Tell Ontario: Withdraw all mining and logging from Grassy Narrows Territory now!
Ontario has broken their own rules and granted 8 mining permits to 3 companies on Grassy Narrows Territory without even notifying the community. At the same time, Ontario is starting to plan renewed industrial logging on Grassy Narrows land. These violations would compound the harm that mercury, clearcut logging, hydro dams and residential schools have already done to Grassy Narrows lives, lands, and way of life. Grassy Narrows is fighting back.
CLICK HERE or scroll to bottom of page to sign letter to Minister Rickford.
Chief Randy Fobister: “We are on a healing path for our people and the forest is our treatment center. We need our forest intact, but the government isn’t working with us, they are working against us. They need to stop logging and mining so the land can heal. Good land will heal our people from all the damage the government has been pushing on us. That is reconciliation. Let us use our land to heal.”
Earlier this year, your action stopped Trillium Gold from drilling on Grassy Narrows Territory. Can you help stop 3 more companies that are threatening Grassy Narrows’ way of life?
Tell Minister Rickford to immediately cancel these permits, and permanently withdraw mining and logging from Grassy Narrows Territory..
Sample of Letter to Minister Rickford:
Dear Minister Rickford,
As you know, in 2007 Grassy Narrows declared a moratorium on all industrial activity in their territory. In 2018 Grassy Narrows enacted a Land Declaration, enshrining into their law a ban on all mineral staking, exploration, mining, and logging in their territory. Grassy Narrows is protecting their Territory so that their people will never again be poisoned, and so that they can restore what mercury has damaged in their health, way of life, and environment.
In spite of this, since your government has come into office the staking of claims in Grassy Narrows Territory has grown exponentially. Since June 2018 the number of staked claims in the Territory has gone from a few hundred to over four thousand.
Now, your government has acted without honour and has significantly raised the active threat to Grassy Narrows’ way of life.
Grassy Narrows has learned that your government has broken its own rules and granted eight mining permits on Grassy Narrows Territory without consulting or even notifying them about the permits. These permits allow drilling programs in Grassy Narrows’ Indigenous Protected area, despite the widely-published fact that this is in direct conflict with Grassy Narrows law and Land Declaration.
At the same time, Ontario is moving to plan for more industrial logging on Grassy Narrows Territory against Grassy Narrows’ will. I strongly oppose these plans.
Grassy Narrows’ Territory, which has already been violated by mercury, clearcut logging, and hydro dams, is key to Grassy Narrows’ way of life. The Territory must be restored, not further degraded. The threat of widespread mining and logging is callous and hurtful and compounds the harm already done to Grassy Narrows people.
The people of Grassy Narrows have endured too much colonial violence already – do not make it worse.
Minister, will you do the right thing and cancel these permits for drilling Grassy Narrows Territory? Will you commit to withdrawing all mining and logging from Grassy Narrows Territory and to respecting Grassy Narrows’ Indigenous protected area?
[OPTIONAL: Your added comments will go here]
Grassy Narrow is fighting to defend their lives, lands, and way of life. I stand with Grassy Narrows in this fight.
I look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your postal code]
CC:
Premier Doug Ford
Brian Kilgour, NDMNRF District Manager
Michael Gluck, NDMNRF Regional Manager
Fill in the fields below to send your letter calling on Minister Rickford (copying Premier Ford) to withdraw all Grassy Territory from forestry, mining, and mineral exploration now:
Read more about this situation in the Toronto Star.