Four_amigos
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Feature Article - June 7, 2007Split depens on North Frontenac Council: Beam, Cole, Watkins and Olmstead, the Four Amigos, control votes
by Jeff Green
After winning a convincing victory in last fall’s municipal election against the two sitting councillors who had been the most critical of the way he ran council, and then taking on the mantle of Frontenac County Warden, North Frontenac Mayor Ron Maguire might have thought his influence on North Frontenac Council would be on the rise right about now.
It hasn’t worked out quite that way.
The first vote taken by the new council seems to have been a harbinger of things to come. Rookie Councilor Jim Beam in a 4-3 vote defeated incumbent Councilor Fred Perry for the Deputy Mayor position in a 4-3 vote.
The four new members of Council: Wayne Cole, Lonnie Watkins, Bob Olmstead, and Jim Beam, have flexed their majority muscles several times over the past few months on other, more substantial, issues.
Twice, those same four council members have thwarted Maguire’s intentions towards Pine Lake, where the Ardoch Algonquin First Nation has been developing a site on Crown land for the past year.
The first time was in February, when Councilor Cole proposed setting up a meeting with all levels of government over the development, a move that Maguire argued would undermine the interventions he had undertaken with Ardoch Algonquin and Ministry of Natural Resources officials.
It happened again a few weeks ago, when the Ardoch Algonquins proposed that council join with them in applying for a grant from a provincial rural economic development program. After debating the proposal for over an hour in an in camera session, it was defeated by that familiar 4-3 margin.
The past week, the same four councilors, who represent Wards 2 and 3, had an impact on the nuts and bolts of township operations, when they refused to endorse the purchase of a tandem truck as proposed by the township’s Public Works Manager John Ibey.
The purchase had been approved in this year’s budget and came in at $191,715, less than the $200,000 budgeted.
In a written report describing the process he used in obtaining pricing for the trucks, Ibey said “proceeding through RFP’s [Request for Proposals] with these specific dealers has resulted in the dealers obtaining pricing concessions from the manufacturers and the township has received excellent pricing on trucks for this purchase as well as past purchases from these dealers.”
However, Deputy Mayor Beam took exception to the fact that the two quotes Ibey presented to council were for trucks made by two different manufacturers.
“I would like to compare apples to apples. If we are going to buy a Sterling truck, I want to see it compared to another Sterling truck, not just an International truck,” said Deputy Mayor Jim Beam in response to Ibey’s recommendation.
Ibey pointed out that truck dealers generally keep to their own territory and are reluctant to compete with dealers handling the products from the same manufacturer in neighbouring territories, but the four councilors would not be swayed.
“When I’ve been talking to people around the township, they all say that we should be putting things out to tender,” said Councilor Watkins.
“What would the impact of re-tendering have on our delivery date for the truck?” asked Councilor Fred Perry.
“It generally takes 10 weeks for a truck like this to be built and equipped,” Ibey responded, “so if it takes a month or six weeks to tender, that would put us back that much time.”
The cost of advertising the tender in some of the larger regional newspapers, such as the Whig Standard and the Ottawa Citizen, was raised as an issue, and Township Clerk-Planner Brenda DeFosse said her understanding was that the cost would be in the range of $2,000, which would have to be included in the budget for the truck purchase.
After council decided to put the purchase out to public tender, Councillor Perry took the four rookie councilors to task, saying “you should realise that you have undermined the public works manager here.”
Councilor Wayne Cole denied this, saying, “Nobody is questioning John Ibey’s competence. We just want to get different prices for the same truck.”
Other Stories this Week View RSS feedJudge_implacable
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Feature Article - August 30, 2007 Judge orders Algonquin communities out“By Algonquin law, we must remain” Paula Sherman, co-chief of the Ardoch Algonquins
by Jeff Green
Late Monday afternoon the other shoe fell.
Judge Gordon Thomson, of the Kingston Superior Court, delivered an interim injunction that allies closely with the position taken by Frontenac Ventures Corporation.
The company has been pressing the court to act in response to an occupation by members of the Ardoch Algonquin and Shabot Obadjiwaan First Nations on property that Frontenac Ventures has leased at the Robertsville mine on Hwy. 509 in North Frontenac.
The occupation began on June 29.
Until that date the property had been the base of operations for Frontenac Ventures as they carried out exploration of uranium deposits on a 30,000-acre parcel of private and public lands in North and Central Frontenac.
This weeks interim injunction is intended to allow Frontenac Ventures to continue their exploration until a full hearing can be held on a motion for an interlocutory injunction. That hearing is scheduled to start on September 20.
The interim injunction stands in stark contrast to an earlier “terms of adjournment” ruling that Judge Thomson released on August 15. At that time he ordered only that all materials brought into the encampment; including all trailers, tents, and flags, be removed, and that the company stay away from the site as well.
