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Media Advisory July 30, 2007 For immediate release MINISTER
RAMSAY
Frontenac Ventures is an unlisted venture company with 30,000 acres of residential and Crown land claimed for uranium exploration near Ottawa. The Ardoch Algonquin and Shabot Obaadjiwan First Nations have been occupying the exploration site since June 28 to protest the fact that the Province has once again betrayed their constitutional rights. “The courts have been telling governments consistently for years now that they must consult with First Nations before permitting activities which could impact on their land, yet the government of Ontario is completely oblivious this legal requirement” states Chris Reid, legal counsel for the Ardoch Algonquin and Shabot Obaadjiwan First Nations. “Ontario’s Mining Act still allows mining companies to stake claims on Crown land and even privately held land, and then undertake exploratory drilling, clear-cutting and other damaging activities without any consultation at all with First Nations land owners”. Not surprisingly, First Nations sometimes feel the need to take dramatic action when they discover that the government has allowed mining companies on to their land without any prior consultation. “The public only sees the end result – railways closed and highways shut down – and not the Government inaction and irresponsibility that creates those results.” said Reid. The Community Coalition Against Mining Uranium believes the public has the right to know the Province’s role in this confrontation, and how Minister Ramsay has abdicated his Ministerial responsibility. Contact Info: Background Info: Community Coalition Against Uranium Mining Visit the CCAMU website at www.ccamu.ca.
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