A break in the ring

Re Chiefs Hail New Deal — CJ, Sept. 1:
A Ring of Fire corridor is a hot topic in Anishinabe territory, because it means traffic to communities and Tim Hortons, Mr. Sub, KFC — all the good things which help make a community grow. It also means access to the south by wheels and vice versa. Currently the airlines rake up the money as wings is the only way to bring in a can of milk.
Marten Falls is not signing this agreement. It is the north-south corridor we want, and we have actually started the road. We would prefer a gravel road, not a railroad. The problem with a railroad is, it will cross the Albany River 50 miles up and it will not bring traffic to town. If we could achieve some ownership of the rail line, whatever we could afford, then revenue could be achieved.
Cliffs, the major proponent for the chromite deposit, wants the north-south route, by road or by rail. I understand the route will be decided by the government in consultation with the public. We are also in the process of planning with the government of Ontario for a land use plan of the area. This plan has not looked into the issue of the corridor.
The east-west route is proposed by Noront, a junior company, not a mining development company. I find their proposal for this route not only environmentally unfeasible but economically impossible. They want to “slurry” the nickel, copper and palladium to the “Webequie junction.” This is a pipeline pumped by diesel generators through a thousand pristine lakes and creeks. Try getting environmental approvals for that, if the money could be had to actually do it.
Land use plans should be completed before declaring where the corridor will go and what it might be, road or rail.
The corridor issue was discussed at the Matawa AGM in Constance Lake. To request a corridor to the Ring of Fire through the east-west plan is contrary to the Unity Statement, because this plan leaves us watching on the sidelines as our territory is approached and encroached upon in a round-about way. We cannot allow that and will find a way to safeguard our interests other than relying on statements that do not mean anything.
The proper way to conduct business is to consult first, not after the fact. With the creation of the Minawshyn project and approval of the east-west corridor, the resolution supporting Marten Falls to be in the lead has come into question.
Chief Elijah K. Moonias
Marten Falls