The Friends of the Attawapiskat River coalition joins leading Indigenous and environmental organizations in calling for a moratorium in the Ring of Fire. The statement below has been sent in a letter to the Prime Minister, Premier of Ontario, and Ministers of Environment. It was prepared in collaboration with Indigenous community organizers, in recognition of our shared duty to uphold and respect inherent Indigenous and treaty rights.
ᐁ ᐊᐸᐊᒪᒋᐠ ᑲᑭᓇᐤ ᑭᒋ ᐅᑭᒪᐧᐊᐠ ᑭᒋ ᐧᐃᑕᒪᒋᐠ ᑭᒋ ᐅᑕᓇᑫᐸᑭᐧᑕᓂᐧᐊᐠ ᒧᓇᐃᑫᐧᐃ ᐊᑐᐢᑫᐧᐃᐣ ᕆᐣᐠ ᐊᑊ ᐸᔭᕐ ᐁᒪᓇᒋᑕᓂᐧᐊᑭ ᓯᐱᔭ ᓀᐢᑕ ᐃᓂᓂᐧᐊᐠ ᐅᑌᐸᑫᓂᑕᑯᓯᐧᐃᓂᐧᐊᐤ᙮
An Open Statement to the Governments of Canada and Ontario
ᓂᓇᓇᐣ ᑲᒪᓯᓇᓱᔭᐠ ᑕᑐ ᐃᓂᓂᐧᐊᐠ ᓀᐢᑕ ᑲᔭᒥᐢᑕᒪᑫᒋᐠ ᐊᔭᒥᐊᑲᓂᐧᐊᐧᓇᐠ ᑲᑭᓇᐤ ᑭᒋ ᐅᑭᒪᐧᐊᐠ ᐅᑕ ᑲᓇᑕᐢᑭᐠ ᓀᐢᑕ ᐅᐣᑌᕆᐅ ᑭᒋ ᑐᑕᑭᐠ ᑭᒋ ᐅᑕᓇᑫᐸᓂᐧᑕᒋᐠ ᐊᐸᑎᓯᐧᐃᓇ ᒥᓯᐧᐁ ᑲ ᐧᐃ ᐃᔑ ᓇᓇᑕᐧᐃ ᔓᓂᔭᓇᓯᓂᐧᐊᓂᐧᐊᓂᓂᐠ ᓀᐢᑕ ᑲ ᓄᒋᑕᓂᐧᐊᐠ ᒣᐢᑲᓇᐤ ᓀᐢᑕ ᑲᐧᐃ ᐅᔑᑕᓂᐧᐊᐠ ᒣᐢᑲᓇᐤ ᑭᐧᐁᑎᓄᐠ ᒥᑐᓂ ᓇᑕᐧᐁᓂᑕᐧᑲᐣ ᐱᑕᒪ ᐅᒪ ᑭᒋ ᑐᒋᑲᑌᐠ᙮
We, the undersigned environmental, Indigenous, and civil society organizations call on the governments of Canada and Ontario to establish an immediate moratorium in the Ring of Fire for all mineral exploration, assessments for proposed road projects, and other potential developments including the Northern Road link. It is critical the moratorium remain in effect until:
- ᑲᐧᐃᑐᒋᑲᑌᐠ ᑭᒋ ᒪᓇᒋᑕᓂᐧᐊᐠ ᐅᑌ ᐃᑌᑫᐢᑲᒥᐠ ᑲ ᐃᔑ ᓂᐱᐧᐊᒐᐠ ᓀᐢᑕ ᓯᐱᐧᐊᐠ ᓀᐢᑕ
