GRASSY NARROWS FIRST NATION, Ont. — Grassy Narrows First Nation is asking the Ontario Divisional Court to quash mineral exploration permits issued by the province on what it claims as its traditional territory.
Chief Randy Fobister says "Unless your head is in the sand, you have to know that this is Grassy Narrows Territory, and we are protecting it."
The legal action launched this week alleges that the province failed to consult and get the First Nation's consent when it issued nine permits authorizing companies to drill for gold.
The community maintains that the permits violate not only Ontario and federal law but Grassy Narrows' Indigenous law.
According to the First Nation, the province issued the permits between 2018 and 2021 for exploration in an area that overlaps territory that Grassy Narrows declared to be an Indigenous Sovereignty and Protected Area in 2018.
"Ontario says they didn't know that Grassy Narrows cared about the area that these permits overlap," Fobister said. "That is very hard to believe because my people have been fighting to protect this same area for decades in the courts, in negotiations, blockades and boycotts."
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry said the government acknowledges its duty to consult with Aboriginal communities in relation to mining exploration and development "where such activities have the potential to adversely affect a community's established or credibly asserted Aboriginal or treaty rights."
He said the ministry is committed to satisfying that obligation, but as this matter is before the courts, "it would be inappropriate to comment further."
