policy analyst Russel Diabo wonders who will really benifit. Hear what he has to say. Click here for radio …

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Nishnawbe-Aski Nation wants in on Ring of Fire talks – by Jody Porter (CBC News – July 3, 2013)

http://www.cbc.ca/thunderbay/

Ontario can’t ignore other First Nation concerns, NAN deputy chief says

One day into his new role and fresh challenges are cropping up for the province’s negotiator in the Ring of Fire. Ontario appointed former Supreme Court Justice Frank Iacobucci on Tuesday as it’s negotiator in talks with the nine Matawa chiefs whose communities are closest to the proposed mining development.

Former Ontario Premier Bob Rae is representing those chiefs in the planned talks. But the Nishnawbe Aski Nation says it needs a seat at the table too. “This is not just a specific regional project, in fact it is a treaty-wide impact and I think that’s what the province needs to recognize,” NAN deputy chief Les Louttit. “We would like to see a broader negotiation framework.”

Lessons from Attawapiskat

Nishnawbe Aski Nation represents 49 First Nations in Northern Ontario. Louttit said communities on the James Bay coast, downstream of the proposed mining development, are especially concerned about environmental impacts.

That’s also the area that has learned hard lessons about the mining industry from its experience with the diamond mine near Attawapiskat, he said. “We cannot simply keep going the way we have in the past,” Louttit said.

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Ex Supreme Court justice Iacobucci in Ring of Fire talks – by Richard J. Brennan (Toronto Star – July 3, 2013)

The Toronto Star has the largest circulation in Canada. The paper has an enormous impact on federal and Ontario politics as well as shaping public opinion.

Former Supreme Court of Canada justice Frank Iacobucci is Ontario’s lead negotiator dealing with First Nations in Ring of Fire development.

Queen’s Park has turned to veteran jurist Frank Iacobucci to be the province’s lead negotiator in Ring of Fire resource development talks with Matawa Tribal Council chiefs.

Referred to as one of most promising mineral developments in Ontario in almost a century, the resource rich Ring of Fire, 540 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay, includes the largest North American deposit of chromite, a key ingredient used in stainless steel.

“I hope we can get an agreement . . . to have the involvement and participation of the First Nations in a fair and honourable and equitable manner,” the former Supreme Court of Canada justice told the Star after his appointment was made public Tuesday.

“This is not a quick fix and it has got to be the right fix,” he said. “This is a huge opportunity for economic development for the province, for the (mining) companies and . . . for the First Nations people.”

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Province names Ring of Fire go-to guy – by Carl Clutchey (Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal – July 3, 2013)

Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal is the daily newspaper of Northwestern Ontario.

One of the country’s best legal minds will sit down with a former premier and Rhodes scholar when the Ontario government and Matawa Tribal Council discuss the impacts of mining development in the Ring of Fire.

The province announced Tuesday it has appointed retired Supreme Court of Canada justice Frank Iacobucci as its Ring of Fire negotiator for talks with the Matawa group, which represents half a dozen fly-in reserves in the immediate ROF orbit.

The position follows news last month that main ROF proponent Cliffs Natural Resources has temporarily halted its work on the environmental assessment for its chromite project.

Specifically, Iacobucci is to focus on environmental protection and monitoring, planning and development, revenue sharing, and social and economic supports for First Nations as they relate to future mining in the ROF belt located 540 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay.

The 76-year-old Iacobucci, who recently authored an unflattering report about how aboriginals are being disadvantaged by the province’s justice system, called his appointment an “honour.”

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NEWS RELEASE: Ontario Appoints Lead Negotiator for Ring of Fire

Ontario and Chiefs of the Matawa Tribal Council Negotiators to Develop a Negotiation Framework

NEWS – July 2, 2013

Ontario has appointed former Supreme Court of Canada Justice Frank Iacobucci as lead negotiator on behalf of Ontario in discussions with Chiefs of the Matawa Tribal Council on resource developments in the Ring of Fire, a project that will create jobs and grow Ontario’s regional economies.

Former Justice Iacobucci looks forward to community-based discussions on regional considerations with the Chiefs of the Matawa Tribal Council and their lead negotiator, Bob Rae. Mr. Iacobucci hopes to be invited to visit the Matawa First Nations communities closest to the proposed resource developments in the Ring of Fire prior to engaging in more formal negotiations. He hopes to address the following priorities:

• Environmental protection and monitoring
• Regional infrastructure planning and development
• Resource revenue sharing
• Social and economic supports

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PRESS RELEASE: (CNW) Gahcho Kué Joint Venture and the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) Sign Socio Economic Agreement

June 28, 2013, 2:04 p.m. ET

YELLOWKNIFE, TORONTO and NEW YORK, June 28, 2013 /CNW/ – De Beers and Mountain Province Diamonds (TSX: MPV, NYSE MKT: MDM) are pleased to announce that De Beers as Operator of the Gahcho Kué Project today entered into a Socio Economic Agreement (SEA) with the Government of the Northwest Territories for the proposed Gahcho Kué diamond mine located in Canada’s Northwest Territories (NWT).

The agreement formalizes commitments made with respect to employment, training, business opportunities and other related benefits for NWT residents. It also establishes measures to monitor possible socio-economic impacts related to the proposed mine and establishes the mechanism to work with communities close to the mine site to ensure an adaptive management approach to socio-economic performance of the mine.

“In signing this SEA, both parties are affirming their commitment to advancing this Project in a way that not only creates jobs for our residents, but that supports the health and wellness of the region,” said Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, David Ramsay. “This is a significant step forward in opening this mine, a project that will translate into economic opportunities for people throughout the North and South Slave Regions, and across the territory.”

