Latest news with #MushkegowukCouncil
Globe and Mail
28-05-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Carney and Ford show two different paths for ‘unleashing' Canada's economy
The governments of Ontario and Canada are both moving to fast-track development in the Ring of Fire region – but they are going about it in very different ways. According to a May 23 letter from Canada's Privy Council Office obtained by The Globe and Mail, Canada has invited Mushkegowuk Council Grand Chief Leo Friday to Ottawa to 'consult and cooperate' on proposed legislation around projects identified to be in the national interest. It says new legislation is coming in early June that would facilitate regulations and development by creating a new Major Projects Office. And in the letter, Canada promises to uphold the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and the duty to consult: 'Now more than ever, the future of Canada's economy depends on a collaborative and coordinated approach among federal, provincial, territorial and Indigenous governments.' Ottawa gave the Mushkegowuk Council, which represents First Nations communities along the western side of James Bay, seven days to meet or submit their thoughts. That is a compressed timeline, to be sure – but an effort to consult is better than nothing at all. Changes to Bill 5 possible amid warnings of Indigenous protests, Ontario ministers say Ontario Premier Doug Ford has offered nothing to First Nations concerning the passage of the ham-fisted Bill 5, the Protect Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act, which has ignored any input from 133 Ontario First Nations and would breach their Constitutional rights under Section 35. That bill, which is being rammed through the committee process, proposes creating 'special economic zones' where mining companies can develop as they like while ignoring certain regulations or the requirement for Indigenous consultations – in other words, effectively creating lawless areas. Bill 5 also guts the province's Endangered Species Act, a move that threatens the livelihoods of wolverines, caribou, migratory birds, bears, and whales, among others. The Toronto Zoo even warned the bill could undo decades of conservation efforts and drive species to extinction. Ottawa's overtures indicate that Prime Minister Mark Carney's government at least knows what UNDRIP says and what consultation means. It goes without saying, meanwhile, that Mr. Ford is ignoring UNDRIP. Ontario, a signatory to Treaty 9, has decided to set the stage for confrontation. 'We have to keep fighting,' Grand Chief Friday told me after he passionately testified in the Ininimowin language on Monday at a Queen's Park committee hearing. 'This will not work for us. It is the same procedure as in 1905. They just come in and say they want signatures.' What our ancestors understood in 1905 – when Treaty 9, which encompasses most of northern Ontario from the Manitoba border to James Bay, was signed – was that all the land and resources would be shared in an honourable way, not stolen. 'Our people were expecting so much wealth to come up for them and for good communities as well. They were told they were going to be given what they required for communities, and that never happened,' he told me. Instead, being boxed in on reserves and kept out of Canadian society happened. Indian Residential Schools happened. Genocide happened. And now, U.S. President Donald Trump and the world are hungry for the resources underneath the territories we have walked on for thousands of years. It feels as though Ottawa and Ontario are playing good cop, bad cop concerning critical mineral extraction. But what Canada and the provinces must understand is that First Nations will not be sidelined from building Canada; after all, this country was created from the treaties our ancestors signed. First Nations leaders warn of confrontation over Ontario's 'special economic zones' in omnibus bill On Monday, Indigenous leadership warned Ontario that Bill 5 must be scrapped, or they risk blocked or stalled projects, court interventions and further escalation of conflict. 'Ontario is trying to legislate us out of the conversation. That won't work,' Anishinabek Nation Grand Chief Linda DeBassige said. 'Withdraw Bill 5. There is no path forward with this legislation in its current form. Repeal it. Start again. Work with us … so that we can create something that will allow us to ensure not only that our economies survive, but that our environment, our lands, our waters, our animals, are here for our great-great-great-grandchildren, those who we will never meet but who we are responsible for." As an Anishinaabe woman, she continued, 'it is not lost on me that it is our women who historically gave direction and sent out our warriors to what is necessary. I know they are listening today.' She added: 'If this bill proceeds in its current form, we will be idle no more.' Once again, Canadian governments are looking to Indigenous Peoples and their lands to save them. But they are coming to First Nations communities who have nothing left to lose – and everything to defend.
National Observer
06-05-2025
- Politics
- National Observer
Spring flooding reignites First Nation's calls for relocation
Spring flooding is putting First Nations in northern Ontario at risk and reigniting calls for relocation. Kashechewan First Nation and Fort Albany First Nation — located on the shores of James Bay — both declared states of emergency last week and have been evacuating community members. People are forced to face this trauma each spring despite the Canadian government's repeated promises to move the community to higher ground safe from flooding, Kashechewan Chief Hosea Wesley said in a May 2 press release. 'It is unacceptable that the lives of our people continue to be put at risk every spring,' Chief Wesley's statement read. 'We have enough studies, we have enough promises, now is the time for action.' Kashechewan First Nation has been evacuated due to flooding or flood risk more than 14 times since 2004, according to a 2021 article in the International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction. The authors explain that although flooding occurs each spring in this region and hasn't increased significantly over time, 'the timing and extent of flooding have changed in recent years with warming temperatures in the region due to climate change.' 'It is unacceptable that the lives of our people continue to be put at risk every spring,' Kashechewan First Nation Chief Hosea Wesley said.'We have enough studies, we have enough promises, now is the time for action.' The study points to 'an inadvertent bias in the disaster relief services' and risk reduction programs offered by different levels of governments, like the flood damage reduction program. In particular, 'substandard' community infrastructure in Kashechewan increases the flooding risk, including its inadequate underground sewerage system, 'obsolete' water treatment plant and dyke made of sand and gravel with 'serious deficiencies.' Kashechewan First Nation has been pushing for relocation for two decades. In 2005, the federal government under Paul Martin made a commitment to relocation but it was scrapped when Stephen Harper became prime minister. In 2017 and 2019, Kashechewan First Nation reached agreements with the federal and provincial governments to relocate upstream on the Albany River, but progress has been slow. 'We need a strategy that will ensure the safety of all these communities and protect them from the threats of floods, we need the government of Canada to consider relocating these communities to higher ground,' Mushkegowuk Council Grand Chief Leo Friday said in the press release. He also called on Prime Minister Mark Carney and Ontario Premier Doug Ford to visit these northern communities and see for themselves why 'immediate solutions' are needed. Kashechewan and Fort Albany community members' first settlement was established in the late-1800s to trade with the Hudson's Bay Company post. The settlement was called the 'Old Post' — and by the 1950s, families had to relocate due to flooding each spring.
