Re: Attawapiskat-my rant
in response to
by
posted on
Nov 30, 2011 07:37PM
NI 43-101 Update (September 2012): 11.1 Mt @ 1.68% Ni, 0.87% Cu, 0.89 gpt Pt and 3.09 gpt Pd and 0.18 gpt Au (Proven & Probable Reserves) / 8.9 Mt @ 1.10% Ni, 1.14% Cu, 1.16 gpt Pt and 3.49 gpt Pd and 0.30 gpt Au (Inferred Resource)
I suspect from posts here and old documents I've seen that the land around the Ring of Fire is not the ancestral land of the natives that live in the vicinity.
Those natives come from quite a bit south from the Ring, i.e. closer to Lake supperior.
Even if they were from the region, Webequie being 70 Km away from the Ring are not exactly owners of the Ring. What they are is occasional hunters of the region.
Hence their say about what happens in the Ring has weak foundation.
What the natives have is moral and ethical ground environment wise.
They, as me from southern Ontario, are concerned as to how the land is treated environmentally and sustainability wise. They to a large extent choose to live in ancestral fashion. If so then modern jobs should be contrary to their way of life. Have it one way or the other.
On the other hand even if all the potential and known mineral deposits in the Ring are developed they will not diminish the hunting by much. Most of the land will be untouched. Rivers may get some pollution but it will probably not be so serious that it will limit the fishing. Where there may be problems is contamination of the fish as a source of food. Lead, copper, mercury and similar metals, from run off of mine operations, could be a future problem. That is where the natives have a resonable expectations of say and consultation.
However land ownership in the Ring by the natives is out of the question. Any compensation on that aspect is out of line and per Lethalgal's post, money's have been given in the past and appear to have been spent unwisely. Throwing more cash after old is a waste. Far better for the governments is to provide all year road access instead of give aways so that the natives who choose could join the life style of the rest of Canadians.
Lack of year round roads means that what they bring in from the Canadian 'civilization' costs them dearly and that is how much of their cash is used up. So it is a trade off between cash and roads, and it is high time that they were provided roads instead of more cash.
It is time for politicians to show some leadership and courage to do the more correct and sensible investment in the region.