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The Impact Assessment Agency of Canada is moving ahead with a Regional Assessment in an area known as the “Ring of Fire.” Done well, this study could be formative in understanding the cumulative effects the proposed major mining development will have on Indigenous communities’ rights, land, water, and health.
What’s at stake
The “Ring of Fire” is the name given to a sizable mineral deposit located in Treaty 9 in the far north of Ontario. Crown Governments are pushing to develop the area, promising roads and jobs in exchange for the destruction of Indigenous lands and an ancient muskeg, which is one of largest in the world. With a proposed lifespan of over 100 years, the mining development will have direct impacts on the health and ability of future generations to exercise their treaty rights, including rights to hunt, fish, and trap.
The peatlands, or muskeg, of this region are also a globally significant carbon store – containing nearly 35 gigatons of carbon. Safeguarding the ancient peatlands of this region also means protecting the rights and interests of Indigenous community members who are already experiencing the impact of climate change on their way of life.
Thousands of claims for mineral exploration have already been approved for the Ring of Fire. These claims, together with the proposed mine development, the roads and power generation needed for operations, present a high likelihood of cumulative and negative impacts to the environment and health of the muskeg, boreal, and Indigenous communities.
Until October 14, 2024, the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC) accepted comments on the ‘Terms of Reference’ that will set out how the Regional Assessment (RA) will be conducted, who will make decisions and what concerns will be studied.
Thank you to those who joined our campaign by sending in your comments. You can read our submission below.
Comments on the TOR for the Ring of Fire’s Regional Assessment
Dear Impact Assessment Agency,
I am deeply concerned about the continued pressure on Indigenous lands for the potential development of the Ring of Fire, contrary to treaty promises to share the land, to be honest, and to be kind.
Today, I voice my support for Terms of Reference for the Regional Assessment (RA) for the Ring of Fire that ensures:
- Downstream communities are not left behind
Right now, the RA proposes to focus on studying effects within the ‘development area’. This is an area where some 30,000+ mining claims are clustered. It makes little sense to define a study’s boundaries, whose purpose is to assess impacts to the environment and Indigenous rights, on an area that is defined by its value to corporate, mining companies.Instead, the RA study area must be comprehensive and include the Attawapiskat, Kapiskau, Albany, Ekwan, Opinnagau and Winisk Rivers watersheds and the thousands of streams that flow into Hudson Bay and James Bay. Only then can we truly assess the cumulative impacts to the biodiversity of this region, and the lands and waters of directly affected and downstream Indigenous communities.- Legacy impacts and all activities ancillary to the Ring of Fire project are studied
The RA threatens to leave out legacy impacts of current mineral exploration and developments in the Ring Fire given its future-centric approach. It also fails to include any requirement to study the health and air impacts of ferrochrome smelter – which would process the ore from the Ring of Fire. Splitting the Ring of Fire project up into smaller parts means we’ll lose sight of the project’s actual cumulative impacts.- Awareness about the Ring of Fire and active participation of the Indigenous grassroots.
Currently, the RA is proposed as a co-led process with a Working Group composed of the IAAC and First Nations. Unfortunately, community members’ direct involvement in the Regional Assessment working group would be limited to one individual, delegated by Chief and Council. This approach does not uphold the rights and interests of all Indigenous community members to know, participate and have a voice in the Ring of Fire RA.
Awareness of the Ring of Fire within communities is low and ensuring Indigenous voices are heard means we first must ensure their direct and active participation is enabled by the RA process. A robust education campaign growing awareness about the Ring of Fire must occur, supported by flexible timelines in the RA necessary to support comprehensive studies and meaningful community involvement. Such steps should have predated this comment period and we question RA’s commitment to meaningful engagement when little to no dialogue has occurred in the remote Indigenous communities that stand to be directly affected by the Ring of Fire.On this basis alone, we request the IAAC extend the comment period for the Terms of Reference, leaving it open until – at a minimum – in-community engagement sessions are held which tangibly advance equitable and fair participation by the Indigenous grassroots, including community members.Thank you for taking my comments into account and taking steps to work together with Indigenous partners. Now is the time to ensure this first-of-its-kind regional assessment truly ensures downstream communities are not left behind and community members have a voice.