Desire for dialogue

Mike, a young Marten Falls man, chopped wood, built camps and hauled supplies to the eastern shore of Koper Lake late into Tuesday night in hopes that he’ll one day get a job.

Mike is one of 15 people from six First Nation communities who set up a blockade in the ring of fire – a mineral rich patch of land 128 kilometres north of Marten Falls. The blockade is expected to remain until the government and mining companies sit down with First Nation people to discuss plans for the area.

Marten Falls chief Eli Monnias said employment opportunities for his community in the future mining sector is just one of the issues he wants to discuss with Freewest, Biliken and Matrix.
Until then, protestors who have set up camp on the ice landing strips in the area will block access to the mining camps.

" We plan to stay here until our request for a forum to discuss issues is established," said Moonias. "A room somewhere in a place with a table in it. Me and my colleague from Webequie we sit down, the other sit down on the other side…are they going to talk to us seriously with our issues here and try to resolve them? If they say they will we’ll move on from there."

Webequie chief Cornelius Wabaesse said the ring of fire has always been part of his and other northern communities’ traditional lands. He said consultation from exploration companies and the government overlooked First Nation communities in the area.

"My community members are not opposed to development but they need to be included in any development that’s in traditional territories," Wabaesse said. " We have been on this land since time immemorial we would like to be part of its benefits."

Wabaesse and Moonias said they want people from their communities, who live among high unemployment and poverty rates, to be trained and employed by the mining companies as activity picks up.

Freewest found one of the largest chromite deposits in the world, which could bring up to 300 jobs to all of Northern Ontario once mining begins. Both chiefs say they would like to see training facilities built closer to home so their members will have the necessary skills to work in the mining industry. 

Wabaesse said a lot of his community is undereducated because they can’t leave their homes to go to urban centres such as Thunder Bay to go to school.

"What we want to do is own the camps then we employ the people," said Moonias. "If people are working getting up in the morning and knowing that they have a job that’s what everybody wants."

Another concern for Moonias is the proposed corridor to access the upcoming minerals that the chief said has been staked by the companies already. Moonias said First Nation communities have been working on a corridor along the Albany River to access the area for 10 years.

If the mining companies build an access road, a decade’s worth of work from those communities would be in vain because the companies’ have been staking in another location.

"Our road is not going to happen because government and environmental people will only allow one corridor," said Moonias. " We want the corridor to come through our area so we can get that access road."

Environmental concerns have also been an issue in the area. From sinking oil drums and equipment to dumping grey water into nearby McFaulds Lake, Moonias said the First Nation communities need their own full-time environmental observer to watch the activities of the companies.

Moonias added that over the past seven years, explorers have been poaching fish and game from the area without permission.

"They have done outrageous acts here," said Moonias. "Just yesterday we learned they are trying to build a (landing) strip."

Moonias said it’s illegal under the Mining Act to build permanent structures such as airstrips while exploring.