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The week that was in the Ring of Fire – by Wendy Parker (InSupportOfMining.com – June 28, 2013)

http://insupportofmining.wordpress.com/

Lots of active non-action in the Ring of Fire this week. Cliffs Natural Resources continued to walk back from its Ring of Fire adventure with an announcement that Dana Byrne, vice president responsible for government and public relations, will retire on July 1.

“Over the past three years, Mr. Byrne has been extensively involved with the company’s chromite project in the Ring of Fire located in Northern Ontario,” the company said in its announcement. “His work with the First Nations and familiarity with all aspects of the government’s interests in this project has and continues to be invaluable to Cliffs.”

Byrne will maintain his invaluable 34-year ties with the Ohio miner through a one-year consultancy.

His replacement is Raga Elim, who vacates his position as director – global government relations to take up the job of vice president – global corporate and government affairs, as well as responsibility for the company’s global communications and public affairs functions.

Elim, who has been with Cliffs but a couple of years, previously served as the head of Rio Tinto’s Washington, D.C. government affairs office. He has extensive experience with a variety of American governments and was “a speechwriter at the last four Presidential Election Conventions for one of the major political parties,” which suggests, we suppose, that he is well-connected in a vague but interesting way.

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Idle No More: Canada Escalates War on First Nations – by Winona LaDuke and Frank Jr. Molley (Indian Country: Today Media Network.com – June 26, 2013)

http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/ A weekly U.S. newsmagazine that is a national news source for Natives, American Indians, and Tribes in the U.S. and Alaska.

Mi’kmaq and Maliseet reserves in Atlantic Canada are the sites of a new major battle between First Nation activists and the Canadian government that represents the next stage of the Idle No More movement. The flash point came when the Conservative government threw down the gauntlet with what some call sign-or-starve consent agreements presented to First Nations right across the country.

Facing increasingly strong opposition to both its extractive industries and its federal policies, Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government has adopted a hard-line strategy seemingly designed to eliminate First Nations’ negotiating power and rights. Harper’s cudgels are annual contribution agreements between the government and the First Nations that have new, questionable appendices that are forcing some of the poorest communities to take it or leave it, or worse, face third-party management, which would essentially mean having the Canadian government manage their finances and governmental affairs. At stake here is title over Indian lands and minerals, as well as a host of choices on the future direction of Canada.

The government seems to be focused on getting de facto termination of many constitutionally and treaty protected rights of First Nations. Its first thrust in this battle was this past fall’s Bill C-45, which gutted most of Canada’s environmental laws and was the spur for last year’s Idle No More movement.

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Ring of Fire mining may not benefit First Nations as hoped – by David McKie (CBC News – June 27, 2013)

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/

Click here for the Aboriginal Affairs briefing note: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/717490-aborigiunal-affairs-ring-of-fire-briefing-note-a.html

Internal memo from Aboriginal Affairs paints troubling picture

Northern Ontario is poised to become a mining mecca for its billions of dollars in chrome, copper, nickel and platinum deposits, but First Nations communities must overcome many social and economic hurdles if they hope to derive economic benefit.

That stark assessment is contained in a briefing note to the aboriginal affairs and northern development minister obtained by CBC’s Power & Politics through the Access to Information Act.

“First Nations in the Ring of Fire are some of the most socioeconomically disadvantaged communities in all of Canada,” reads the Feb. 4, 2013, briefing note.

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Rae in great position to influence Ring of Fire – by John R. Hunt (Sudbury Star – June 26, 2013)

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

Bob Rae is quitting federal politics, but in his new role he may exercise considerable influence upon the future of Northern Ontario. His resignation as MP has sparked a flood of superlatives.

Rae has been called the best prime minister Canada never had and the worst Ontario premier the province ever had. He remains untouched by personal scandal. A political celebrity with friendly contacts in many powerful places.

He is giving up a lot to become a negotiator for the First Nations in the Ring of Fire mining region. According to some reports, he will be negotiating on behalf of as many as nine First Nations. Presumably, native peoples will want a share of the wealth generated by new mines and as many jobs as possible.

Usually, politicians are only influenced by votes or potential votes. Rae will be representing a miniscule percentage of the Ontario population, but he will have both moral authority and a large degree of public support.

The residential schools scandal and the deplorable conditions reported on many reserves have given Canadians a collective guilty conscience that will demand a square deal for the natives in the Ring of Fire.

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Bob Rae jumps into Ring of Fire – by Gloria Galloway (Globe and Mail – June 24, 2013)

Globe and Mail is Canada’s national newspaper with the second largest broadsheet circulation in the country. It has enormous influence on Canada’s political and business elite.

OTTAWA — Bob Rae has had a few tough assignments in his life, but the job he faces as he departs his federal political career could be one of the most challenging.

Mr. Rae will represent nine different native governments as chief negotiator for the Matawa First Nations in talks with the Ontario government about the opening of their land to the massive Ring of Fire mineral development. There are varying ideas about how to proceed, and even about what his role should be.

The huge impact the mining projects in the remote northwest part of the province could have on the native communities’ environment, social welfare and long-term prosperity means there is an imperative to get it right – to ensure that the First Nations walk away from the negotiations with deals that will leave them richer, not poorer.

Mr. Rae, who has been interim leader of the federal Liberals for the past two years, says he recognizes the potential harms and benefits that could befall the people who have trusted him to fight on their behalf.

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