Ring of Fire: Marten Falls First Nation and Webequie First Nation Provide an Update – NetNewsLedger
March 17, 2022
THUNDER BAY – INDIGENOUS NEWS – In 2020, the federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change determined that a Regional Assessment (RA) will be conducted in the Ring of Fire area of Northern Ontario.
As part of that federal process, a draft RA agreement was made available for comments from Indigenous communities from December 2, 2021 to March 2, 2022. Marten Falls First Nation and Webequie First Nation have opted to submit direct comments to the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC).
Chief Bruce Achneepineskum of Marten Falls says, “Marten Falls and Webequie support an Indigenous led RA, but firmly believe that their 2 communities should lead the process. This is in accordance with our community values, traditions, and protocols. We have always respected the rights of other communities to do the same in their traditional territory. As lead communities responsible for all processes and assessments in the region, we would welcome direct dialogue and consultation with other First Nations. We refuse to be divided and the partnership of the 2 communities speaks to our collaborative spirit, but our rights cannot be diluted.”
