Opposition grows

The opposition to the Far North Act is coming fast and furious.

On Monday the Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce said they would join Aboriginal leaders Queen’s Park rally against Bill 191 on Wednesday and Thursday, which First Nations leaders believe removes their right to govern development on much of their traditional territory.

On Tuesday the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association also spoke out against the act, calling on the province to withdraw the proposed legislation.

"NOMA is extremely concerned about the Far North Act and its potential negative impact on our region.

The legislation will remove 50 per cent of the land mass of the Far North from future economic development opportunities, set prescribed limits that are not based on science and was developed with limited consultation with northerners," said NOMA president Anne Krassilowsky, in a release issued by the organization on Tuesday.

Krassilowsky said First Nations, prospectors, foresters and business associations have all raised questions about the Far North Act, enough that the province should reconsider its plan and come up with a new solution to protect northern lands.

"We are very supportive of proper planning throughout the Far North, but that must not include an arbitrary setting aside of half the land, which thereby also limits the potential economic benefit to Northerners to only 50 per cent," she said.

"We continue to request that the government take a step back, to withdraw the current legislation and instead work with First Nations, municipalities, businesses and industry to draft an act that will ensure an appropriate balance between economic opportunity and land protection."

On Monday TBCC president Harold Wilson reiterated Bill 191 will cause significant harm to the Northern Ontario economy, adding that he hopes the fast-tracking of this "flawed legislation gets derailed."

The Chamber of Commerce in April adopted a resolution calling for the act to be scrapped, a policy that was later adopted by the Ontario Chamber of Commerce.

"It inhibits investment because it brings uncertainty," Wilson said. "The fact is they’re going to take 50 per cent of the land base away, but they won’t tell us which 50 per cent until they do 20 to 30 years worth of studies.

"To have the Ministry of Natural Resources in charge of what’s going to move forward, it isn’t a recipe for economic development that we need so much in Northern Ontario."

According to the legislation, expected to have its third reading at Queen’s Park later this month, the act has been designed to provide the province’s First Nations with a leadership role in land planning, supports protection for the region through a series of interconnected conservation areas, but at the same time allows for the sustainable economic development of the region’s natural resources while recognizing the environmental, social and economic interests of all Ontarians.

The act, as written, says it will apply to public lands in the Far North, but not to First Nation reserves, federal, private or municipal lands.

All told about 225,000 square kilometres of land are thought to be affected.

Nishnawbe Aski Nation Grand Chief Stan Beardy said the Toronto rally is all about drawing attention to their plight.

Having the backing of organizations like NOMA and TBCC, as well as the Chiefs of Ontario, is gratifying, he added.

"I’m hoping that it will provide greater exposure and create greater visibility, and I’m hoping that it will create more questions for the general public to say, ‘What is going on here?’" Beardy said.

Earlier this month NAN promised a series of peaceful protests in advance of the third reading of the proposed legislation, though withheld the right for more direct action should the province not agree to withdraw Bill 191.

Council on Monday unanimously agreed to ask Premier Dalton McGuinty to reconsider the Far North Act.