Ring of Fire Updates Weekly News Roundup

June 9 – 15, 2020 : Weekly News Roundup

This week, nine faculty members at York University’s Osgoode Hall Law School sent a letter to Minister Greg Rickford, imploring the provincial government to temporarily halt all mineral staking and permitting processes on Indigenous territory during the COVID-19 pandemic. The letter was released after Chief Chris Moonias from Neskantaga First Nation in the so-called Ring of Fire spoke publicly about how he has been torn between pandemic preparation and participating in consultation processes, for fear that the consultation would stop altogether.

June 9th, 2020 (CBC):

Legal experts call for halt to ‘mining as usual’ during pandemic

Letter to provincial minister asks government to press pause on mineral staking, permitting

“A number of legal experts are calling on the provincial government to press pause on mineral staking and permitting processes on Indigenous territory in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

In a letter addressed to Greg Rickford, the province’s minister of energy, northern development and mines, nine faculty members at York University’s Osgoode Hall Law School state that continued exploration is putting an undue burden on remote northern communities, and making it too difficult for meaningful consultation to take place.” Read more here…

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