Hello,

I'm an investor in a company called Noront Resources. Many of us have formed a tigh-knit community on Agoracom. They, Noront, have now, and have arguably always been the main player in the Ring of Fire despite their junior status and the condition of the junior mining sector as of late years.

They've been recognized for their social responsibility with the First Nations of the area not just by industry but by the on-going willingness of those communities to work with Noront. No student has refused training because they thought Noront was disrespectful! They have been trying their best to do "right" by FNs. The closest community, Webequie, is around an hour away from the Ring of Fire and the RoF is outside of any reserved lands.

Noront has invested in training, consultations, open houses, has adjusted their Terms of Reference, Environmental Assessment and Eagle's Nest project overall to suit the FNs of the region. Many of us have invested in Noront because of their commitment to work with FNs.

Yet, the rhetoric that we hear in the media seems to not only omit this work but flatly disregards it by the deliberately misleading statements of Matawa. If Noront had not Discovered Eagle's Nest, the Matawa FNs would not even be having conversations about an all-season road or the benefits that will accrue from development. Of course the Matawa FNs stay silent in the media as to how they may feel any sense of gratitude for this discovery. Instead, claims of inadequate capacity are thrown about yet funding has been provided. Claims of environmental concern are raised, yet Noront has made the project with that in mind and with changes consulted from the FNs. There is always the spectre of the threat of development not happening without FN support, nay now consent, and with a subtle hint that FNs would like to have ownership over the Ring of Fire claims, post-discovery of course.

Noront's Terms of Reference have been waiting to be approved since 2011.

Will the Ontario government and the RoF Secretariat, along with the Deputy Minister's Aboriginal predecessors and Mr. David de Launay himself, explain to all of Ontarians, so too all of Canadians, why this project has been placed on hold because the FNs claim that crown land, and the minerals therein, is theirs as traditional territory, nay, as holding Aboriginal Title and treaty rights?

At first, it started with Webequie and Marten Falls since they both argued that the Ring of Fire was in their traditional territory. Then it expanded to all of Matawa FNs, as followed all of the NAN FNs too. The AFN, along with all member FNs, will no doubt include themselves shortly if this persists. Yes, it is getting more than ridiculous.

The Matawa FNs were treated under Treaty 9, no one denies their rights under that treaty exist. However, there seems to be a misunderstanding as to what those rights are. An agreement for the development of Voisey's Bay happened where the lands were not surrendered yet the Ring of Fire seems to not be going at a much faster pace even though there was treaty.

The purpose of the numbered treaties was primarily to make sure that title to the lands belonged to the crown so that the country could advance with development, especially railroad at the time. Today is no different in that respect and everyone still wants FNs to participate in development of the economy however they can.

Some will say now that the lands were never surrendered. I say, is there anything wrong in having "crown" lands benefiting us all equally, including FNs, whether or not they were surrendered? Of course, they were surrendered and the reserves themselves remain for the most part unhindered pieces of this vast tract of land for the sole purpose of FNs.

These are more modern times, and along with that some adjustments have to be made on "both sides." However, the debate as to whether lands were surrendered under Treaty 9 should not be one of those adjustments.

We have seen so many Aboriginal people prosper outside of reserves, or within if in proximity to urban areas with a broader population.

Perhaps reserves no longer work if a traditional way of life (it was always a hard life) is no longer wanted, perhaps the annuity is not fair, perhaps providing supplemental education and health-care has not been enough thus far. One thing is for sure, population growth and the movement of people around the world was inevitable.

Whatever needs to be done - I believe we are all trying - and much has been done even if the conditions on reserve are not up to the same standards as elsewhere in the country. It is unreasonable to think that a remote reserve, would have the same amenities as something resembling a more urban environment. The wilderness has its beauty, its freedom but rarely is it a comfortable existence when compared to dinner and a show in the city.

