Were not looking for a big corporation: First Nations-led mineral enterprises share perspectives at forum

To Councillor Deon Clarke, investing in critical minerals has been an economic game changer in Norway House Cree Nation. “We have the control and the control of doing it in a way that’s more sustainable and respectful to the land,” Clarke said. “We’re not rushing to get the minerals out and destroying the land along the way, but doing it in a way where it’s respectful, using the traditional knowledge of our Elders, our people that use the land.” Norway House became a major player in the industry after acquiring the Minago nickel mine in Thompson, Man., in November. The company was one of several First Nations-led enterprises at the Manitoba Prospector and Developers Association’s fourth Reconciliation Forum. The forum was held Thursday at the Assiniboia Downs in Winnipeg. “We’re doing it because our companies believe that the number one issue for Manitoba is to develop a strong partnership with the Indigenous people that live on the land where our critical minerals are,” the association’s president, MaryAnn Mihychuk said. Discussing the Seal River Watershed The forum’s agenda included discussions on northern rail expansion, the exploration business and workforce training. It also included a Q&A on the Seal River Watershed with Mihychuk and Jocelyn Baker, Manitoba’s deputy minister of Environment and Climate Change. In early March, the watershed was deemed feasible as an Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area (IPCA), following a year-long study. If it receives that designation, it could impact mineral development in the area. “The Seal River Basin, with its enormity and the four communities–probably with a population of a thousand people or less–how do they know what’s going to be important to them seven generations from now?” Mihychuk said during the Q&A. Stephanie Thorassie is the executive director of the Seal River Watershed Alliance, a partnership of four First Nations working to protect the area from industrial development. Thorassie said she attended the forum in hopes of sharing their side of the story. “I felt like the questions were assuming that we didn’t know what we wanted for our futures and our community members and for the next seven to multiple generations,” Thorassie said after the Q&A. “I think we know what we want for our community members. We have over 90 per cent of the people saying they’re in favour of supporting the area.” With Canada currently engulfed in a tariff war with its closest ally, the United States, natural resource extraction has be brought up a number of times during the ongoing federal election. Both frontrunning parties have promised to speed up approvals of natural resource projects across the country. A new era of partnership While Mihychuk acknowledged that the relationship between the critical minerals industry and Indigenous peoples in Canada has been turbulent, she believes a new era is afoot. “They sometimes think about the old days, how it left no benefits, it left no engagement, no work opportunities, no business development,” she said. “Nowadays, that’s not the circumstance, and revenues and business opportunities are there.” Mihychuk cited the Indigenous-owned Arctic Gateway Group, which operates the Port of Churchill, as a notable example. “They got 41 communities to all agree on a project, raise the money from governments, and are able to deliver a service that all Manitobans are going to benefit,” she said. For Councillor Clarke, who came to the conference to learn and network, having full First Nations ownership over their mine means full control over who they’ll partner with. “We’re not looking for a big corporation that will come in and overtake and destroy our land. We’re looking for people who love and care for the land as much as we do,” Clarke said. Continue Reading