Not only did the Sharbot and Ardoch Algonquns refuse to leave at that time, they went so far as to inform the court that they will no longer participate in the injunction proceedings, instead asking that the province enter into direct negotiations over their demand for a moratorium on uranium exploration in what they assert is Algonquin territory.
When Ardoch Algonquin Lawyer Chris Reid explained this position to Judge Thomson at a hastily convened hearing on Thursday, August 23, the Judge seemed to take this information in stride. In response to the company’s request that he impose a new ruling, all he said was, “I may make a change, and I may not.”
Frustrated at the turn of events, and the fact that the interests of his clients did not seem to be advancing through the judge’s actions, Neil Smitheman told the court, “Frontenac Ventures is being sacrificed on the altar of collective guilt and political expediency.”
Judge Thomson Thomson must have been listening to Smitheman, since the 11-point interim injunction released this week gives the company everything they had been asking for and more. The injunction clearly states that the Algonquins and their supporters must leave, “Any representative of the AAFN, Shabot, or anyone supporting their position or associated with them in any way must leave the subject property.”
It also grants Frontenac Ventures “immediate, unfettered and unobstructed access to the subject property …”, including “all of the exploration property.”
Further points stipulate that the Algonquins or their supporters are not to interfere or impede Frontenac Ventures in any way.
Finally, the injunction deals with the activities of the OPP under the ruling.
It says that “any police service or police officer be and hereby is authorized to arrest and remove,” anyone who is blocking the execution of the order. The concluding phrase grants the police a bit of discretion however, in the following language: “such a police service or peace officer retains his or her discretion to decide whether to arrest or remove any persons pursuant to any court order concerning this file.”
The final sentence of the order says, “any confrontation in any form simply should not happen.”
This latest ruling was welcome news to George White, the President of Frontenac Ventures Corporation
“We are very pleased with what Judge Thomson has done,” he said, and he added that the company is looking forward to recommencing its exploration program.
OPP: coming out of the shadows
The Ontario Provincial Police have maintained a quiet presence in and around the Robertsville encampment since the start of the occupation.and t he day after Judge Thomson released his interim injunction, two OPP officers attended a meeting with the Algonquin leadership and membership, and members of the non-aboriginal community who support the encampment.
After particiapting in a tobacco ceremony, OPP Officer MacPherson accepted the Eagle Feather and said, “We have been here from the start to keep the peace, and that has not changed. A new court ruling has been released, but we have not had time to analyse it yet.. I commit to you that if we are placed in a different position as the result of the court order, we will communicate that change to you.”
He also stated that the OPP is ultimately bound to follow the dictates of the legal system, as understood by their own legal Counsel.
The actions of the OPP over the past two months have been heavily influenced by some high profile events in recent Ontario history, including the Ipperwash tragedy and the Ipperwash report.
Members of the OPP Aboriginal Relations Team (ART) have been “integrated officers”, living with the Algonquin communities on site and providing instant two-way communication with OPP officers on the other side.
Don Lickers, one of the ART members on site, participated in the meeting on Tuesday afternoon. Algonquin and non-aboriginal participants in the meeting all expressed their appreciation for the role the OPP have been playing, but remained nervous about what may happen in the near future.
OPP officials reitereated that they are ultimately subject to the law as expressed by the courts, and in response Co-Chief Paula Sherman of the Ardoch Algonquins talked of the communities’ obligations under Algonquin law.
“As [Algonquin Elder] Bob Lovelace has said, Canadian Law and Algonquin Law are mostly harmonious, but in some cases they come into conflict. I am bound by Algonquin Law to protect the land against this danger … The OPP is not our enemy here, the diamond drill is the enemy,” she said, referring to the core test holes that Frontenac Ventures intends to drill if and when they get back onto the exploration lands.
As of this writing, a Sherrif is expected at any time from the Kingston Court to officially post Judge Thomson’s order on the gate of the Robertsville Mine. The occupants will then have 48 hours to comply. Judge Thomson said he is prepared to deal with the matter again at short norice.
There has been no indication that the leadership of the two Algonquin Communities is wavering. If anything, their resolve seems to be hardening.
(Look to this site for updates)
Injunction _served
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Feature Article - August 30, 2007Injunction formally served to Arodch and Sahbot Obaadjiwaan Algonquins
by Jeff Green
Two representatives from the Kingston Sheriff’s office arrived at the site of the occupation at the Robertsville mine at about 3:00 Friday afternoon accompanied by two OPP officers.
They were greeted by members of the Ardoch and Shabot Obaadjiwaan Algonquin First Nations who have been encamped behind the gate at the privately owned mine since June 29th, and a crowd of non-Algonquin supporters outside the gate.
As the Sheriff’s representative read out the 7 page order (which is described in “Robertsville mine occupation” below) the crowd drowned out his voice with cheers, drumming and singing.
