Re: Aboriginal Blockade Of CN Track Into It's Fourth Day

[Romero]

First Nations Water Troubles Drive Idle No More Action



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MARTEN FALLS, Ont. - Water has consumed the daily routine of Chief Eli Moonias, and it's making him visibly agitated.



His small, fly-in reserve in northern Ontario has had a boil-water advisory for seven long years, and there is no end in sight.



Now he feels the long-term quality of the water that surrounds his reserve may well be at risk, too.



Mining companies have flooded into the James Bay lowlands, into the area now dubbed the Ring of Fire. They've found an enormous expanse of chromite, enough nickel for a mine, and other metals that may hold potential in future years.



The mining holds the promise of thousands of jobs over the next decade, if not longer — as long as the proposals can pass environmental muster and garner the support of the region's First Nations. But chromite also poses significant challenges to the environment that can be difficult to manage.



"We know we're going to get some benefits once they start development. We know that in some ways, we'll be involved as well. The issue is the environment," says Moonias.



He looks at development in the oilsands and hears about the inedible fish and the poisoned Athabaska River. He vows never to let anything like that happen to the Albany and Ogoki rivers that flow through the muskeg and meet at Marten Falls.

   

"It's not only fish, it's the animal kingdom. It's not only us, it's everybody. It's the planet. You can't jump (with) a careless plunge into development. You have to know what you're doing to your future."



It's no surprise that water is constantly on his mind. It's also on the mind of the First Nations protesters who have taken to the streets in cities across Canada and blocked roads over the last few days in the Idle No More effort.



"The protection of water is a sacred obligation to indigenous people. Without clean water, life will cease to exist. Our obligation to protect water is an overall respect for life itself," said Chief Isadore Day of the Serpent River First Nation, near Elliot Lake, in an email as he wrapped up a weekend protest that briefly shut down the Trans-Canada Highway.



Protection of water is a large part of what has driven his people into the streets, Day said. Ottawa's latest omnibus bill changes the Navigable Waters Act to remove federal oversight from all but a few of Canada's lakes and rivers — without consulting the people whose health and livelihoods depend on them.



"This is why our people are opposed to the omnibus bill; it blatantly disregards water," Day said.



Every indigenous community in the world has protocols that impose a responsibility to protect water, he added.



In remote Marten Falls, it's the concern about what will happen to the water that stands between Moonias and full-out support for mining activity.



"We don't want to shoot ourselves in the foot," he says.



Chromite mining is new to Canada. Proposals by Cliffs Natural Resources would see open-pit mining as well as underground operations over the next 30 to 40 years. Environmentalists fear contamination of the nearby waterways as well as toxic residues and disruption of wildlife, including endangered species, but Cliffs says it can keep a tight lid on any damage.



And then there's the need for a transportation corridor to ship the ore off to the Sudbury area for processing. Environmentalists are worried a proposed 350-kilometre road through the pristine boreal forest and over several major waterways will bring pollution and wildlife disruption.



Both the mines and the corridor need to pass provincial and federal environmental assessments in order to get the green light. Several First Nations are fighting the process in court, asking for public hearings and a regional examination of the cumulative effects of current and future projects.



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[Gary Oak]

The problem is simple, we simply don't do enough for the chugabooze. We must give them far more money, give them back all the land in North and South America and not stop there either, give them Europe Aisa Africa the moon the  planets and everything else possibly imagineable. This may not seem feesable to the horrible racists who disagree but I am sure the NDP know how to do it. Girls must stop being racist and only date chugabooze too. Shame on you Shenli for being so racist against hard working honest intelligent smart superior chugabooze

[Pinay]

Are they allowed to do that ? they can just block the country's supply chain just like that ???    unbelievable  :x

[Gary Oak]

Can't you immigrants understand that chugabooze are entitled to do anything they want anytime they want and nobody has a right to say a word about it because if one does they should be shot for being a horrible racist. Girls must want to go out with chugabooze or they too should be overcome with guilt for their evil oppressing racism.We simply do everything we can to please them every chance we can as they are so mistreated. We just must give them more and more and moreand when there is no more we need to give them even more too

[Gary Oak]

Show me some evidence that chugabooze is a racial term ! The term Chugaboo and it's plural form chugabooze is in honour of their high intellect,charm,superb work ethic and quest for higher learning,honesty ,integrity, decency etc...

[Gary Oak]

The blockade is finally over in Ontario. CN should sue the Idle No More gang for lost revenue.

   I don't think that the chugabooze see things that way at all. I believe that this entitiles CN to just have to give the chugabooze millions of dollars

[Anonymous]

The blockade is finally over in Ontario. CN should sue the Idle No More gang for lost revenue.

   I don't think that the chugabooze see things that way at all. I believe that this entitiles CN to just have to give the chugabooze millions of dollars

What do you care, how much tax does someone like you pay on your menial labour job? Peanuts.

[Gary Oak]

What kind of gay job do you do Seoulfag ?