First Nations sue Ontario over Mining Act’s impact on Indigenous lands – Law Times
21 Aug 2024
A group of six First Nations in Ontario has launched a legal battle against the province’s Mining Act, arguing that it violates their treaty rights and undermines their ability to protect their traditional lands.
The First Nations involved in the case – Apitipi Anicinapek Nation, Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug, Ginoogaming, Attawapiskat, Aroland, and Fort Albany – argue in the Ontario Superior Court that the Mining Act allows prospectors and companies to stake claims on their traditional territories without any prior engagement or notice.
“Companies are staking, or recording, dozens of claims per day on our traditional territory. No notice, no engagement, no addressing of our concerns at all. We’re told only after the claims are registered, when it’s too late,” said Chief June Black of Apitipi Anicinapek Nation in a press release announcing the court challenge.