With the order being filed, the OPP now have authorization to force the people in the encampment out.
OPP spokesperson Paige Whiting told the News that the OPP is considering the ruling now that it has been formally served, but at this time is maintaining the same profile as it has from the start of the occupation two months ago.
On Tuesday, a senior officer assured the leadership from both Algonquin Communities he will meet with them again before there is any change to the OPP operational guidelines at the site.
Although the ruling authorises the OPP to carry out arrests, it also grants them discretion and calls on them to avoid confronation.
The Ardoch Algonquins have their annual Pow Wow scheduled for Saturday and Sunday at the Blue Skies Festival site, which is close to the Robertsville mine.
(We will report on any change to the OPP protocol when it occurs)
Candidates_mining
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Feature Article - August 30, 2007Candidates deepen positions on mining in LFL&A
By Jeff Green
A veritable media scrum took place along a lonely stretch of road north of Clarendon this week, with CTV, Global, CKWS and CBC radio vying for a word from OPP officials and local Algonquin leaders.
It’s fair to say the attention is unprecedented. The events at the Robertsville mine and the adjacent 30,000 acres encapsulate concerns about surface and subsurface property rights, uranium exploration and mining, and aboriginal land issues, and they have been the subject of particular interest to four men: The candidates for MPP in Lanark, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington.
Ross Sutherland (NDP), Ian Wilson (Liberal) and Randy Hiller (Conservative) all appeared at an all-candidates meeting focusing on the Ontario Mining Act in late July. Since then, they have all been thinking long and hard about where they stand in regards to what is happening in North Frontenac as they prepare for the official election campaign, which kicks off on September 10.
Rolly Montpellier, (Green Party) is late entering the campaign, but he brought his party leader, Frank DeJong, to the Robertsville mine on August 27.
DeJong said that Green Party policy calls for a “moratorium on uranium exploration and mining in Ontario, as is in place in New Brunswick. We also call for subsurface and surface rights to be re-united.”
Elaborating on their position regarding uranium mining, DeJong said that there is only a 20-year supply of high grade uranium, such as is mined in Northern Saskatchewan, “and after that, low grade sources, like the ones in North Frontenac, will be used. But it takes so much fossil fuel to process low grade uranium that it would be an economic and environmental disaster.”
Ross Sutherland (NDP) was the first candidate to take a stance in support of the Algonquin occupation, coming to the site on June 29. He also called for a moratorium on uranium mining and nuclear power generation.
Recently, Peter Tabuns, the NDP environment critic, called for Dalton McGuinty to cede to Algonquin demands in North Frontenac and agree to a moratorium on uranium exploration.
"Why is it so hard for Dalton McGuinty to stand up for fairness and a clean environment?" asked Tabuns. "The Ontario government could have and should have resolved this issue a long time ago. Instead Dalton McGuinty has dithered and delayed. Dalton McGuinty promised to stand up for First Nations and the environment. He's failed on both counts.”
Ian Wilson (Liberal) sent a letter of support to CCAMU (Concerned Citizens Against Mining Uranium), a non-aboriginal group that has sprung up in support of the occupation and against uranium exploration.
In it, he said “As the whole world becomes increasingly concerned about the natural environment this seems to be an opportune time for the government of Ontario to declare a moratorium on mineral exploration in Lanark, Frontenac, and Lennox & Addington. This area is a natural carbon offset for the pollution caused by the large urban centres of Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal that surround it.”
He also said he will work with CCAMU to “bring this matter to the government’s attention.
Randy Hillier (Conservative) worked with LFL&A Federal MP Scott Reid on a joint position paper entitled “Ontario Mining Law is a mess”. In it they call for a unification of surface and subsurface rights. In regard to the situation in North Frontenac, they wrote:
“The provincial government is so aggressive in promoting mining that it even permits claims to be staked and exploration work to continue where all other economic activity has been halted, on Crown lands that are subject to aboriginal land disputes. In northern Frontenac County, the unresolved Algonquin land claim has caused the province to refuse all requests for the sale or lease of small parcels of Crown land to permit recreation and tourism development. But exploration for uranium continues unabated.
“This recently led to a standoff led in part by Algonquins and in part by local property owners.”
The leadership of the parties that both Wilson and Hillier represent have not been as forthcoming as the candidates in regards to these issues.
There is nothing in the Conservative Party platform about mining rights, and John Tory has made no comment on the ongoing situation in North Frontenac.
For his part, Premier Dalton McGuinty has yet to respond to repeated requests for a meeting by the Shabot and Ardoch Algonquins.
In light of the latest court proceedings, Ross Sutherland has called for McGuinty to act.