Protection plans for the region’s sensitive wetlands and watersheds are in place, and - ᑭᒋ ᑭ ᐃᑕᐧᑲᐠ ᓂᐱᔾ ᐁᐸᔦᑲᐠ ᐧᐊᐢᑲᐃᑲᓂᐠ᙮ ᒥᓄᐱᒪᑎᓯᐧᐃ ᐊᑐᐢᑫᐧᐃᓂᓂᐤ ᑲ ᐊᑐᐢᑲᑕᒋᐠ ᐊᔕᔾ ᑭᑭᐱᒋᑕᐧᐊᐠ ᒥᓯᐧᐁ ᐣᑎᒥᐠ ᓀᐢᑕ ᒪᒥᐠ ᐃᑌᑫ ᓯᐱᐠ ᑲ ᐃᔑ ᐃᑕᐧᑲᓂᓂᐠ ᒧᓇᐃᑫᐧᐃ ᐊᐸᑎᓯᐧᐃᓂᓂᐤ ᕆᐣᐠ ᐊᑊ ᐸᔭᕐ ᑲ ᐃᒋᑲᑌᓂᐠ᙮
Access to clean water, housing, and health services have been secured for all upstream and downstream communities from the proposed Ring of Fire
ᓇᑕᐧᐁᓂᑕᐧᑲᐣ ᑭᒋ ᓄᒋᑕᒋᐟ ᒪᐡᑫᑯᐧᐃ ᐅᑭᒪᑲᐣ ᓀᐢᑕ ᓂᐡᑲᐣᑕᑲ ᐃᓂᓂᐧᐊᐠ ᓇᐢᑯᒧᐧᐃᐣ 9 ᐊᐢᑭᐠ ᐃᑌᑫ ᐱᑕᒪ ᑭᒋ ᐅᑕᓇᑫᐸᓂᐧᑕᓂᐧᐊᐠ ᑭᒋ ᑭ ᓂᓯᑐᒋᑲᑌᐠ ᑲᐧᐃ ᑐᒋᑲᑌᐠ᙮ ᐊᓂᑭ ᑲᓇᑲᒋᑕᒋᐠ ᐊᐢᑭᐠ ᑫᐧᑲᓇ ᓀᐢᑕ ᐃᓂᓂᐧᐊᐠ ᑲ ᐃᔑ ᓇᑲᒋᑕᒋᐠ ᐊᐢᑭᐧᐃ ᑫᐧᑲᓇ᙮ ᑲ ᐃᔑ ᐧᐊᐸᑕᑭᐠ ᐁᒥᔕᐠ ᐊᐟᓯᐣᐢᐯ ᓀᐢᑕ ᒉᒥᐢᐯ ᑫᐧᑲᐣ ᑲ ᐃᑕᐧᑲᓂᓂᐠ᙮ ᐁ ᑭᑭᐸᓂᐧᑕᓂᐧᐊᐠ ᐊᑕᐧᐊᐱᐢᑲᐟ ᐱᑕᐯᐠ ᐁᐧᑲᐣ ᓀᐢᑕ ᐧᐁᓂᐢᑭᐧᐃ ᓯᐱᔾ ᓀᐢᑕ ᑯᑕᑭᔭ ᑭᒋ ᒥᒉᐟ ᑲᓇᓯᐯᒋᐧᐊᑭ ᔑᐱᔑᔕ ᑕᐧᐃᐨ ᑭᒋᑲᒥᐠ ᐃᑌᑫ᙮
This call to action is in support of the request by Mushkegowuk Council and Neskantaga First Nation of Treaty 9 that a moratorium be put in place until a proper protection plan is implemented. As requested, a protection plan must be comprehensive, based on best available science and Traditional Ecological Knowledge, and reflect the global significance of the carbon rich Hudson Bay-James Bay Lowland, including the Attawapiskat, Kapiskau, Albany, Ekwan, Opinnagau and Winisk Rivers and the thousands of streams that flow into Hudson Bay and James Bay.
