...the silent majority !!!.

Bill 191 pushed through

News

By RON GRECH, THE DAILY PRESS

Posted 3 hours ago

"When you have Northern Ontario mayors and chambers of commerce and First Nations saying they don't support Bill 191, and the government chooses to pass it anyway, what does that say about the attitude of the McGuinty Liberal government towards Northern Ontarians?" MPP Gilles Bisson (Timmins-James Bay) told The Daily Press.

Bisson said the McGuinty government is "effectively blackmailing" First Nations to either accept the provisions of Bill 191 or lose opportunities for development in the North.

"If development can only happen through land use planning and First Nation communities refuse to produce a land use plan under Bill 191, then there is no development in the Far North."

Both Bisson and Nishnawbe Aski Nation leaders suggested that Native blockades and con-f ro nt at i o n s with resource-based industries could follow the Ontario Liberals' decision to ram Bill 191 through.

"This is not what we want, but given the Provincial of Ontario and the Premier's refusal to honour their commitments to the people of NAN, we have no other choice," said NAN Deputy Grand Chief Mike Metatawabin. "First Nations in the Far North have voiced their concerns over and over again regarding this bill and yet the Premier of Ontario remains unmoved. If there is conflict, it will be up to the province to answer as to why.

"This government has been given ample opportunity to work with us, but chooses otherwise."

Bisson raised this concern during Question Period in Queen's Park Thursday.

"When there is going to be civil disobedience on the part of First Nations in places in the Ring of Fire, when there will be civil disobedience on behalf of First Nations because they will not allow their future generations to live the experience that they had living in poverty and being left out of the economic benefit that can come from the natural resources, will this government go to those First Nations and try to deal with trying to fix the damage that you've done under Bill 191?" Bisson asked. "Or are you going to be sending in the police?"

Natural Resources Minister Linda Jeffrey replied, "I think we all know that there are some unique opportunities in the North and this is about working together. It's about working with First Nations and Northern Ontarians to build on all that potential. Together we're going to create Ontario jobs and we're going to support families in the North while we protect the boreal forest region."