Exploration_drives _ wedge
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Feature Article - June 21, 2007Exploration drives a wedge into North Frontenac community
by Jeff Green
A group of North Frontenac residents, along with members of the Ardoch Algonquin First Nation Family Heads council, and local anti-mining activists, who are all concerned about the prospect of uranium exploration and mining in the township, were planning to have an organizational meeting this past Sunday at the Snow Road Hall.
The meeting turned into an open meeting when some other local residents arrived, people who consider the uranium project to be the most promising development in many years in terms of job creation and economic development.
From all accounts it was a heated meeting, with the people who support the exploration activity eventually walking out en masse.
The question of uranium exploration in North Frontenac contains a host of simmering issues: aboriginal land rights; economic development; surface versus mining rights; and ultimately the looming spectre of uranium contamination that could affect not only North Frontenac but a huge swath of land in Lanark County and beyond.
The issue was first raised publicly last fall, when some North Frontenac residents found that their land had been staked by prospectors and reacted in anger. Most of these residents have everything to lose and nothing to gain from this.
They had bought their land in order to build sanctuaries for themselves. Stakes and trenches, not to mention drills and rock crushers, are anathema to them. They then contacted people who have faced the same issues, such as the Bedford Mining Alert and the Citizens’ Mining Action Group (Tay Valley), and have received advice and support from these groups.
Meanwhile Frontenac Ventures Corporation has been quietly setting up shop at a rented building on the Robertsville mine site. They have hired local people, summer students, and some experts who have been staying in the area and spending money. They have deeper pockets than just about anyone else around, and many people expect that more money will be flowing to the community as exploration continues.
George White, founder of Frontenac Ventures, said earlier this week, “This is one of the poorest townships in Ontario, and mining is one of the best-paying industries.”
The live and let live attitude that has developed between the established multi-generational families and people who have moved into North Frontenac in search of peace, quiet, and rural charm, has been broken by this issue.
The fact that uranium is involved, and that the land in question is part of the Algonquin Land Claim, only makes the situation more complicated.
The history of uranium mining has been an abysmal one in terms of environmental impacts, at best. There are many horror stories about contaminated land and air, and dangerous effluent leaching into watersheds and being carried downstream.
The exploration phase as outlined by representatives from Frontenac Ventures, sounds benign, but those who oppose the project point to contamination in other jurisdictions even at the exploration stage.
Even Frontenac Ventures admits that uranium mining has caused major environmental damage, but they say it couldn’t happen now because regulations are much stricter. Guarantees must be in place, and companies must put money to safely close the mine in escrow before they so much as put a shovel to the ground. They also say this debate is premature, as they don’t even know if the resource is sufficient to justify mining.
Bob Lovelace, who represents the Family Head Council of the Ardoch Algonquin First Nation, used an analogy to address this issue: “If we had been lucky enough to know that a SARS patient was on a plane headed our way, would we ignore that information?” he asked.
Lovelace told the News that the Ardoch Family Heads Council has reviewed the issue carefully, and even though they prefer to support economic development and would be happy to share in the benefits a mine might bring, “we think the risk to the Ottawa Valley is too great. This is not a matter of sovereignty for us, it is a matter of stewardship.”
Sovereignty does play into this, however.
Frontenac Ventures has played by the rules as set out by the Mining Act in everything they have done thus far. In relation to the governments of Ontario and Canada, they are within their rights in pursuing their project. Only the fact that the title to the land they are exploring is unresolved and is subject to a land claim between Canada, Ontario, and the Algonquins puts their right to explore in any kind of doubt.
As we have explored at length in the pages of this newspaper, the Algonquin Land Claim is itself a tortuous issue, and it is into this issue that Frontenac Venture Corporation has become embroiled.
George White said this week that Frontenac Ventures is planning to negotiate with Chief Doreen Davis of the Shabot Obaadjiwan First Nation, and writes of the Ardoch Algonquins (AAFNA) as a “radical group”.
AAFNA has sent a letter to Frontenac Ventures asking them to vacate their offices at the Robertsville mine site, and are planning to go to the site on June 28 to ensure that Frontenac Ventures is gone. They are planning a celebration at the site on the 29th, in honour of Aboriginal Protest Day.
George White said that he has given his students some vacation time, but vows to return to the site once the “radicals” are gone. He said he has not been contacted by anyone from the federal or provincial governments asking him to alter Frontenac Ventures’ plans in any way. He has talked to the OPP, who will be monitoring the planned events on June 28 and 29. There is no expectation of any trouble on those days.
