Hi,
This is in response to the following:
"The government said on Sunday that it's respecting the First Nation's call for a moratorium on mining activity on the land over which it claims jurisdiction."
Just so nobody panics about this, there are a couple of important things that someone has neglected to mention here.
Due to the existence of both the Far North Act and the recently revised Mining Act, all First Nations who have entered into Community Based Land Use Planning enjoy the same priviledge as Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug . This includes all of the First Nations in and around the Ring of Fire. No news here (no precedent is being set). Any new mines require these land use plans to be substantially in place prior to actual development taking place. It is the law, and Noront, Cliffs and all of the associated First Nations are both fully aware of and engaged in the process at some level right now.
Whatever it is that Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug is doing is related to other ongoing disputes (as noted in the article) and they are just using the press in this way to get their views up front and to sound as though they have won some sort of victory. If the press was paying any attention and was actually engaged in research, they would know that this so called moratorium is nothing more than what is already required under two acts in Ontario.
Good Grief!
RHammer