“McGuinty’s inaction is responsible for the court injunction and the heightened tension in North Frontenac Township,” said Sutherland. “He has the power under the Mining Act to place an immediate moratorium on uranium exploration. This would remove the need for an occupation,” he wrote in a media release this week.
(The complete text of the articles and letters referred to in this article are posted at frontenacnews.ca, including the “op-ed” piece submitted by Scott Reid and Randy Hiller)
Rallying
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Feature Article - July 19, 2007Rallying ends and lawyering begins in uranium exploration saga
by Jeff Green
The
second, and for the foreseeable future, final rally and march along
Highway 7 protesting plans by Frontenac Ventures Corporation to explore
for uranium in parts of North and Central Frontenac took place last
Friday, July 13.
A mixed crowd of Algonquin, other First Nation, and non-aboriginal people joined together in much the same manner as they had 5 days earlier, this time marching down Road 38 to end the rally at the Sharbot Lake High School. The Ontario Provincial Police closed down Highway 7 between Mountain Grove and Sharbot Lake for a time, and then closed Highway 38 from Parham to Sharbot Lake.
The rally was colourful and peaceful, and was attended by William Commanda of the Kitigan
Zibi Anishinabeg (near Maniwaki, Quebec), the most revered of Algonquin
elders and the keeper of three wampum belts of historic importance.
Although he underwent surgery earlier this week, Commanda insisted on
attending the rally. He is an outspoken opponent of uranium mining
because of its impacts in his home region of Maniwaki, and is known
internationally as an advocate for understanding between cultures.
Although he is now in his mid-nineties, he still hosts the annual
Spirit of All Nations Gathering.
While the rally went off without a hitch, there have been complaints from local business owners and others that disruptions to traffic flows on the highways are a detriment to their businesses during the crucial summer tourist season.
Perhaps in recognition of these concerns, Ardoch Algonquin representative Bob Lovelace said later that no more rallies are planned on Highway 7, and the newly named group of local anti-uranium activists that has been involved in the rallies as well, Concerned Citizens Against Mining Uranium (CCAMU), said that future rallies would be held “at different locations throughout our community, not the corner of Hwy #509 and #7.”
Enter the lawyers
What can only be described as an extraordinary meeting was hastily arranged at the Snow Road hall. It was originally going to be a simple meeting between lawyers representing the Ardoch and Shabot Obaadjiwaan First Nations and Frontenac Ventures Corporation, but quickly became a public event.
During the two-hour meeting, the Snow Road hall resembled a courtroom at certain points, a lecture hall on Algonquin history at others, and a battleground between pro and anti-uranium mining forces at other times.
And it was topped off with a parable about turtle soup.
Neil Smitheman, the lawyer for Frontenac Ventures Corporation, described Frontenac Ventures’ intentions for the meeting.
“My client wants to initiate a consultation process,” Smitheman said, as Frontenac Ventures President George White prepared to make a power presentation on the company’s plans for this year.
He was interrupted by Chris Reid, the lawyer for the Ardoch and Shabot Obaadjiwann First Nations, who argued that all of the Frontenac Ventures mining claims are located on the traditional lands of his clients and they have yet to be consulted as to their intentions regarding mineral exploration. “Let me be clear. My clients have not agreed with the Crown that their land will be open to mineral exploration. We need to begin consultation with the Crown first. Consultation could lead to exploration, but we are not prepared to make any accommodation in that regard at this time. The Crown cannot delegate the responsibility to consult to another party. You have purported mineral claims which we do not recognise.”
Reid then pointed out that he has made repeated attempts to communicate with the Province of Ontario, through the Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs, to initiate a process, but “they have not even acknowledged my emails.”
The province was represented at the meeting, after a fashion, by Tony Scarr and Pam Sangster from the Ministry of Mines and Northern Development.
When they were asked if they were willing to enter into a consultation process on behalf of the province, Tony Scarr responded by saying they were attending the meeting at the invitation of Frontenac Ventures Corporation to help explain the mining act as it pertains to their exploration plans, not in any legal position as a representative of the government of Ontario. He did say that the ministry is available to meet with the Algonquins, and that he would bring information back to the ministry.
Neil Smitheman said that “time is something that Frontenac Ventures simply cannot afford,” and added that if the company is prevented from pursuing their exploration program they will “take legal action against someone.”
Chris Reid then asked Neil Smitheman “At any time when the mining claims were being registered, did the Ministry of Mines and Northern Development inform your client that the claims are located on Algonquin territory?”
“They did not,” Smitheman responded.
After the two lawyers seemed to agree that the meeting constituted a dialogue rather than a consultation, Frontenac Ventures Corporation proceeded to outline their exploration plans for this summer. They plan to drill up to 200 test holes this summer in locations where test holes have been drilled in the past. Greg Luster from the company explained that the exploration process as planned by the company does not pose an environmental threat. The company also offered $10,000 to the Algonquins at this time, plus 2% of the money they spend on the project this summer, and talked of the economic benefits that would accrue if a mine happened to come into being.
