Originally published in APTN News
20 January 2022
Legal action is possible if First Nations’ concerns go unaddressed says Chief Gaius Wesley on N2N
A federally led assessment of mining’s potential environmental impact on the Ring of Fire region hasn’t moved beyond draft terms of reference but a handful of chiefs say it’s already being bungled.
Leaders from five Treaty 9 communities in northern Ontario say the framework is narrow, tokenistic, risks exacerbating the climate crisis and runs roughshod over Indigenous sovereignty.
The chiefs fear widespread mineral extraction poses a profound threat to the vast swath of boggy, carbon-rich peatlands south of Hudson Bay and want federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault to scrap the proposed deal.
Wildlife Conservation Society Canada to release information hub on the largest peatland in North America
A growing demand for “critical minerals” may put one of the largest carbon sinks in the world at risk. A new hub will look at all the values at play in the Ring of Fire in Canada.
Scratch that: Feds to rethink Ring of Fire environmental assessment after First Nations criticism
‘There is no access to critical minerals in Canada without Indigenous Peoples being at the table in a decision-making position,’ Federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault said
Protecting peatlands pivotal for climate and biodiversity goals, scientists say
Facing down governments and industry, this First Nation makes a promise: There’ll be no development in the Ring of Fire without its consent