No Mining on Barriere Lake Algonquin Lands
Please Support the Land Protection Camp!
Please Support the Land Protection Camp!
The Algonquins of Barriere Lake have
set-up a land protection camp at a proposed mining site in the heart of their
territory, where core sample drilling is scheduled to begin at any time.The
drilling would require construction of access roads and tree cutting, as well
as the disposal of drilling debris and waste water.
The mining claim covers over 300 square kilometers of Barriere
Lake’s land base (see map), which contains the La Vérendrye wildlife reserve. The staked
area is abundant with lakes, wetlands and waterways and is an important hunting
and fishing area for Barriere Lake families.
The mineral claims
were staked under the “fee mining” system without the free prior informed
consent of the Algonquins of Barriere Lake. While a number of companies hold
mining claims in the territory, it is junior mining company Copper One that
holds the largest number of claims and which is planning to do exploration work
this fall and winter. This development comes after the company’s claims were
suspended by Quebec following Barriere Lakes stating their opposition to mining
in the territory. Neither Quebec nor the company gave Barriere Lake any
notification of the change in status of the claims.
Please donate at https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=JU3W8CQVB5Y2A to support the ongoing costs of the
community's land protection camp. This camp is the most direct and effective
way to support the protection of this ecosystem!
This proposed mining
project perpetuates the colonial relationship where Canada, Quebec and private
corporations collaborate to dispossess Indigenous peoples of their lands, means
of subsistence and culture.. In the words of elder Michel Thusky, Copper One’s
mining project is an attempt “to bury our cultural identity alive under the
debris of mining tailings.” By saying no to mining, Barriere Lake is asserting
care for Algonquin people, the land, and future generations.
The Algonquins of Barriere Lake have consistently opposed mining activity on
their ancestral and current-use territory. They assert their rights and jurisdiction
in the spirit of co-existence embodied in the 1991 Trilateral Agreement, the
1998 Bilateral Agreement, and subsequent proposals for resource co-management
with the federal and provincial governments that have largely been ignored so
that our lands can remain “open for business” to unsustainable development.
Despite Barriere Lake’s persistent opposition to this work and insistence that
this mine cannot go forward, in August 2016 Copper One raised $2.4 million
dollars for exploration work.
“We will take all necessary but peaceful measures to protect our waters,
lands and wildlife” says Councillor Norman Matchewan.
At the request of the community, Barriere Lake Solidarity is fundraising to
cover the ongoing expenses of the land protection camp and monitoring of the
territory, as well as for any future legal fees, which may be necessary to stop
mining exploration and activity on the land.
Please give generously at https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=JU3W8CQVB5Y2A and share our fundraising call widely.
All funds raised will go directly to the Algonquins of Barriere Lake, to use
towards their efforts to protect the land.