A grilling session took place, with members of the public and Algonquin representatives expressing their disdain for anything related to uranium production.
“You talk about economic benefits,” said Mireille Lapointe from Westport, “but people don’t move near uranium mines, people move away from uranium mines.”
Chief Doreen Davis of the Sahbot Obaadjiwaan described the exploration as “a roll of the dice that I cannot take for my people.”
Finally, Bob Lovelace talked of the historic relation between Algonquin peoples and the land. “The land is our language,” he said, “we cannot survive if it is taken from us.” Further he described the Algonquins as the “single most endangered species in he Ottawa Valley.”
“Do you think there is a compromise possible here?” Neil Smitheman asked of Lovelace.
“No one supports this operation right now,” Lovelace responded. He then ended his presentation by telling an Algonquin story about two canoeists and a turtle. One man wants to make soup from the turtle but the other says, “I’ve never seen a turtle like that, I think we should leave it alone”. The first man insists on making soup from the turtle and he ends up developing an insatiable thirst, and is eventually drawn into the river, where he perishes. “I think we should leave that turtle alone,” Lovelace concluded.
As the meeting ended, Frontenac Ventures agreed not to commence drilling without notifying the Algonquins, but the Algonquins did not agree to Frontenac Ventures’ request that they abandon their camp at the Robertsville mine. Tony Scarr agreed to bring an Algonquin request that a “protocol for consultation” be developed between the Algonquins and the province to his superiors at the Ministry of Mines and Northern Development.
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March_Rally
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Feature Article - July 12, 2007Rally and march demonstrate support for Algonquin occupation
byJeff Green
After being contacted through electronic means such as e-mail and Facebook, and an old-fashioned telephone tree, more than 300 people made their way to the corner of Hwys. 509 and 7 on the afternoon of July 8 for a march along Highway 7.
The diverse crowd, which included politicians, landowners, members of the local non-status Algonquin communities, supporters from other First Nations, and other anti-mining activists, gathered together to send an anti-uranium exploration message to the collected representatives of regional and province-wide media outlets.
A relaxed parade down Highway 7 was led by two aboriginal warriors carrying the unity flag, and two mothers strolling and carrying their babies. They were followed by members of the Ardoch and Shabot Obaadjiwaan Algonquins holding up an Ardoch Algonquin banner. Behind them marched Honorary Chief Harold Perry of Ardoch, arm in arm with Co-Chief Paula Sherman and Shabot Obaadjiwaan Chief Doreen Davis.
A sea of aboriginal and non-aboriginal supporters followed. It was a show of solidarity between the aboriginal and non-aboriginal communities such as has not been seen locally in many years - in fact, since the now-legendary wild rice wars.
Harold Perry spoke for the Algonquin peoples at the end of the march, saying that the occupation of the Robertsville mine by Algonquins, which was then ten days old, “will not end until a moratorium on uranium exploration on our traditional territory is declared by the federal and provincial governments.”
The OPP operated a roadblock to divert traffic around the short stretch of road. Eastbound traffic was re-routed at Mountain Grove, to Parham via the Long Lake Road, then north on Road 38 to Sharbot Lake. Westbound traffic followed the route in reverse.
The rally took place after a week of Algonquin occupation of the Robertsville mine, where Frontenac Ventures Corporation has leased space for a “base camp” for uranium exploration on 30,000 contiguous acres that they have staked over the past 2 years. Frontenac Ventures have staked claims in North and Central Frontenac, from Bolton Lake in Central Frontenac (north of Bell Line Road) to just south of Antoine Lake in North Frontenac (north of Hwy. 509 – east of Snow Road)
Although there has been talk of opposition to the political action being taken to stop uranium exploration, none of it surfaced on this day. Politicians in the crowd included Mayor Gutowski and Councilor Guntensperger from Central Frontenac, as well as provincial NDP candidate Ross Sutherland and several members of the Green Party riding association executive. There were no members of North Frontenac Council in attendance.
After last Sunday’s march, a rally was held at the Robertsville mine site, which has become a settled camp over the past ten days, complete with kitchen and sleeping facilities.
Speakers at the rally included Lorraine Rekmans of the Serpent River First Nation that is located near the Elliot Lake uranium mines. She talked about the impacts of the mine on her community, which have been devastating.
On Friday, July 6, two days before the march in Sharbot Lake, representatives from Frontenac Ventures, accompanied by an OPP liaison officer, arrived at the gate to the mine and asked the Algonquins to vacate the premises. They were informed by the Algonquins that the mine site is located on un-ceded Algonquin Territory, and they will not be leaving.
Peter Jorgensen, the part owner and manager of the Robertsville mine, made a similar request one week earlier, with the same result.
