Koper Lake protest on

Media representatives from Thunder Bay have been invited March 3 to the Marten Falls Ring of Fire protest at Koper Lake in the James Bay lowlands.
Nishnawbe Aski Nation Grand Chief Stan Beardy and Matawa First Nations Ring of Fire coordinator Raymond Ferris are scheduled to attend the protest, which will include statements by Marten Falls Chief Eli Moonias, Marten Falls councillors and Beardy.
A ceremony will also be held during the media visit, as well as a snowmachine trip to the 40-man camp being used by mineral exploration companies that is the main reason for the protest.
Marten Falls Chief Eli Moonias said in January his community was planning the protest due to concerns about the camp that is built on muskeg along Koper Lake, noting the location of the camp is more suited for a temporary two- or three-man set up and it is located near a caribou herd.
“Last fall they built a new camp by the lake … right on top of the water,” Moonias said in January. “If you’re going to have 40 guys there working, you’re going to make a lot of mess there, right in the middle of caribou country.”
Webequie Logistics built the camp, which is being used by mineral exploration companies KWG Resources Inc. and Fancamp Exploration Ltd.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Ministry of the Environment have inspected the campsite and asked the operators to apply for approval to discharge greywater and to make sure it is properly treated.
Kate Jordan of the Ministry of Environment’s communications branch said in January that the camp operators were preparing the application for a certificate of approval and that waterless toilet incinerators are being used to dispose of human waste by burning the waste.
The MNR placed a stop work order on the camp under the Public Lands Act Dec. 16 after an early December inspection which showed the camp was not in compliance with the Public Lands Act and the MNR’s free use policy.
Sam Lappage, an owner of Webequie Logistics, said the stop work order only applies to work being done on the camp site, not on the use of the camp by workers from nearby mineral exploration worksites.
The Ring of Fire contains chromite, a rare mineral used to make stainless steel. It falls within the traditional lands of several Matawa First Nations including Marten Falls and Webequie.