Chiefs say no to Bill 191

The Nishnawbe Aski Nation chiefs have said no to Bill 191, the Far North Act, and NAN Grand Chief Stan Beardy said trouble could brew if the bill comes into effect.
“If the bill is forced through, there will be conflict in the North,” Beardy said. “There will be no certainty for the government or the investors.”
Beardy said NAN chiefs met with Linda Jeffrey, minister of natural resources, Aug. 12 to hear proposed revisions to the act, but it wasn’t enough for NAN chiefs.
“Nishnawbe Aski chiefs, communities, people are united,” Beardy said Aug. 13 during a press conference in Thunder Bay.
“We are declaring our opposition to Bill 191.”
Beardy is calling on industry and environmental groups to withdraw their support for Bill 191 for failing to meet Premier Dalton McGuinty’s promise of a true partnership with First Nations.
“We have been very clear in our concerns with Bill 191 however the Ontario government has failed to respond to our issues,” Beardy said, explaining that NAN has continually called for Bill 191 to include language and mechanisms to support First Nations jurisdiction and title. “The unilateral imposition of this radical transformation within NAN territory is inconsistent with the spirit and intent of Treaties 9 and 5. Therefore we have no choice but to take collective action to halt this Bill.”
Bill 191 is scheduled for third reading in the Ontario legislature Sept. 16, which means the bill just needs royal assent before coming into effect.
NAN Chiefs met for a two-day Emergency Chiefs Assembly Aug. 12-13 to determine any necessary future action to withdraw Bill 191.
Beardy said just because NAN communities are involved in land-use planning it does not mean they support Bill 191. He said the bill would freeze most forms of development in the Far North.
Beardy said Bill 191 takes lands away from NAN First Nations without compensation and seriously undermines the long-term economic opportunities for the NAN communities.
“We will plan for our land and enforce our jurisdiction to make final land-use decisions in the north. That is our treaty right and we will enforce it.”
First Nation authority must be recognized: Fiddler
Sandy Lake Chief Adam Fiddler said in the minds and understandings of the chiefs and communities, the province is basically creating one huge provincial park.
“That takes away the jurisdiction that we have, first of all to protect the land but also to look at opportunities for finding ways of developing economic opportunities on the land for our people into the future,” Fiddler said. “First Nations are looking at different options, we are all at different stages, but by imposing parkland that takes away the jurisdiction we have.”
Whitewater Lake Chief Arlene Slipperjack said her community’s economic development opportunities have been lost since the community was surrounded by the Wabakimi Provincial Park, which was originally established in 1983 and expanded to an area one-and-a-half times larger than Prince Edward Island in 1997.
“Whitewater Lake First Nation totally opposes Bill 191,” Slipperjack said.
She said her people have no jobs or homes and live “smack in the middle of Wabakimi Provincial Park.”
“We have endured 16 years of broken promises by the province,” Slipperjack said, explaining that 899 hectares of land was taken away from the community for the park.
“Our hands are tied by the provincial park system and then with this new Bill 191 it’s going to be even worse.”
By setting aside 225,000 square kilometres in northern Ontario, Fiddler believes the legislation is Ontario’s “last-ditch effort” to save the environment after the land, air and water have all been polluted in the south.
“The reality is our people, our Elders, our ancestors, they know how to protect the land, they know how to protect the environment,” Fiddler said. “They have been doing it for thousands of years.”
Fiddler said the authority of First Nations in the Far North must be recognized, especially when it comes to land-use plans and decisions.
“With the implementation of Bill 191, our rights and title to the land would be stripped from us giving us no control over what happens in our traditional territory,” Fiddler said.
Jessica Edwards, spokesperson for NAN Oshkaatisak (Young Peoples Council), said young First Nation people today are more aware than ever of the issues pertaining to their land and the jurisdictional rights they have in their traditional territories.
“It’s important for us to have a say in how our lands will be used for our generation and future generations to come,” Edwards said. “We too as the NAN Young Peoples Council will stand and oppose Bill 191.”
Donna Orr, spokesperson for NAN Women’s Council, said they will do whatever it takes to ensure their family’s futures are protected.
“As a mother, it is my duty to ensure my children have the right to determine what and when our lands will be used,” Orr said. “This should not be up to the Ontario Government to decide on our behalf.”