Just catching up with my weekend reading and noticed that Terence Concoran in Saturdays (National)Financial Post editorial was ranting against Canada's worst government - the McGuinty Liberals - and specifically the two anti mining bills that are being forced through the legislature. Bill 173, the Mining Amendment Act, "which among other things is an attempt to bring Aboriginal communities into the administration of the province's scatter-brained mining laws".
The one that most concerns the ROF territory is Bill 191, the Far North Act which applies to all Ontario territory north of the 51st parallel. This 450 -square kilometre mass of land north of timmins and thunder Bay makes up 40% of the province and "is set to become permanently out of bounds for all exploration and development. About half of that territory, 225,000 square kilometre, will be locked down as conservation lands, The other half will theoretically be open to exploration and development, but nobody looking at Bill 191 sees any hope that any mine or other kind of development will ever take place." In fact "Industry officials say that under Bill 191, no exploration or development will ever take place in Ontario's far north .... as these bills "grant arbirtary power to the Ontario Minister of Natural Resources and bureaucrats. Rulings are not appealable, no hearings need be called, environmental assessments are suspended."
I suggest that those of us living in Ontario contact our local MPP's and try and get them to vote down Bill 191 and its sister legislation Bill 173. Apparently it has little support from the First Nation communities, none from the mining industry but lots of support from the greens and environmentalists who "welcome the land being set aside as a new carbon sink".
Many kudos to Wes Hanson and the BOD who may have saved our potential NOT mine by negotiating the formation of " a historic First Nations Advisory Council to guide the Company in establishing exemplary relationships with the local First Nations Communities in the Ring of Fire, in the James Bay Lowlands, where the Company's primary assets, including the Eagle's Nest and the Blackbird Deposits, are located."
This may allow us to stick handle our way through this piece of repressive legislation.