CBC
09-04-2025
- General
- CBC
Indigenous leader says she was never informed of plans for an encampment site in Timmins, Ont.
Social Sharing An Indigenous leader who lives in TImmins, Ont., says she was never consulted about a proposal for an encampment relocation project at the edge of town near a landfill site. In March, Timmins city council voted in favour of a plan to put up to 40 temporary emergency shelters at a site on Pine Street South that does not currently have access to public transit, hydro and water service from the city. "It really made me sad to where I actually cried because, you know, the way that we're treating this group of people isn't right," said Natasha Martin, deputy grand chief of Mushkegowuk Council, which represents seven First Nations in northern Ontario. "You know, putting them across the street from a dump isn't right." Martin noted that Indigenous people represent around half of the homeless population in Timmins. According to a recent informal count, there are around 400 people experiencing homelessness in the Cochrane district, which includes Timmins. We say that we're the city with the heart of gold. I don't see that. - Mushkegowuk Council Deputy Grand Chief Natasha Martin Before council's decision to go with the site, the city received input from around 3,500 residents through public consultations, according to Dave Landers, Timmins's chief administrative officer. But Martin said she was never made aware of that survey. "Did it properly capture the voice of Timmins?" she asked. "And when I say the voice of Timmins, I mean regular community members." Martin said she would not have personally chosen the Pine Street South location as the site for the temporary emergency shelters. "We say that we're 'The City with the Heart of Gold,'" she said. "I don't see that. I really, really don't get it. And that makes me sad." After learning about the city's plans, Martin said she wrote a letter to Timmins Mayor Michelle Boileau, who she said has been a "great ally" to Mushkegowuk people, in order to discuss the proposal and share an Indigenous perspective on it. "We actually had a conversation yesterday [Monday], her and I," Martin said. "We had a brief conversation. And from there, I was able to really voice what I want, like what I really thought." In a statement to CBC News, Boileau said she received Martin's letter and values her feedback. "The intention of the proposed encampment response initiative is to provide appropriate alternative housing to help move people into safe shelter, while also supporting the city's efforts to mitigate encampments in public parks and spaces," Boileau said.
CBC
30-01-2025
- CBC
New screening measures at Timmins airport to deter drug smuggling in the far north
Gone are the days when some fly-in communities on the James Bay coast needed volunteers to search passengers and luggage arriving at local airports. Since Jan. 20, that screening process happens directly at the Timmins Airport, before the northbound Thunder Airlines and Air Creebec flights take off. The initiative comes at the request of the Mushkegowuk Council, which represents seven First Nations in northern Ontario. The organization's deputy grand chief, Amos Wesley, says a special task force has been working on this file for five years. "The main goal is to discourage drug smuggling by plane," he said. "Most of our communities are fly-in [...] they can only be accessed by plane, so it was necessary for this to happen." The council, and several communities it represents, have declared various states of emergency over drug trafficking and substance use problems since 2017. Recent numbers from the provincial coroner's office suggest the drug toxicity rate in the Mushkegowuk First Nations is three times the Ontario average. The new screening initiative means the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority will check baggage and personal items to ensure no substances are being transported to the far north. "Before Jan. 20, there were no screening measures," said Wesley. "People were just free to take up anything there, smuggling things on their bodies and in their bags." Dave Dayment manages the Timmins Airport. He says the new screening process is not part of Transport Canada security regulation requirements, which is part of the reason it took several years to set up. "We've agreed to implement a schedule to screen those flights going north for items that could be listed as [unlawful]," he said. Wesley says the screening will make it very difficult for drug smugglers to access northern communities, although in theory, there are still some alternatives by train. Mushkegowuk Council is actively looking at ramping up screening initiatives there too. First Nations also looking at prevention, community-based initiatives It's too early to assess whether the new airport screening measure is effective, according to Wesley. But he says he's heard positive feedback so far. "It encourages people not to try. It's a very good deterrent." He adds that preventing trafficking is only one piece of the puzzle, and that stopping the flow of drugs north won't be enough to address substance use problems. "We have a worry that people will fly south, or even move down south to get access to these drugs," he said.