ᐁᐸᑯᓭᓂᒪᑭᒋᐠ ᑭᒋ ᐅᑭᒪᐧᐊᐠ ᑭᒋ ᑭᐢᑌᓂᑕᑭᐠ ᓀᐢᑕ ᒪᓇᒋᑕᒋᐠ ᐃᓂᓂᐧᐊ ᐅᑌᐸᑫᓂᑕᑯᓯᐧᐃᓂᓂᐤ ᓀᐢᑕ ᑭᒋ ᐊᑎᓄᒋᑕᒋᐠ ᑲ ᐃᔑ ᐸᑯᓭᓂᒥᒋᐠ ᒥᓄᐱᒪᑎᓯᐧᐃᓂᐠ ᐧᐊᐢᑲᐃᑲᓂᑫᐧᐃᓂᐠ ᓀᐢᑕ ᑲ ᐃᔑ ᒪᓂᐸᓂᓂᑭ ᐃᐡᑯᓂᑲᓇ ᓂᐱᐠ ᐃᑌᑫ᙮ ᔓᓂᔭᓂᒧᓇᐃᑫᐧᐃ ᐊᑐᐢᑫᐧᐃᐣ ᒧᓇ ᑕᑭᓂᑲᓀᓂᒋᑲᑌᐤ ᑲ ᐃᔑᓇᐧᑲᐠ ᒥᓄᐱᒪᑎᓯᐧᐃᐣ ᓀᐢᑕ ᐊᐢᑭᔾ ᓀᐢᑕ ᐃᓂᓂᐧᐊᐠ ᐅᑐᓇᔑᐧᐁᐧᐃᓂᐧᐊᐧᐊ᙮
We call on Canada and Ontario to honour and protect Indigenous and treaty rights, and to take immediate actions to address the urgent health, housing, and water crises facing communities. Mining interests cannot continue to be prioritized over the health, lands, and natural laws of Indigenous communities.
ᑲ ᑭ ᐃᔑ ᑭᒋᐧᑕᓂᐧᐊᐠ ᑭᐧᐁ ᐳᓀᓂᒋᑫᐧᐃᓂᐠ ᐁᐧᐃ ᐃᐧᑌᒪᑲᐠ ᐁᑲ ᐊᒋᑫᐣ ᒥᓇ ᐧᐊᓂᑐᑕᑫᐧᐃᐣ ᑭᒋ ᐃᑕᐧᑲᐠ ᐃᓂᓂᐧᐊᐠ ᑲ ᐃᔑ ᑌᐸᑫᓂᑕᑯᓯᒋᐠ᙮ ᑭᒋ ᓄᒋᑕᓂᐧᐊᐠ ᑲ ᐃᔑ ᐸᑯᓭᓂᒥᒋᐠ ᑲᑭᓇᐤ ᑭᒋ ᐅᑭᒪᐧᐊᐠ ᑭᒋ ᐅᑕᓇᑫᐸᓂᐧᑕᓂᐧᐊᐠ ᐅᒪ ᐊᐸᑎᓯᐧᐃᐣ ᑭᒋ ᑭ ᐅᒋ ᐱᒪᒋᑕᓂᐧᐊᑭ ᓯᐱᔭ ᓀᐢᑕ ᑭᑕᐢᑭᓇᐤ ᐧᐁᐡᑲᐨ ᑲ ᑭ ᐅᒋ ᐯᒋ ᐃᔑᓇᐧᑲᐠ ᑲ ᐃᔑ ᐱᒪᑎᓯᒋᐠ ᐃᓂᓂᐧᐊ ᑲᐱᒪᑎᓯᐧᐊᑫᒋᐠ᙮
Living up to the promise of reconciliation means action is required now to prevent further violations of Indigenous rights. To fulfill this duty, we call on Canada and Ontario to enact a moratorium to sustain the lands and waters that, since time immemorial, have been relied upon by region’s First Nations.