There are a series of disputes and disagreements over the uranium project, and all of the competing interests will be impossible to reconcile. The simmering land claim dispute and fears over the impacts of a mine will not go away any time soon.
As an observer I would not want to wade into most of these debates. However, I would, and will be asking Frontenac Ventures for more detailed assurances that a uranium mine can be safely opened and closed in North Frontenac. Just saying that the regulations are stringent does not make me sleep easy. It would help if there were an example of a uranium mine, anywhere in the world, that has caused no lasting environmental damage.
That would be a start.
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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Get_off_my_land
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Feature Article - July 26, 2007Get off my land
Editorial by Jeff Green
In a telling scene during Fiddler on the Roof, a Cossack Inspector who has taken a liking to Tevye the milkman, comes to tell him that on the following day he will be forced to leave his home, and his village.
As Tevye contemplates his own powerlessness in the face of government forces, he reacts in the only way he knows, “Get off my land,” he says, “This is still my land, get off my land.”
Peter Jorgensen, the part owner and manager of the Robertsville mine, might understand Tevye’s reaction, as might Frank and Gloria Morrison, as do First Nations peoples throughout North America, as does George White of Frontenac Ventures Corporation.
Peter Jorgensen has been told that he faces arrest if he so much as approaches his property; Frank and Gloria Morrison have had their property altered by prospectors; First Nations peoples were herded into reserves or left to drift away from their traditional lands about 200 years ago; and George White cannot access property that he has leased or conduct exploration land on property that he has legally staked, again under threat of arrest.
What we have here is a conjunction of cases where the supposed rights of individuals are coming into conflict with the rights of the collective, and these conflicts are not easily resolved.
Peter Jorgensen is clearly on the losing end thus far. He cannot access a property that he holds a legal deed to.
The Algonquins who are preventing him from accessing the property are not doing so for financial gain. They are asserting their aboriginal rights in the name of the collective good, the preservation of the land against what they perceive as a dire threat of contamination through uranium exploration and mining.
Not only do they have nothing to gain financially from this, they are now facing a $77 million lawsuit for their trouble. But as altruistic as the Algonquins’ goals may be, their assertion of collective rights impinge directly on Peter Jorgensen’s individual rights.
Many members of the Frontenac and Lanark communities fear for their own well being, the well being of their land and their families, if a uranium mine is built. This fear is akin to the fear expressed by the Algonquins, who say that if the land is gone they are gone as a people.
The provincial government is perhaps more concerned that the lights will go out across the province if uranium mining is curtailed. So, whose interests are more important? Thousands of Eastern Ontarians and a tiny native community, or ten million people who expect the power to flow to their own houses?
The government has the right to expropriate the lands of private individuals for airports or roads, so why not for greenhouse-free power?
In the end we are all like Tevye, and Peter Jorgensen. We might own our land today, but that could change.
Candidates_express
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Feature Article - July 26, 2007Candidates express broad agreement over mining issues
by Jeff Green
The Liberal, Conservative, and NDP candidates for the upcoming provincial election in the Lanark, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington riding participated in a forum sponsored by the Bedford Mining Alert (BMA) on July 21 at the Bedford Hall.
The Green Party, which has yet to select a provincial candidate, sent their federal candidate, Chris Walker.
Prior to the meeting, the Bedford Mining Alert had provided each of the candidates with background information about issues related to prospecting on private lands, and the candidates answered a series of questions from BMA member Justin Connidis
The four candidates all agreed on a major issue that has been championed by the Bedford Mining Alert for years - they favoured the uniting of surface and subsurface rights, at least in Eastern Ontario.
Throughout Ontario, a small percentage of landowners do not own the subsurface rights to their property, and these properties are available for staking by prospectors. Prospectors are exempt from normal trespass laws in pursuing their interests on these lands, and they are allowed to clear brush, cut trees, and do trenching on the properties without the consent of the landowners.
Ian Wilson, the Liberal candidate, pointed to proposed legislation that has just been posted for review, legislation that would see changes to how the Mining Act is implemented in the future. (see “A way forward or half a loaf?”) The changes do not include uniting surface and subsurface rights, however. Wilson was willing to go further, “I do support uniting surface and subsurface rights in Eastern Ontario,” he said.
Although Randy Hillier said, “Surface and subsurface rights must be united”, he also posed the issue against the context of the broader agenda of property rights, which he champions.
Chris Walker, from the Green Party, posed the issue in terms of sustainable growth, seeing the drive to extract resources as a symptom of an economy that is causing a host of environmental problems.
