Originally published in CBC News
‘Irresponsible’ to push mining supply road during pandemic, Neskantaga chief says
Two First Nations in northern Ontario are facing off in a confrontation set up by the province’s environmental assessment regime.
Webequie First Nation is seeking response to the terms of reference it submitted to the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks on August 14, for a proposed 107-kilometre supply road to a mineral deposit in the Ring of Fire.
The terms of reference (ToR) is the framework for the environmental assessment for the road before it is built. Provincial regulations require consultation on that framework with other First Nations whose traditional territory may be impacted by the project and who indicate they want to be consulted.
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
The power of peat: Canada’s secret weapon against climate change
Scientists call them Canada’s Amazon Rainforest, and they could be at risk. Peatlands are ancient ecosystems that cool the planet by absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, trapping it deep underground. A quarter of peatlands on Earth are found here in Canada, but some are under threat from potential mining developments aimed at creating technology for a greener future.
There will be no environmental shortcuts taken in the Ring of Fire, says federal minister
Facing down governments and industry, this First Nation makes a promise: There’ll be no development in the Ring of Fire without its consent