ᑲᔭᐡ ᐅᒋ ᑲ ᑭ ᐯᒋ ᐃᔑᓇᐧᑲᐠ ᐊᐢᑭᐠ ᐯᔭᐧᑲᐣ ᑭᒋ ᐃᔑ ᐱᒧᑌᒪᑲᐠ ᑲ ᑭ ᐃᔑᓇᐧᑲᐠ ᐧᐁᐡᑲᐨ ᐱᑯ ᐅᒋ ᐊᐢᐱᐣ ᑲ ᐊᐢᑭᐧᐊᐠ ᑲ ᑭ ᐃᔑ ᐱᒧᑌᒪᑲᐠ ᒥᓯᐧᐁ ᐃᔑ᙮ ᐁᑯᔑ ᐱᑕᒪ ᑭᒋ ᐧᐁᐣᑕᑦ ᓄᒋᑕᓂᐧᐊᐠ ᑫ ᑭ ᐅᒋ ᒪᓇᒋᑕᓂᐧᐊᐠ ᑲ ᐃᔑᓇᐧᑲᐠ ᒥᐢᑎᑯᐢᑲᐠ ᓀᐢᑕ ᑫ ᑭ ᐊᑎ ᓄᓱᓀᐃᑲᑌᐠ᙮
The ancient peatlands of this region continue to serve as significant carbon sinks and have been cooling the whole earth for millennia. An immediate moratorium safeguards one of the few remaining intact boreal peatlands and protects both us and the generations that follow.
So far, this statement has been supported by the following organizations and individuals.
Organizations
Canadian Environmental Law Association
Canadian Environmental Network
Canadian Friends of Peace Now
Clean North
Committee for Future Generations
East Coast Environmental Law
Endangered Ecosystems Alliance
Forest Grove United Church
Friends of the Attawapiskat River
Greenpeace
Ecology Ottawa
Jesuit Office for Justice, Ecology and Indigenous Relations
KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives
LEAF (Local Enhancement & Appreciation of Forests)
Limerick Area Conservation Coalition
Mining Injustice Solidarity Network
MiningWatch Canada
Nature Canada
North Bay United Church (Indigenous Solidarity Team)
Northwatch
Ontarians for a Just Accountable Mineral Strategy
Ontario Headwaters Institute
Planet Haliburton
RAVEN (Respecting Aboriginal Values and Environmental Needs)
Rising Tide Toronto
Seniors for Climate Action Now!
Sierra Club Canada Foundation
St. Matthew’s United Church (Richmond Hill)
The Wilderness Committee
Villa St. Joseph Ecology & Spirituality Centre
West Coast Environmental Law
Wildlife Conservation Society Canada
Wildlands League
Omushkegowuk Women’s Water Council
World Wildlife Fund Canada
York Region Environmental Alliance
Individuals
Adele Armin
Adrian Currie
Agnes Choi
Alex Reavie
Amanda Montgomery
Amber Holliday
Amitav Dash
Ana Dujakovic
Angela Bischoff
Ann Charlotte
Ann Elliott
Annabel Mills
AnnaMaria Valastro
Anne Stevick
Anne Woodman
Anthony Goodman
Barbara Collier
Barbara Mulock
Barbara Schumacher
Becky Big Canoe
Beth Lorimer
Bette Ross
Beverley Biggs
Bianca Li
Bob Luker
Bob Wood
Brady Reid
Brenda Lumsden
Bruce Rosove
Bryan Smith
Caitlin Penny
Cal Lakevold
Cameron Watts
Carol Anne Conway
Carol Easton
Caroline Stikkelbroeck
Catherine Orfald
Ceredwyn Hill
Christine Friday
Chuck Potter
Claudia Espindola
Clean North
Colleen Perrin
Connie Simons
Corina Fischer
Corinn Gerber
Dan Werner
Dana Smith
Danielle Allen
Danielle Attal
Danielle Delage
Darcy Foster
Dave LeGrand
David Baigent
David Kidd
David Wellhauser
Deborah
Diane Trollope
Divya Arora
Donna Modeste
Doris Welz
Dorothy Boyer
Dorothy Spence
Dorothy Wilson
Doug Long