I believe Canada has actually kept its promises, within the historical context, to the Aboriginal people of this land if not gone beyond original promises today. The media hardly shows the benefits that have accrued to the Aboriginal people.

Factions were there, partnerships too - infighting along with forming national to provincial borders has also been had and is good to remember. Historical tragedies, a violent past along with wars unimaginable - those belong to the old institutions with their outdated methods of which no human being in Canada wants to repeat.

We are a "mixed" society, so many new generations of those that immigrated here have Aboriginal blood within them. We are multicultural, diverse and stronger for it. A nation that embodies a piece of almost every other nation on the planet, one that accepts everyone within its mosaic wholeness, is a nation that we should all be proud to call our land and our home.

Coming from an immigrant family, born a citizen of Canada, I do not want to feel like a visitor or an intruder in my own country. We need to move forward with economic development and it needs to benefit us all equally. Unfortunately, it seems like some Aboriginal groups are keen on "repatriating" the resources of this rich land for their own private holdings or for their own "pure blood" ethnically-based sovereign nations.

Every other day I hear people cheering for more Aboriginally led, owned and operated businesses or organizations. However, imagine how offensive it would be if we said more "non-Aboriginally" led ... This is not okay. Yet, immigrants of all stripes are deemed to be racist just because we are here or do not acknowledge the supreme authority of Aboriginal people. It clearly is the other way around. Those that elevate their ethnic supremacy or hold any rights over others based on that - are the ones that are racists.

What will happen when this ethnically-based power group, 5% of the total population, control an unequal amount of resources, power and money? This seems regressive of the lessons that global citizens have learnt together.

There is a rising Aboriginal Nation across this country, and others, that is being empowered to believe in Aboriginal Title while being backed in some jurisdictions by the Supreme Court albeit with limitations.

However, the hubris that is now instilled in these discriminators is approaching a level of danger. We will have and are coming to a point of confrontation if demands are not met or if a solution is not found by politicians in time. It will be well-armed, educated, multi-pronged, tactical and will extend into guerrilla warfare if the leaders of this country do not heed the warnings. This has been said by them. Idle No More made calls for the disruption of transportation systems, economic fluidity and other kinds of impediments. This only benefits their ethnicity.

This is an issue for all Ontarians and Canadians. You need to do something. We are all at risk in so many ways.

We are being threatened at every chance whenever the slightest detail is not met with cowardice, and I would add a disregard for the rest of the people of this country.

How is "Caledonia, Ontario" doing these days? Whether those particular lands were leased to invest, or whether they were surrendered, does not justify the actions taken by those Aboriginal people at that time. Too many accounts like this exist, too many convenient contract misinterpretations and certainly too much violence for any society with civil, criminal and lawful systems in place.

Bob Rae now says that FN consent will be required, beyond consultation and reasonable accommodation backed by treaty courts, if the Ring of Fire is to be developed. He's a lawyer. On what grounds does he base this off? Please stop the madness, modern Canadians implore you. You must compete with the Aboriginal viewpoint in the media or else you will, as you currently are, lose the hearts and minds of the populace, to their own detriment. All this because they were not given the chance to have a different perspective, to know exactly what has and is being done for Aboriginals. All the while, we are considered to be parasites living on Aboriginal Title.

They refuse to give the "Social License To Operate" if "Free, Prior and Informed Consent" is not met as a standard. Of course, they decide what that standard means in the end.

Again, how is that fair to the rest of Canadians? Do Canadians understand the implications? They are starting to and will feel the pain of the economic consequences etc.

SLTO and FPIC are not in the treaties, nor are they in Canadian Law. These are other types of tactics that will be further used to entrench the Aboriginal stranglehold on the rest of Canadian society. Human rights matter, all of our human rights matter. We as Canadians should agree on SLTO and FPIC together, not one privileged ethnically-based group separate from the rest of us. We trust our elected officials to do this for us within a representative democracy. That is how things are done here in a modern, multicultural, openly fair Canada.

Sincerely for your attention.