Frontenac Ventures Corporation has not been available for comment this week, but Peter Jorgensen told the News that he has been informally told not to approach his property by members of the Ontario Provincial Police, although that request has never been given to him in writing.
He said he would be consulting his lawyer before deciding what to do next. The possibility of either Peter Jorgensen or Frontenac Ventures seeking a court injunction over the matter has been widely anticipated, although how such an injunction would be enforced remains an open question.
The march in Sharbot Lake marks an organizational turning point for the political action that has sprung up in opposition to uranium exploration in North and Central Frontenac. In the ten days following the arrival of Sharbot Lake and Ardoch Algonquins at Robertsville, non-aboriginal supporters, neighbours and activists have been organising to provide physical support to the people on site over the long term, in the form of food and other supplies.
As well, a co-ordinated political stance, in concert with the joint position being taken by the leadership of Ardoch and Sharbot Lake, is being developed.
As the occupation enters its third week, the Algonquin leadership’s attention is being turned from the increasingly unlikely prospect of a confrontation at the Robertsville mine gate, to the possibility of an attempt by Frontenac Ventures to access their claim territory through an alternate route, and to other industrial activities that have been undertaken in the vicinity over the past 25 years.
A second march and rally is planned for tomorrow night, Friday, June 13, at the junction of Hwys. 509 and 7, at 7 pm, and it will likely have the same impact on traffic as last Sunday’s march. The march will be preceded by a rally at the Robertsville mine, starting at 5 pm.
A benefit concert, to raise funds to provide supplies for the Shabot Obaadjiwaan and Ardoch Algonquins is planned for July 25 in Sharbot Lake. Details will be worked out over the next few days.
As well, the Bedford Mining Alert will be holding an early “all candidates meeting” for the upcoming Provincial election on mining issues on July 21 at the Bedford Hall at 10:00 am.
(Editor’s note: We are attempting to gather together information about the risks and benefits that accompany uranium mining in the current era for a future edition of the News. Events at Robertsville are constantly developing, and as information becomes available, we will be posting it at Newsweb.ca)
Six_Days_at_Robertsville_Mine
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Feature Article - July 5, 2007
Six days at the Robertsville mine: anti-uranium action could last indefinitely
By Jeff Green
On Thursday morning, June 28, members of the Shabot Obaadjiwan First Nation and the Ardoch Algonquin First Nation entered the grounds of the Robertsville mine site, which is located about 10 kilometres north of Sharbot Lake on Hwy. 509.
The site includes an ore processing building and some other steel buildings, which were cordoned off by the First Nations, who have established a camp of sorts in a flat parking area behind the front gate.
Throughout the long weekend, tents and a perpetual fire were set up between the mine gate and Hwy. 509, and one or two people were stationed on Road 509 to slow cars down and provide information about the impact of uranium mining to passing motorists.
OPP cruisers were parked at every major intersection along Hwy. 509 between Hwy. 7 and Snow Road, and their presence was welcomed by the leadership of the First Nations, since the OPP seems to be focussed on maintaining safety at the site and surrounding area for the Algonquins and passing motorists.
The Algonquins are occupying the Robertsville site in order to prevent the Frontenac Ventures Corporation from carrying on operations that have been underway for a year.
Frontenac Ventures has been renting a building on the site as their base of operations and have been improving and using an access road that runs west from the mine site to explore a uranium deposit on 30,000 acres of land that they have staked in the region. The majority of staked land is Crown land, and the rest is private land.
The land is part of the territory traditionally claimed by the Sharbot Lake and Ardoch Algonquins, and is part of a huge piece of land that is covered by Royal Proclamation from 1763 which reserves the Ottawa Valley for Algonquin use, a royal proclamation that has never been rescinded. A land claims process over the land has been underway between two levels of government and Algonquin representatives since 1992.
From Friday until Monday the information picket remained in place, and the area behind the gate gradually developed into a more organized camp, with several tents and trailers in place, a parking area, and two cooking and food storage canopies.
As the long weekend waned, the Ardoch and Sharbot Lake elders began to plan for a change. An expectation that Frontenac Ventures Corporation may show up on Tuesday morning, with some road building or drilling equipment, led to a change in the structure of the camp.
The information picket was removed late Monday afternoon. Throughout Monday night, several trucks arrived carrying people from other aboriginal nations. Early on Tuesday morning, as a contingent of local non-aboriginal anti-uranium activists looked on, a line of elders and warriors from Ardoch and Sharbot Lake was set up at the very edge of Hwy. 509 in front of the mine site. And high up on the tower of the processing plant at the Robertsville mine, an Algonquin flag was swaying in the midsummer breeze.
At the mine gate, a drum was set up and periodic drumming started up.
