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MARCH 18th, 2008 |
IN THIS ISSUE: |
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1)
NEWS FROM THE KINGSTON COURT PROCEEDINGS
RALLY: Two hundred people attended a rally today to support the many individuals who have been charged with contempt of court. It was held outside of the courthouse in Kingston. The protesters then filled the courtroom to overflowing. MORE PEOPLE
CHARGED: A group of five non-native members of the community have been
charged with contempt of court for not following the injunction. The individuals
had stopped at the side of the road in front of the Frontenac mining site
on Sunday afternoon. COURT PROCEEDINGS: John Hudson, Frank Morrison and David Milne appear in court today to face charges of contempt. All charges are dropped against Hudson and Morrison. As Milne had admitted to being on the protest site after the injunction was served, his charges are only "withdrawn" with a condition of personal undertaking not to interfere with Frontenac Ventures activities or encourage others to disobey the injunction. Chief Doreen
Davis and War Chief Earl Bedour of the Shabot Obaajiwan First Nation did
not receive any jail time or fines as they have purged themselves of contempt
of court but there has been further restrictions placed on them. The Shabot
immediately submit documents to lay a suit against the Ontario government.
Further contempt charges were to be heard against Ardoch Algonquin Elder Robert Lovelace, but the issue of "getting Bob to court", was overlooked by the lawyer for Frontenac Ventures Corp. When asked if he was planning to bring Lovelace, Chris Reid, Ardoch's lawyer said "it was not my responsibility to get him to court as he in not my prisoner." The judge also point out it was not the courts responsibility to have Lovelace brought to the hearing. The remaining charges against Lovelace will now be heard on June 2, 2008. 2) TOWNSHIP OF DRUMMOND/NORTH ELMSLY VOTE TO PETITION GOVERNMENT RE: URANIUM MINING The township of Drummond/North Elmsley voted yesterday to petition the Province for a moratorium against uranium exploitation in eastern Ontario. It is the 14th municipality to come on board! Thank you to John Kittle for make a presentation to the council. To listen
to The Current's mining article that featured a taped interview with Robert
Lovelace and live interviews with lawyer Chris Reid and Sam McKay of the
Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation, go to, The program was aired March 17th before KI was sentenced. 4) COME TELL THE WORLD ABOUT URANIUM Feeling frustrated about not being heard? Want to tell the world how you feel about uranium? Join in! Speak, Sing, Dance, Chant, Pray, Rant or Mime, a submission at the "The Citizens' Inquiry into the Impacts of the Uranium Cycle." You don't have to be an expert. Let us know what you think. Everyone is welcome to make a submission. If you are shy, come in pairs! How to participate: Where and
when: Time: from 1 to 5 p.m. and from 6 to 9 p.m. The Citizens
Coalition Against Mining Uranium, (CCAMU) 5) GROUPS CALL FOR COMPREHENSIVE REFORM OF ONTARIO'S OUTDATED MINING LAWS Courts being used to punish people who peacefully oppose mining projects March 17, 2008 TORONTO - With the Ontario legislature resuming sitting this week, over 30 groups and organizations are urging the government to overhaul its outdated mining laws and policies. In an Open Letter to the Premier, a wide range of social justice organizations, faith groups and environmental groups express their deep concern that the Mining Act in Ontario is taking precedence over human rights and ecological concerns. Today, six members of the Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI) First Nation in northern Ontario were sentenced for contempt charges related to their peaceful opposition to drilling for platinum on their traditional lands in the Boreal Forest. A few weeks earlier, Bob Lovelace, a university professor and spokesperson for the Ardoch Algonquin First Nation, was sentenced to six months detention and fined $25,000, for opposition to uranium exploration on land subject to a longstanding, unresolved land claim in Eastern Ontario. In addition, the community was fined $10,000 and Chief Paula Sherman $15,000. Other leaders of the uranium exploration protest including the neighbouring Shabot Obaadjiwan First Nation are being sentenced this week. Throughout the uranium exploration protest, private property owners have also been fighting exploration, and have organized into the Community Coalition against Mining Uranium (CCAMU). CCAMU and others also support the struggle of the Algonquins. "We're deeply concerned about the double standard at play in these cases. On the one hand, individuals and communities are being punished to the full extent of the law for doing what they feel is right," says Craig Benjamin, Campaigner for the Human Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Amnesty International Canada. "On the other hand, the province is creating these conflicts by ignoring their own legal responsibilities." "The 'Free Entry system' in Ontario means that mining supersedes all other land uses including cultural and ecological values, and Indigenous rights, " says Anna Baggio, Director of