He also pointed out that he has researched the Conservative party policy on the Mining Act, and reported that he was told there are no plans to change the mining act.
“That could change,” Randy Hiller responded.
“The key issue is not uniting surface and subsurface rights, which I do support” said Ross Sutherland from the NDP, “it is broader than that. There should also be more controls on exploration on Crown lands, and Natives need to be consulted when their lands are being affected.”
Before the discussion concerning surface and sub-surface rights got underway, Frank Morrison and John Kittle made presentations. Frank Morrison told the kind of story that is familiar to Bedford Mining Alert members: that of finding his land disturbed and stakes in the ground, and through research realising that prospectors have extensive rights on his land.
In his case, however, it was not a graphite or wollastonite deposit that is being explored, as is common on Bedford. Morrison lives in North Frontenac Township, and the company that has staked his property is Frontenac Ventures Corporation.
John Kittle spoke specifically about uranium and the consequences of uranium mining and exploration.
The candidates were not asked directly about their response to the uranium exploration in North and Central Frontenac until the tail end of the meeting, when the public had their chance to ask questions.
Norm Guntensperger asked them if they support the activities of the Algonquin protesters who have occupied the site where Frontenac Ventures had been located.
Both Randy Hiller and Ian Wilson said they do not support the Algonquins, and Chris Walker and Ross Sutherland said they did.
However, all four candidates said they support a moratorium on uranium exploration in the case.
Although they oppose the occupation, both Ian Wilson and Randy Hiller said they did not favour a heavy-handed approach to the occupation by police or government officials.
“Confrontation does not serve anyone’s interest,” Wilson said.
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)
Letters_Jul_5
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Letters - July 5, 2007Letters to the editor
Contradictions, hypocrisy over Uranium
I’ve learned a bit about uranium mining in the last week, and it’s more horrendous than I’d assumed - tailings ponds, radioactive dust, radon gas, creeping rates of cancer; not to mention new power lines, noise, enormous increases in truck traffic.It seems that we literally live on top of many minerals, among them uranium ore, here on the Canadian Shield.How could anyone want to allow this stuff to be excavated out of the rock right here in our back yard?
Before I can answer that question for myself, I have to deal with the contradictions and hypocrisy in our lives that all this exposes.We are right now depending on CANDUnuclear reactors for over half our electricity generated in Ontario. We’ve been depending on it for the last 30 years.We simply do not have an alternative available now to generate the power we all use every day.Conservation will not fill the gap.Wind power isn’t reliable, and we can’t store electricity.Our provincial government is promising to close coal burning plants over the next seven years, and plans to fill the gap with.... gas fired, and nuclear power. Do we who protest uranium mining have a workable alternative?This is the contradiction I can’t figure out.
The world’s richest deposits of uranium are apparently in northern Saskatchewan, a fact I was only vaguely aware of before now. None of us in Frontenac County has been raising an outcry over the sickness in native communities in northern Saskatchewan, nor about the continued mining practices of Cameco Ltd.We are certainly alarmed now that it might all happen right here.This is the hypocrisy I’m having trouble with.It is sometimes called the NIMBY syndrome.
I see absolutely no value in us as a local community labelling various groups or individuals as being “for” or “against” uranium mining.We are all users of nuclear-generated electricity, whether we are on or off the grid at home.As such, we are all dependent on the continued extraction and processing of uranium ore.I do see value in opposing the development of a mine in this area, but only if at the same time we honestly and openly talk about getting rid of nuclear power altogether.Denmark and Germany are two examples to study.I personally doubt, however, that we yet have the political will to phase out nuclear power.
- John Inglis
NF_Council_Jun28_07
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Feature Article - July 5, 2007North Frontenac Council - June 28, 2007
By Jeff Green
The uranium exploration issue came to North Frontenac Council last Thursday.
George White, the President of Frontenac Ventures Corporation, made a presentation to council about the benefits of the project, and Marilyn Crawford from Mining Watch Canada, and John Kittle, a concerned resident, presented information about the dangers.
George White talked about the many federal regulations that are in place at this time to make uranium mining safe, and talked of the opportunities for the township. He cited Cameco, a company with mines in Saskatchewan and Wyoming, among other places, as a successful uranium mining venture. He said the anti-uranium forces in the area are providing mis-information, which his company will counter in the near future. He called opponents of his company’s project “eco-terrorists”.
Marilyn Crawford pointed out that Nova Scotia has placed a moratorium on uranium mining because of concerns about the environmental impacts, and that in the Province of New Brunswick, some drill testing operations have been required to undergo closer scrutiny.