“We are hoping that local people will keep coming out to support what is happening here, as they have been all weekend,” said Ardoch co-chief Randy Cota. “There will be no more uranium exploration here, that’s certain.”
A changing of the guard took place at around 11 o’clock on Tuesday morning, when Ardoch and Sharbot Lake elders, mostly men in their fifties wearing t-shirts and ball caps, left the road and went back into the mine site. They were replaced by a few younger men wearing camouflage fatigues and kerchiefs or black masks.
Later on Tuesday afternoon, two officials from the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources arrived, and were led into the mine site for a meeting.
Defiance
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Feature Article - August 23, 2007Defiance greets interim injunction:Algonquins vow to remain at Robertsville:Judge calls parties back to court
by Jeff Green
Members of the Shabot Obaadjiwaan and Ardoch Algonquin First Nations kept their camp in place last week as a court-imposed deadline for them to leave the Robertsville mine site came and went.
Late on Wednesday, August 15, Judge Thomson of the Kingston Superior Court delivered an interim ruling to lawyers for the Algonquin First Nations and Frontenac Ventures Corporation concerning access to the site and to 30,000 acres of land where the company had been carrying out uranium exploration until the Algonquins began an occupation on June 28.
The judge ruled that the camp be shut down within 48 hours, and that neither side attempt to enter the mine site or any of the 30,000 acre property until a full hearing on the matter could be concluded. The hearing had been scheduled to start on September 20.
This was a result that neither the Algonquin occupiers, nor Frontenac Ventures, had been seeking. Frontenac Ventures asked to be permitted to drill 20 test holes in one section of the territory, and the Algonquins had asked the judge to simply adjourn the case until September 20.
After the ruling, the Shabot Obaadjiwaan and Ardoch Algonquins both communicated to OPP officials that they had no intention of leaving the site.
The OPP took no action.
On Saturday morning, once 48 hours had passed after the judge’s ruling, employees of Frontenac Ventures Corporation drove by the site, and noting that the encampment was still in place, they communicated with Judge Thomson, pressing for action on his part as soon as possible.
The judge asked all parties to the Kingston Court on Thursday at 9:30 am..
Even before the judge’s ruling came down on Wednesday afternoon, the Algonquin First Nations had indicated, in a letter to Premier Dalton McGuinty that was also sent to Judge Thomson, that they would no longer participate in court proceedings regarding the injunction. In the letter, they said that they “appreciated the challenge facing the court,” but they cited the Delgamuukw, Haida, and Mikisew cases, in which the Supreme Court upheld, according to the letter, “constitutional recognition of Aboriginal rights and title and encouraged government to resolve conflicting claims through negotiation, not through the courts.”
The Algonquins invited the provincial government to come to the Robertsville encampment to discuss the issue.
The province has not responded to the letter.
Doreen Davis, Chief of the Shabot Obaadjiwaan First Nation, said she expects that Judge Thomson will make a more formal ruling once the meeting on Thursday takes place, and this might force the hand of the OPP, who have been resolute in their determination to keep the ongoing situation uneventful for the past 7 weeks.
George White, the President of Frontenac Ventures Corporation, told the News that the company has been careful to follow the judge’s orders “to the letter” and will be seeking clarification in court as to what he wants to take place. Frontenac Ventures will be pressing the judge to give clear direction to the OPP to enforce an injunction.
When they were in front of Judge Thomson in early August, the company claimed that not allowing them access to the site would result in “irreparable harm” to their interests. In particular they claimed that a planned reverse takeover with Vancouver-based Sylvio Corporation was dependent on accessing the property.
When asked what is happening with the Sylvio deal early this week, White said, “My guess is it’s gone; they are no longer responding to our correspondence.”
The court injunction that Frontenac Ventures is seeking is connected to a $77 million lawsuit that Frontenac Ventures has levied against the two First Nations, their leadership, un-named persons, and the Government of Ontario.
At the close of hearings in early August, Frontenac Ventures’ lawyer, Neil Smitheman, said that Frontenac Ventures was willing to leave the government and the Algonquins to deal with the matter provided the government buys the company out. “Our starting price is $80 million,” he said.
Chris Reid, the lawyer for the Ardoch Algonquins, said he expects to be appearing in the Kingston Court this week for a brief time, to explain to the judge that his clients, and the Shabot Obaadjiwaan as well, will not be involving themselves in the court injunction process. He said that the First Nations and their supporters would not be in attendance at all.
The Shabot Obaadjiwaan First Nation will be celebrating the Silver Lake Pow Wow this weekend.
(For updates on this story, visit www.frontenacnews.ca).
Robertsville_injunction
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Feature Article - August 18, 2007Defiance greets interim injunctionAlgonquins vow to remain at Robertsville: Judge calls for meeting on Thursday
byJeff Green
Members of the Shabot Obaadjiwaan and Ardoch Algonquin First Nations kept their camp in place last week as a court-imposed deadline for them to leave the Robertsville mine site came and went.
