Get ready for fight over north, natives tell province

Ontario is heading for conflict with First Nations, native leaders said Thursday after the province moved ahead with contentious legislation governing northern development.

Native leaders are worried they will lose control over traditional lands under the proposed Far North Act, which is on the verge of passing.

The legislation opens half the northern boreal region -- about 42 per cent of the province -- to development such as the kind being planned in the so-called Ring of Fire, a pristine 5,000-square-kilometre swath of land set to be mined for its rich ore deposits.

Native leaders were at Queen's Park on Thursday to demand the bill be halted

"If it passes as is, there's going to be conflict on the land," said Margaret Sakchekapo-Kenequana, executive director of the Shibogama First Nations Council.

"We cannot simply just hand over jurisdiction to the government of Ontario, because the jurisdiction was given to us by the creator and we will uphold that. That is our sacred responsibility."

Grand Chief Stan Beardy said Premier Dalton McGuinty ignored requests for changes to the legislation.

"We've told him for one whole year what our issues are, what our concerns are, and it almost seems like they're not listening," said Beardy, who leads 49 northern bands.

If the legislation passed, Beardy said he would oppose it "by any means necessary."

The threat opens the spectre of disruptive occupations like the one that has haunted the southwestern Ontario community of Caledonia since 2006.

Liberal ministers attempted to cool the rhetoric Thursday, touting their outreach efforts in negotiating changes to the bill.

Linda Jeffrey, minister of natural resources, said the government had implemented all the changes demanded by aboriginal groups.

She said their continued discontent was caused by the confusing language of a bill "drafted by lawyers."

"I think there are some challenges with trying to communicate what's happening in the bill," she said. "My goal was to accommodate all of the requests.... That's what I think the amendments have done. We'll see on the ground how the First Nations community comes around to understanding it."

The bill has cleared all legislative hurdles and can be passed any time.

Aboriginal leaders warned against that.

"If I came into your backyard and started pitching up my teepee, would you like that? Probably not, eh? You probably would want consent or tell me that I'm loitering, I'm trespassing," Sakchekapo-Kenequana said. "That's the same thing. The far north, 42 per cent of Ontario, is our homeland. That is our homeland. We have a right to say what happens in that territory."