John Kittle is a resident of North Frontenac with a background in nuclear physics. He pointed out that certain primary cancers are considered as occupational diseases “among workers previously employed in uranium mining in Ontario”, and also said that even though he takes George White at his word on the environmental conscience of Frontenac Ventures, “the claim will potentially be sold to a larger mining company,” that is not so environmentally conscious.
TRUCK TENDER: Tenders for the purchase of a tandem truck were opened at the meeting. The lowest tender was from a company from Ottawa, which priced a Sterling truck at $113,000. The price was lower than the price that had been presented to Council after a request for proposal process a month ago, which council subsequently rejected, ordering that formal tendering process be carried out.
Public Works Manager John Ibey said that the trucks are all priced in US dollars and the current exchange rate is then applied. The Canadian dollar went up about 5 cents against the US dollar in between the two quotes. “On a $100,000 item, that amounts to $5,000 in savings.”
Council approved the purchase, subject to confirmation that it met the specifications in the tender, and the purchase of $85,000 worth of added equipment in order for it to meet the township’s needs.
Concerns about Pine Lake parking – Councilor Wayne Cole expressed concern that the Ministry of Natural Resources, in deciding to permit the development of a band office and Pow Wow grounds at the public boat launch at Pine Lake, may have eliminated the assurance of public parking at the site for people who access their properties through the boat launch. Although the launch is maintained by the township under a land use permit, that does not include the parking area.
“If people can’t park, what access do they have to their properties?” Cole asked.
Mayor Maguire agreed with Councilor Cole that it would be useful to hear directly from the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) on this and other issues, and staff was asked to contact the MNR and request that someone attend the council meeting on July 12.
Silence_of-the_Ministry
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Editorial - July 5, 2007The silence of the ministry
Editorial by Jeff Green
Over the past three weeks I’ve talked to many people on all sides of the uranium mining issue in North Frontenac, and I’ve seen a debate over the dangers of uranium and the benefits of a mine turn into a full-fledged aboriginal occupation of the Robertsville mine, literally in front of my eyes.
It seems to me that everyone that I’ve talked to is acting according to their own conscience and feels fully justified in their actions. George White and Peter Jorgensen are as convincing in their own terms as Bob Lovelace, Frank Morrison, and Marilyn Crawford are in theirs. As these people attempt to exercise their rights, they have inevitably been led to a stand-off.
But there is a ghost in this debate: the Government of Ontario. It was the government that accepted the claims staked by George White’s agents, even as they were negotiating a land claim on that same territory. It is that same government that has made it impossible to develop much of the land base in the township for any other purpose because of the land claim, putting many companies in North Frontenac out of business over the past 15 years.
It is the government of Ontario that will not allow Frank and Gloria Morrison to purchase back the mining rights to their property.
And it is the government of Ontario that has made a commitment to nuclear power - a commitment which created the demand for uranium that underlies the whole dispute.
In any event, we are now at an impasse. The Algonquins will not leave the mine site. Peter Jorgensen has lost his legitimately purchased land holding, and the OPP will not step in. They have made it clear they will not do the government’s dirty work.
What has developed at the Robertsville mine is something that can only be dealt with in one of two ways. The first way is some sort of confrontation. This, no one wants.
The other way is for the government to admit the claims staked by Frontenac Ventures Corporation were accepted by them in error because they did not consult with the Algonquins in the first place. To admit this and rescind the mining claims would require making a cash offer to Frontenac Ventures Corporation, and to Peter Jorgensen as well. This probably doesn’t scare the government. After all, it’s only money - our money.
What does concern them is sending a message that Ontario is not as open for mining as it has been in the past, and furthering the case that uranium may indeed be too dangerous to mine. None of these are desirable options for them.
Only the province can end this situation, and although they only have bad options from their perspective, they should choose the most palatable one and get on with it.
Nobody wants to wait a year for this to end.
- Jeff Green
Letters
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Feature Article - August 9, 2007Letters to the Editor
I feel many things for our North Frontenac council, none of them positive or polite. Currently as a township, we are going through much upheaval regarding the potential of a uranium mine. Some folks are for it many against, and then there is council who seem to be sitting on the fence and waiting for “something” to happen. When “something” does happen, I hope they don’t think that their lack of action will garner them my vote at the next election. Meantime, even the rumour of a mine has decreased our property values in excess of 1/3. Many people are having their water tested so as to have a benchmark for future potential contamination. Meanwhile life seems to be continuing for council taxes collected on homes which could have little re-sale value; septics inspected to ensure no harm comes to the aquifer due to leakage; rumour of wells requiring meters so the government can collect user fees and, of course, ensuring our trash is properly sorted.
