'Here We Stand': River journey protests controversial bills By Sonal Gupta News Urban Indigenous Communities in Ottawa June 20th 2025 Scroll down to continue Share this article

National Observer

20-06-2025

Jeronimo Kataquapit with his parents and brother by the Attawapiskat River during one of the protests. Courtesy of Jeronimo Kataquapit.
A 20-year-old university student from Attawapiskat First Nation in northern Ontario is putting his summer on hold — and taking a 400-kilometre boat journey to protest against new provincial and federal bills he says threaten his people's land, culture and way of life.
Jeronimo Kataquapit is leading a grassroots movement called "Here We Stand," a direct response to Ontario's recently passed Bill 5 and the proposed federal Bill C-5 — pieces of legislation that, according to Indigenous leaders, accelerate mining and development in the Ring of Fire region without proper Indigenous consultation.
Kataquapit's journey, which began Monday from Attawapiskat, is a physical reassertion of Indigenous presence and inherent rights in a territory he argues is wrongly portrayed as uninhabited.
'One of the general opinions I hear is that there are no First Nations here, that our way of life is gone,' Kataquapit said. 'They say that whenever they come to do surveys or look around, there's no evidence we were here — but there is evidence that we were here.'
To emphasize his point, Kataquapit is planting tipi poles every half-kilometre and raising community-made flags to mark the nations' territory and challenge the claim that the Ring of Fire is 'empty land.' Visible markers will send a clear message to both levels of government, he said.
Bill 5 and Bill C-5 will open the door for governments to carve out special economic zones or designate projects that can bypass both environmental rules and the need for Indigenous consent.
'UNDRIP is broken. Free, prior, and informed consent is broken. The duty to consult is broken,' said Coleen Moonias, a spokesperson for Neskantaga First Nation. 'We must continue to fight together and be united.'
At the heart of this dispute is the Ring of Fire, a vast mineral-rich region that provincial and federal governments see as key to Canada's ambitions as an 'international resource superpower.'
Attawapiskat and Neskantaga are Cree and Oji-Cree First Nations located in the James Bay Lowlands. Both are members of the Mushkegowuk Council and have a long history of defending their lands and waterways from industrial development, including projects in the Ring of Fire region. The council, after seeing Kataquapit's efforts, helped turn his solo action into a larger movement.
'Anything that happens by the Ring of Fire will affect Attawapiskat itself, whether it's hydroelectric dams, whether it's any type of environmental contamination, will affect Attawapiskat. All water flows down,' Kataquapit said.
The James Bay Lowlands is one of the world's largest untouched peatland areas. This area has vast wetlands, forests and rivers that provide important homes for woodland caribou, lake sturgeon and millions of migratory birds.
People living along the Attawapiskat River, which flows 748 kilometres from Attawapiskat Lake, call themselves 'the water people,' as they care for the rivers, swamps and peatlands around them.
Wetlands act as a carbon sink, helping to filter and clean the water that flows into the rivers.
"They call it the swamp. They call us Swampy Cree people. So they have a purpose,' Michel Koostachin, a member of Attawapiskat First Nation.
If protections are weakened, local First Nations fear mining could harm habitats and contaminate the water with industrial pollutants and toxins.
"Industry comes and goes — whether it's dams, hydro or mining — but the people who don't come and go are the First Nations people," said Abram Benedict, Ontario regional chief for the Chiefs of Ontario.
"When the land is desecrated, it's the First Nations people who are left to clean it up. There are no water pipelines running up into the north, and while there are many fresh bodies of water, it only takes one bad environmental disaster to contaminate them all. I don't blame people for wanting to protect the land."
Neskantaga, located upriver, has endured Canada's longest-running boil water advisory — over 30 years. Attawapiskat has also faced on-and-off boil water advisories for years.
Chapter 1
On the river
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Map showing Kataquapit's boat journey with his parents from Attawapiskat, with stops where the Muketei River meets the Attawapiskat River and at a final destination further inland. Along the route, they place markers to assert the land as Indigenous territory. Courtesy of Jeronimo Kataquapit.
While allies organize rallies and lobby at Parliament Hill and Queen's Park, Kataquapit — a filmmaker and second-year geography and environmental management student at the University of Waterloo — is travelling with his parents and brother along the Attawapiskat River.
'We're out in what most people would consider the middle of nowhere—about 500 kilometres north of the nearest highway,' Kataquapit said.
The trip came together just two weeks ago, after Kataquapit learned about federal Bill C-5, then known as the 'national interest' legislation.
'When I first heard of Bill C-5, I thought, 'Okay, this is it. They're going to come in and this is just going to completely stomp all over our race,'' he said. 'The Ring of Fire is coming, and we have to act.'
Kataquapit pointed to Ontario's Bill 5 as clear evidence that the provincial government does not value meaningful input from Indigenous communities. He noted that the legislation was passed without consulting First Nations, undermining the duty to consult and weakening legal protections for Indigenous rights and the environment.
