Imo it is not just a case of why Now but also of just plain Why?

Because their 'Traditional Territory'?
What tradition is there to Marten Falls being 150Km from the Ring? Probably none before the age of snow mobiles and quadropeds. And what is traditional about what is in the ground?

Moonias, "receiving funding to engage in full consultation to understand and analyze the permits."
Gravelle, “We have a commitment from the budget for $5-million for phase two of the negotiations with Matawa."
'The development corporation as it currently stands is only in its first phase, one that Gravelle described as being in its interim stages.
The second phase will involve discussions around resource revenue sharing, regional infrastructure support and enhanced environmental assessments.'

They want to be paid for assessing every permit and I suspect they are not capable of doing it all by themselves but will hire consultants etc. So that 5 million $s will quickly turn into vapour and they will complain for more. Not getting more they will blockade.

I would have only Webequie have anything to say about us but Matawa by banding together not only have more force but can claim a larger area than Webequie could by themselves.
I am afraid that we may be providing 'welfare' to a much larger group than we expected.
Spineless polticians are getting us into deeper trouble.

Cinema Show thanks for pointing out discrepancy:
The complaints that we hear are mostly from distant communities to the Ring and are not about Noront but about Ontario government. So directly it has nothing to do with us and does appear as plain noise.

However indirectly, if things do not get solved soon between them that discontent will turn onto us because the natives will have to force the government. And the only way to do this is through the companies in the Ring. Hate to say it again, now that I am a scare monger, does the word 'blockade' not ring an alarm bell?

History does repeat.