Would council react if I paid taxes on my home based on its current value? Would council supply us with bottled water when our well testing comes back positive for radiation and is no longer safe to drink? Will council react when any of the small organic farmers in our area are no longer deemed organic due to contamination? Will council react when tourists no longer return to the area to fish, camp, rent cottages or shop? Perhaps council will react if one of their properties is staked by Frontenac Ventures.
There are always two sides to every issue and we must respect that sitting on the fence is not a side.
- Mavis Wade
Like many in the area I do not want to see uranium mining happening. We have a new smoke shop along Hwy. 7 displaying a sign advocating no mine. This to me is the ultimate paradox. Topping the list of cancer causing agents is tobacco smoke as well as an array of other diseases from same. The tip of the iceberg may be all that's been touched by medical research into the devastating side effects of both first-hand and second- hand cigarette smoke. You are not doing anyone around you or your environment any favours when yousmoke inside or outside. The epitome of evil is represented by the tobacco companiesand their practices, yet I see no encampments blocking their facilities. I also notice no demonstrations in front of this local smoke shop selling what I assume are cheap cigarettes which would entice new addictsas well as maintaining those already addicted.
Greg Morris
North Frontenac and Lanark Highlands areas are facing a mining corporation wishing to begin exploration by drilling core samples, which may then lead to a full-blown uranium mining operation. There are hot deposits along a 20 mile long, one mile wide corridor through these lands. Exploration entails removing forest and trenching thousands of tonnes of rock. It would be open pit mining all the way. 30,000 acres of private property and Crown lands (which have never been surrendered or sold to the government by Algonquin First Nations peoples) have been staked.
The Mining Act allows prospectors to come on your land and stake it without your permission then clear your land and tear it up without any compensation or restoration to its original state.
Uranium mining leaves behind damage for thousands of years. Radio-active air to breath, radio-active dust on our gardens and forests, and radio-active toxic waste with sulfuric acid to leach into our lakes, rivers, streams, wells, marshes and wetlands.
The mining companies are bound by law to be stewards of the land and end-tailings forever, so they just go bankrupt and change their company name to get out of it. Elliot Lake mining companies have already done this. Elliot Lake end-tailings are leaching into Lake Huron from the toxic dump they have provided - the Serpent River! To date there is not one proven safe end-tailings containment system in the world - all so far have been breached,
whether it be a dam or cemented cylinders.
A small earthquake rupture, sabotage, a pressure rupture? Remember Chernobyl and Three Mile Island. There are many safe, clean alternatives
to nuclear power. Ontario needs a complete moratorium on Uranium mining such as Nova Scotia has. Mr. McGuinty has said his government wants to protect ecological and environmentally sensitive areas. I hope he believes the Mississippi and Ottawa River watersheds are in his plans. There are many waterways leading to these rivers right from North
Frontenac and Lanark rivers and lakes. We need a moratorium that would last forever and be bound by all future governments via the Constitution.
Wanda Recoskie
I have a comment to make arising from the spring issue of “The Frontenacs”, published by the County of Frontenac. The phrase “We told you so” comes to mind. This stems from the articles regarding water safety, and in particular, the situation that has occurred in the village of Sydenham. I imagine most of the readers are aware of the raw deal the residents received and how the views of over 90% of the population were ignored in spite of evidence and petitions presented to council. It should be noted also that the figure of contaminated wells in Sydenham was very much exaggerated, as was shown by private, town-wide testing. Many felt this incongruity was the fault of the engineering company in charge. But, recriminations are useless now. It does seem that the province has come around to our way of thinking, as shown in the newer regulations coming forth. It is interesting to read that the results of studies show that a municipal water system is not sustainable in a population of less than 3000 people. Then, on the back page there is a small quote stating there are no communities larger than 1,500 residents in the County of Frontenac. In Sydenham there were only 273 households. The Province is also putting forth several alternative solutions for providing safe water, which were suggested to the South Frontenac Council numerous times by the Sydenham Safe Water Association. It has already cost my family $5000 to have the water brought from the road to the house, which we are obliged to do by law.We do not use the water, but must still pay a minimum monthly fee.The last estimate of our share of the frontage costs of the system itself was $10,000, but the long overdue bill for that has not yet arrived. Waiting for that demand for such a huge sum of money is not a very pleasant prospect for a senior and a single parent living on a disability pension.Bureaucracy rains supreme!
- Rosalie Knights