Late on Wednesday, August 15, Judge Thomson of the Kingston Superior Court delivered an interim ruling to lawyers for the Algonquin First Nations and Frontenac Ventures Corporation concerning access to the site and to 30,000 acres of land where the company had been carrying out uranium exploration until the Algonquins began an occupation on June 28.
The judge ruled that the camp be shut down within 48 hours, and that neither side attempt to enter the mine site or any of the 30,000 acre property until a full hearing on the matter could be concluded. The hearing had been scheduled to start on September 20.
This was a result that neither the Algonquin occupiers, nor Frontenac Ventures, had been seeking. Frontenac Ventures asked to be permitted to drill 20 test holes in one section of the territory, and the Algonquins had asked the judge to simply adjourn the case until September 20.
After the ruling, the Shabot Obaadjiwaan and Ardoch Algonquins both communicated to OPP officials that they had no intention of leaving the site.
The OPP took no action.
On Saturday morning, once 48 hours had passed after the judge’s ruling, employees of Frontenac Ventures Corporation drove by the site, and noting that the encampment was still in place, they communicated with Judge Thomson, pressing for action on his part as soon as possible.
The judge asked all parties to the Kingston Court on Thursday at 9:30 am..
Even before the judge’s ruling came down on Wednesday afternoon, the Algonquin First Nations had indicated, in a letter to Premier Dalton McGuinty that was also sent to Judge Thomson, that they would no longer participate in court proceedings regarding the injunction. In the letter, they said that they “appreciated the challenge facing the court,” but they cited the Delgamuukw, Haida, and Mikisew cases, in which the Supreme Court upheld, according to the letter, “constitutional recognition of Aboriginal rights and title and encouraged government to resolve conflicting claims through negotiation, not through the courts.”
The Algonquins invited the provincial government to come to the Robertsville encampment to discuss the issue.
The province has not responded to the letter.
Doreen Davis, Chief of the Shabot Obaadjiwaan First Nation, said she expects that Judge Thomson will make a more formal ruling once the meeting on Thursday takes place, and this might force the hand of the OPP, who have been resolute in their determination to keep the ongoing situation uneventful for the past 7 weeks.
George White, the President of Frontenac Ventures Corporation, told the News that the company has been careful to follow the judge’s orders “to the letter” and will be seeking clarification in court as to what he wants to take place. Frontenac Ventures will be pressing the judge to give clear direction to the OPP to enforce an injunction.
When they were in front of Judge Thomson in early August, the company claimed that not allowing them access to the site would result in “irreparable harm” to their interests. In particular they claimed that a planned reverse takeover with Vancouver-based Sylvio Corporation was dependent on accessing the property.
When asked what is happening with the Sylvio deal early this week, White said, “My guess is it’s gone; they are no longer responding to our correspondence.”
The court injunction that Frontenac Ventures is seeking is connected to a $77 million lawsuit that Frontenac Ventures has levied against the two First Nations, their leadership, un-named persons, and the Government of Ontario.
At the close of hearings in early August, Frontenac Ventures’ lawyer, Neil Smitheman, said that Frontenac Ventures was willing to leave the government and the Algonquins to deal with the matter provided the government buys the company out. “Our starting price is $80 million,” he said.
Chris Reid, the lawyer for the Ardoch Algonquins, said he expects to be appearing in the Kingston Court this week for a brief time, to explain to the judge that his clients, and the Shabot Obaadjiwaan as well, will not be involving themselves in the court injunction process. He said that the First Nations and their supporters would not be in attendance at all.
The Shabot Obaadjiwaan First Nation will be celebrating the Silver Lake Pow Wow this weekend.
(For updates on this story, visit www.frontenacnews.ca)Fundraiser
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Feature Article - August 2, 2007Fundraiser brings in $7,000
by Jeff Green
A fundraising concert in favour of the Algonquin occupation of the Robertsville mine was a sold out event at the Sharbot Lake Catholic Church last Wednesday.
The event was pulled together quickly by concert organiser, and MC Jenny Whiteley, who also performed a set alongside Joey Wright. Whiteley, an Elphin resident, said she wanted to provide an opportunity to support the action that the Algonquins are taking, and provide an opportunity for non-aboriginal residents to show their opposition to uranium exploration and mining in the region.
The event was kicked off by a drum performance, followed by a short address from Ardoch Algonquin Co-Chief Randy Cota. Cota received a standing ovation from the overflow crowd before he spoke, and he said the two Algonquin communities are committed to remaining on the site in spite of a law suit and potential court order.
“You all know what I do,” Cota said in reference to the fact that he is a member of the OPP, “but if you don’t stand up for what you believe in, you don’t have anything to stand up for.”