Conservation Land Use Planning of CPAWS Wildlands League. "It's time for the province to halt exploration and staking and comprehensively reform its mining laws to protect the health of Ontarians and its ecosystems," Ms. Baggio adds. The Open Letter to the Premier released today was signed by a wide range of groups including: Amnesty International Canada, CPAWS Wildlands League, MiningWatch Canada, Rainforest Action Network, Environmental Defence, Canadian Friends Service Committee, Bedford Mining Alert, Earth Action, Earthroots, Community Coalition Against Mining Uranium, ForestEthics, Friends of the Earth, Council of Canadians, Christian Peacemaker Teams Canada, David Suzuki Foundation and Ottawa Riverkeeper / Sentinelle Outaouais. The joint letter echoes concerns raised in an open letter to the Premier from Grand Chief Stan Beardy of Nishnawbe Aski Nation. Grand Chief Beardy states: "Mr. Premier, the Mining Act of Ontario is antiquated and is being politically and legally challenged. Ontario has agreed that it will review and as appropriate amend the Mining Act. It seems highly improper that a First Nation community such as KI would be facing such dire consequences when there is tacit admission by these very processes of Ontario that something is amiss with the Mining Act and the legal obligations and honour of Ontario to properly consult and accommodate First Nations and their citizens." "We are outraged and so are the citizens of Ontario," says Joan Kuyek, National Coordinator of MiningWatch Canada. "The province must act before further injustices are committed," Ms. Kuyek adds. For further information: Anna Baggio, CPAWS Wildlands League, office 416-971-9453 ext 47; mobile 416-453-3285 email: anna@wildlandsleague.org Beth Berton-Hunter, Amnesty International, 416-363-9933 ext 32 mobile 416-904-7158 email: bberton-hunter@amnesty.ca Joan Kuyek, National Coordinator, MiningWatch Canada, office 613-569-3439, cell 613-795-5710 joan@miningwatch.ca A copy of the letter and further information are available at www.wildlandsleague.org and www.amnesty.ca 6) ARTICLE: PROVINCE BLASTED AS NATIVES JAILED http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/347199 TheStar.com More than 30 organizations are calling on Premier Dalton McGuinty to live up to his rhetoric about protecting the environment and improving Ontario's relationship with its native communities. McGuinty says his government is dedicated to developing a "positive" relationship with First Nations communities, yet band members say they continue to be jailed and fined over conflicts with the province's outdated Mining Act. Yesterday, in a Thunder Bay court, six members of Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation were each sentenced to six months in jail for contempt over their opposition to drilling for platinum near Big Trout Lake on the band's traditional lands. That follows
a six-month sentence and $25,000 fine handed last month to Bob There's a "disconnect" between McGuinty's words and the government's actions, said Anna Baggio of the CPAWS Wildlands League. "It seems like it's getting a bit out of hand," she said, noting high mineral prices have fuelled a dramatic expansion of exploration. Yesterday, McGuinty asked people to stay tuned, saying work is "being done now behind the scenes on that score at a number of ministries." Kerry Gillespie 7) PRESIDENT OF MINE MILL CAW 598 WEIGHS IN Hon. Michael
Bryant Minister Bryant The issue of over ruling the Nation of the Algonquin and their historical land rights to allow the exploration and mining companies more rights than them is a travesty of human relations. I represent 4000 mining community families here in Sudbury, and I know the value that mining can bring to the betterment of the society. Unfortunately as Canadians we have given our sovereign rights away to foreign investment and have not kept any rights for the long-term value of the people and the community. The Algonquin people do not want to give away their rights and fail as Canada did in preserving the long-term value of their lands and rights as they see fit. In the best interest of the parties the Ontario Government must stand down from their position, release those they have incarcerated and negotiate a fair and just end to this issue. Rick Grylls Mar 18, 2008 Thanks to the Ontario government's recent decision to procure up to 14,000 megawatts (MW) of supply from new or refurbished nuclear power plants, nuclear power will have a stranglehold on the province's electricity supply system. While the government talks about "balance" the real story is that 14,000 MW represents about 72% of the province's current electricity demand. And that means that cleaner supply sources, such as renewables, conservation programs or combined heat and power, will be left fighting over mostly scraps. Given what we know about the high costs of nuclear power, these other sources will also have to fight for funds as nuclear takes up an equally disproportionate share of the province's electricity budget. Our new fact sheet, Ontario's impending nuclear monopoly, cuts through the smoke to reveal just how dominant nuclear will be in Ontario's electricity future if the government proceeds as planned. It also lays out recommendations for a fairer and more balanced electricity supply procurement process. You may download the fact sheet by visiting www.cleanairalliance.org and order copies to distribute from http://www.cleanairalliance.org/get_involved_order_pamphlets. Please contact Ontario's Energy Minister, Gerry Phillips, at gphillips.mpp@liberal.ola.org, and ask him to establish a competitive procurement process for obtaining new electricity supplies. Please pass this message on to your friends. Thank you. Jessica