'The time for talking is over. Just look at Ontario's Bill 5. They showed us how much our words are worth to them,' he said. 'We have to go out on the land and get things started.'
Kataquapit called his parents and told them he was clearing his summer. They immediately agreed, cancelling their own plans to join him on the river. He used his university funds to get started — fuel, supplies and gear. As word spread, donations began arriving from Attawapiskat, neighbouring First Nations and supporters online.
Over the week, the community created family flags with handwritten messages like: 'Youth are for the land,' 'Youth want to protect the land' and 'We need to conserve the land and waters for future generations.'
The family livestreams their journey on Facebook, using a Starlink internet connection powered by a generator set up on their boat. This allows them to share their trip in real time as they move along the river and make stops.
'I'm not waiting for anyone. We just need to get out there and start informing as many people as possible,' Kataquapit said.
The journey upriver is tough, especially this time of year. Water levels are low, forcing them at times to get out and pull the boats through shallow stretches.
His mother, Monique Edwards, said the family's connection to the land runs deep.
'We're people that go out on the land all the time. He's always been; even before he walked, we got him out on the land,' she said.
Chapter 2
Long-term commitment
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As part of their journey, Kataquapit and his family live-stream from stops—day and evening—sharing moments of rest, reflection, and ceremony to assert their deep connection to the land. Screenshot from Jeronimo Kataquapit's Here We Stand Facebook page.
The initial destination for the river journey was the confluence of the Muketei River and the main Attawapiskat River. Now they plan to go further, which involves a first stop at the Muketei River junction to plant the family flags and take videos on Friday, followed by a continuation further upriver to establish an encampment with Neskantaga First Nation and other Indigenous communities who have expressed interest in joining.
Members of Attawapiskat and other First Nations are expected to join them by float plane at the encampment, possibly next Monday. Kataquapit said more than 30 people have already signed up for the float planes, and he expects more to join. He said all of this is being funded through donations and individuals' personal money.
Kataquapit is documenting every step as the expedition's videographer, photographer and social media manager. He sees the fight against the bills as a long-term commitment, and is determined to remain on the land throughout the summer and fall — and if necessary into the winter.
"Me and my parents, we're not going back to Attawapiskat. We're not going anywhere else until Bill 5 is withdrawn," he said.
Edwards said she is reflecting on the connection she has with their ancestors as they travel through the same places along the river that have been used for millennia. That connection to the past shapes how the family approaches their boat journey today.
'We don't just come in, make our mark, and leave it at that,' Kataquapit said. 'We spread out the fires, gather every single piece of trash, and carry it with us the entire journey. A large part of why we're doing this trip is to reassert our presence and show what true stewardship looks like.'
Chapter 3
The Ring of Fire: A central battleground
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The family's two boats, fully stocked with supplies as they prepare to camp out through the summer and into fall or winter in protest against the bills. Courtesy of Jeronimo Kataquapit.
Kataquapit warns that if governments are allowed to bypass Indigenous rights here, it sets a dangerous precedent for Indigenous nations across Canada and globally.
'Everyone is looking at the Ring of Fire. If we manage to stop, if we stand our ground and say, 'This is where we're going to stand, right here, and we're not going to move,' and if we are successful, then I think that will set a really solid precedent for every other potential conflict with the federal and provincial governments across Canada,' he said.
"These young people are making the stand. They're calling out peaceful protests, they're not blockading the road,' said Koostachin, who is also founder of Friends of Attawapiskat River, a coalition of community members and allies working to protect Attawapiskat, Neskantaga, and other Treaty 9 nations.
Beyond peaceful demonstrations, legal action is also underway.
Koostachin said Friends of Attawapiskat River are working closely with legal counsel from Legal Advocates for Nature's Defence and are committed to challenging the validity of Ontario's Bill 5 in court, arguing it violates Indigenous and treaty rights.
He said that a First Nation — yet to be publicly named — is expected to lead the legal action, with Friends of Attawapiskat River and other First Nations communities prepared to intervene and submit arguments stating breaches of Indigenous, treaty and Aboriginal rights, as well as violations of UNDRIP. Similar legal challenges are anticipated if Bill C-5 is enacted at the federal level.
'The region is the last pristine land in northern Ontario,' said Koostachin. 'There will be no bulldozing across the Attawapiskat River without our consent. Our people will stand together and stand strong.'
'We're not environmental radicals. We're the stewards of the land ... we're not protesters, we're protectors.'
Sonal Gupta / Local Journalism Initiative / Canada's National Observer
All photos and video footage provided by Jeronimo Kataquapit, who is a filmmaker documenting his family's boat journey in opposition to Bill 5 and C-5. Compiled and edited by Sonal Gupta.
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