MARTEN FALLS FIRST NATION – On January 25th, 2011, we announced that a blockade will commence and asked the companies to comply. To our knowledger, only the Billiken Camp complied; Noront made a statement to disregard the action; KWG made a statement that they obtained permission from Webequie First Nation (wrong First Nation to consult) and therefore, proceeded to disregard the order. This disregarded action has posed a serious threat to dialogue including the LUP (land-use plan with Ontario) process. In order to avoid a complete breakdown of communication and the imposition of a trespass notice to our territories, the following items need to be addresses by both government and the third party:
1. Winter Road
– No construction
– No plans
– No permit to cross Attawapiskat River Parkway
– Only Airlines are busy
2. All Weather Road Access
– No support for development
– Companies have their own ideas ir slurry pipeline to Webequie access road
3. Disregard to Aboriginal concerns in the study of the corridor by KWG, Spider, Cliffs
– We have our own ideas of corridor location like through Marten Falls using our existing access road plans
4. No satisfactory resourcing for expertise
– No meaningful MOU development
– No in-depth advanced exploration agreements
– No funding for negotiator, facilitator to oversee IBA (Impact Benefit Agreement), groundwork, groundwork for revenue sharing as Treaty implementation, groundwork for business development as servicing camps, camp maintainance, servicing as airport maintenance, fuel depot development, airline involvement, winter road use
5. Disregard for Aboriginal and Treaty Rights
– No adequate consultation
– No consultation at all ie New camp at Koper Lake, corridor KWG study, the plan to go into advanced prefeasibility work without adequate consultation or without agreeement
6. Disregard for Letters of Understanding between Webequie and Ontario signed in September 2010
7. Disregard to the joint MNR-MFFN LUP
– Far North Act used as smokescreen in the continuation of the old Mining Act regime. Our planning process should have provided safeguards to Aboriginal Treaty concerns. ie Ensuring adequate consultation before any new action after the March 2010 blockade
8. No urgency to complete strip; parties slow to re-assign surface rights issues
9. No pre-LUP agreements for interim monitoriing game and wildlife ie Caribou habitat in drilling activity, fish in lakes used as airports
– Environmental concerns ie no resourcing for our people to hire a non-embedded environmentalist
10 We need reimbursement of blockade costs last year and this year, including the costs of Aboriginal employees laid-off. The blockade is not our fault, it is the fault of both the government and industry disregarding the Constitution Act Treaty protections.
Marten Falls First Nation is located 100 air miles north of Nakina Ontario or 250 air miles north east of Thunder Bay at the junction of the Ogoki and Albany Rivers. Marten Falls First Nation is the same community as Ogoki Post. The original Marten Falls community relocated to the Albany and Ogoki river junction in 1926. Hence, Marten Falls receives its name from the waterfalls, 50 miles upriver from the current site.The original community and trading post existed for over 250 years before the relocation to the current site. The community of Marten Falls First Nation has a membership of 650 plus and is a young community demographically. Approximately, half of the population reside in Marten Falls and half live off reserve.