Douglas Gook
Douglas H. McKenzie
Douglas Henry
Dr. Maureen FitzGerald
Duane Anne Hoffman
Emily Green
Emily Halldorson
Erhard Kraus
Erik Pohanka
Eugenia Venchiarutti
Evelyn Gigantes
Faye Sun
Feliks Welfeld
Fern Norquay
Fiona McMurran
Freygl Gertsovski
Gary Markotich
Gauri Sreenivasan
Geraldine Govender
Geraldine Lindley
Giuliana Katz
Glenn Eldridge
Gloria Marsh
Gloria Monteith
Hannah Lisgo
Heather Campbell
Heather Marshall
Ira Rabinovitch
Irene Wintersinger
Isabelle Nash
James A Kataquapit
James Noakes
Jamie Eberle
Jane Cooper
Janice Marie Wilton
Janie Clayton
Jason Anderson
Jason Wall
JC Biscope
Jean Leahy
Jeanette Walter
Jen Duggan
Jennie Ucar
Jennifer Allen
Jerry Asling
Jesse DeNobrega
Jill Dunkley
Jo Ann Green
Joan Bisy
Joan Chadwick
John Harnett
John Huot
John Liss
John Williamson
Joyce MacQueen
Joyce Varley
Judith Deutsch
Julia Campbell-Such
Julia Levin
Julie Seguin
Juliet Palmer
Karen Brophey
Kate Chung
Kate Shaw
Katherine Zei
Kathie Smith
Katie and Herbert Probst
Katie Krelove
Kay Heuer
Kayla Norquay
Kelly Lau
Ken Wu
Kim McNamara
Kim Turnbull
Kimberly Spgge
Kirsten Reis
Kobe Greer
Kristen Lowitt
Kristina Marie Bethune
Lalie Vilar
Laura Yates
Laurel Moore
Lauren Mair-Kennedy
Leslie Collins
Leslie Thurston
Linda Black
Linda Mackenzie-Nicholas
Linda Turner
Lindsay Potts
Lois Brown
Lori-Ann Moore
Louise Poudrier
Lucy Segatti
Lyba Spring
Lynn bishop
Maddy Smith
Maggie Panter
Maria Christina Conlon
Marilyn Hurst
Marilyn Wilson
Marion Endicott
Mark Neufeld
Marlene E. Simmons
Martha Sutherland
Mary Marcon
Maureen Bostock
Maurice Sutherland
Maxine McVey
Melanie Robitaille
Melissa Gonzalez
Melissa Malyk
Merilyn Liddell
Merlin Clayton
Micah Field
Michael David Graham
Michelle Mahoney
Mikayla Parsons
Monique Edwards
Murray Lumley
Nancy Brookes
Natalia Crowe
Natalie Charles
Natalie Snow
Neecha Dupuis
Neil Jones
Nicole Edwards
Nicole McGrath
Noelle Reeve
Noelle Reeve
Patricia Blomme
Patricia Lapointe
Paul DeFelice
Paul-Denis Clermont
Peter Gorman
Peter Matin
Peter Reynolds
Priscilla Solomon
Rachel Alan
Randolph Murray
Rebecca Porlier
Reg McQuaid
Reggie Tika
Rev. John McCarthy, S.J.
Rick Cheechoo
Rick Gelette
Rob Lee
Robert Huff
Robert Morin
Robert Roszell
Roberta Benefiel
Rosanne Iland
Rose Tekel
Rosemary Hunt
Sara Libman
Sara Valade
Sarah Mikhaiel
Sarah Sinclair
Sari Watson
Sarita Ahooja
Shayna England
Sherry Hillman
Sherry Hutchison
Stephanie Morin
Stephany Hildebrand
Stu Vickars
Susan Conway
Susan Rodgers
Sybille Manneschmidt
Sydney Lang
Teresa Ellis
Teresa Jones
Terry Moore
Toni Hayward
Tracey Mackinnon
Treasa Kenny
Valentina Santamaria
Viviana Herrera
Wayne Conway
Y. Treffers
Yvette Doucette