Fracassi, Communications & Membership Director The Ontario Clean Air Alliance is a coalition of health, environmental, and consumer organizations, faith communities, municipalities, utilities, unions, corporations and individuals working for cleaner air through a coal phase-out and the shift to a renewable electricity future. Our partner organizations represent more than six million Ontarians. 9) PRESS RELEASE FROM THE ANISHINABEK NATION Transmitted
by CNW Group on : March 17, 2008 11:37 THUNDER BAY, ON, March 17 /CNW/ - Anishinabek Nation leadership are demonstrating their support for a Treaty 9 community whose chief was prepared to go to jail for refusing to allow a mining company to conduct exploration activity on traditional territory. Deputy Grand Chief Glen Hare represented the 42 member communities of the Anishinabek Nation at the Ontario Superior Court building today where Judge Patrick Smith sentenced Chief Donny Morris of Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug and six council members to six months in prison for contempt of court. The councillors of the fly-in First Nation about 600 km north of Thunder Bay defied an Oct. 25 court order granting Platinex Inc. access to Big Trout Lake, which the First Nation claim as ancestral land. "In one breath we hear Ontario talk about the importance of First Nations sharing in the wealth of the province's resource revenues, and in the next breath they ignore Supreme Court of Canada rulings that say we need to be consulted by companies wanting to exploit our lands," said Deputy Grand Chief Hare. "Meaningful consultation involves mutual respect, not telling First Nations where you're going to drill for ore or clear-cut forests. That's not how good neighbours behave." Despite several recent Supreme Court rulings requiring consultations with First Nations prior to making decisions affecting their lands, the Ontario government has allowed the Toronto-based junior mining company to stake claims and begin exploratory drilling for platinum. When First Nation members peacefully protested their activities, Platinex retaliated with a $10-billion lawsuit, subsequently reduced to $10 million. Chief Morris says $500,000 in legal fees defending the suit have bankrupted his community, and he and his council accepted Justice Smith's Oct. 25 ruling that found them in contempt for continuing to deny Platinex workers access to the exploration site. "The province of Ontario needs to develop policies that support partnerships involving First Nations in harvesting natural resources," said Deputy Grand Chief Hare. "We won't tolerate our citizens being punished for defending our traditional territories." The Anishinabek Nation incorporated the Union of Ontario Indians as its secretariat in 1949. The UOI is a political advocate for 42 member First Nations across Ontario. The Union of Ontario Indians is the oldest political organization in Ontario and can trace its roots back to the Confederacy of Three Fires, which existed long before European contact. For further information: Marci Becking, Communications Officer, Union of Ontario Indians, Phone: (705) 497-9127 (Ext. 2290), Email: becmar@anishinabek.ca 10) ARTICLE: ABORIGINAL AFFAIRS MINISTER 'WON'T GIVE UP' AFTER CHIEF JAILED OVER MINING DISPUTE March 18, 2008 THUNDER BAY, Ont. - The Ontario government won't give up trying to find common ground between an exploration company and a remote northern Ontario First Nation despite the sentencing of an aboriginal chief and five other members to jail on contempt of court charges, Aboriginal Affairs Minister Michael Bryant said Monday. The six members of the Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI) First Nation- including Chief Donny Morris and Deputy Chief Jack MacKay - were sentenced to six months in jail after ignoring an injunction which allowed Platinex to start drilling on traditional aboriginal territory. To read more of this article go to, http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5iy_mElCpRTPXhMJN_ic9offGH18Q 11) ARTICLE: LAWYER USED TO BEING UNDERDOG By Frank Armstrong Whig-Standard Staff Writer March 18, 2008 Activist lawyer Chris Reid was having a bad day yesterday. Today he expects it to get a lot worse. "After this week, I guess all my clients will be in jail," Reid said yesterday, after spending much of the day travelling from court in Thunder Bay, where six of his First Nation clients had been sent to jail for six months for refusing to stop blocking mine exploration near their reserve. To read more of this article go to, http://www.thewhig.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=948067 CCAMU will be updating its links on our website very soon. Sorry for the delay. For First Nations links click on the FIRST NATIONS tab on our website.
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