“Nothing’s too far gone until it’s completely gone.”

Abram Benedict, Ontario’s new regional chief, said he’ll keep pushing the provincial government on First Nations’ mining concerns.

Several leaders have said the staking system, which allows companies to file claims online, has led to an explosion of claims and run roughshod over Indigenous land rights. 

This summer, several First Nations launched two separate lawsuits seeking to nullify all mining claims, arguing that the province’s Mining Act violates treaty and Charter rights.

Despite the high temperatures, Benedict said he wants to find a way forward. Elected in June as the leader of the Chiefs of Ontario, the former Akwesasne Grand Chief immediately preached the importance of building relationships with the government instead of being “reactionary.”

He said he’d already spoken to Indigenous Affairs Minister Greg Rickford a couple of times when The Trillium sat down with him last week at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) conference in Ottawa.

Mining will be a “key area” of Benedict’s advocacy going forward, he said.

“Arguably, Minister Rickford is the advocate and conduit for our communities into other areas of the government. And so we want to make sure that we’re holding him to account on that and that we’re finding solutions,” he said. 

Likewise, Benedict said he’s optimistic about finding a solution to the ongoing mercury poisoning in Grassy Narrows. The First Nation is also suing the province over the decades-long pollution of its river, which has led to birth defects and, it argues, a disruption of the community’s way of life.

“We’ll definitely continue to push on the federal government and the provincial government to do their part to support the community,” he said.

While solutions in the past haven’t worked, Benedict said he’s hopeful that dialogue will continue.

“It’s complicated. And it’s emotional, and it’s dangerous. These are people’s lives,” he said.

Like the rest of the province, housing is another big topic in First Nations communities. Benedict said he plans to hold Premier Doug Ford to his non-specific pledge to support more on-reserve homes.

“So we want to make sure that we get the government’s action on that. What that looks like, we’re not completely sure yet,” he said.

First Nations communities have been promised lots of improvements — from rec centres and training facilities to roads and bridges — through Ring of Fire agreements. 

Does he think that increased government support for on-reserve housing will be tied to resource development?

“I don’t like to mix things (more) than they have to be here,” Benedict said, adding that he’s aware, however, that the government very much wants to get to the critical minerals in the area, which requires several First Nations’ support to access.

“Now, I don’t think that exploration of the Ring of Fire should mean that communities (have to) agree, otherwise, they don’t get a service,” he said. 

In a speech that morning to municipal delegates attending AMO, Benedict said they should get to know their neighbours better. 

“There’s a lot of sites across this region where the graves of our people are, or artifacts that have been found. And there are various situations where there are not enough collaboration happening between developers and municipalities around this,” he said.

“Because imagine a developer going into one of your community gravesites and just destroying that and not doing anything about it, and then legislation not being there to protect it or hold them accountable.”

The regional chief pointed to an estimated $350-billion Canada-wide infrastructure gap to bring reserves up to par with the rest of the country. In Ontario alone, the number is $60 billion, he said. 

Many are being forced off reserves and into cities to access services — so when municipalities are thinking about homelessness, it’s important to include First Nations voices, he said. 

In his new role, Benedict said he’s excited to keep talking to people across the province — not only about what they need, but about the positive things going on near them.

“I mean, we live in challenging times, right? And it’s not going to get any easier, but there’s a lot of good things happening in our communities. There’s a lot of good things happening across Ontario,” he said.