Draft letter: Express your interest to be involved in the Regional Assessment in the Ring of Fire area

Note: This resource is intended for community members who stand to be impacted from the proposed Ring of Fire, including those from the 15 First Nation Partner communities participating in the Regional Assessment (RA) in the Ring of Fire area:

• Aroland First Nation
• Attawapiskat First Nation
• Constance Lake First Nation
• Eabametoong First Nation
• Fort Albany First Nation
• Ginoogaming First Nation
• Kashechewan Cree First Nation
• Long Lake #58 First Nation
• Marten Falls First Nation
• Missanabie Cree First Nation
• Moose Cree First Nation
• Neskantaga First Nation
• Nibinamik First Nation
• Webequie First Nation
• Weenusk First Nation

As someone who stands to be directly impacted from the proposed Ring of Fire, you have rights to be informed, to participate and to be heard. However, community outreach to date on the RA has been very limited and the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC) is not proactively engaging. To assist you in ensuring your voice is heard by decision-makers, we have drafted a letter below that you can send to the IAAC, expressing your interest in being involved throughout the RA. For more information on the RA, we encourage you to check out our blog post, which we will continue to update throughout the RA process. The requests outlined in the letter are aligned with the commitments set out in the Terms of Reference for the RA, including that the Regional Assessment Working Group (Working Group) must:

• Ensure opportunities are provided for community members to share information, knowledge and perspectives relevant to the RA, and to bring forward and share traditional knowledge, information and perspectives in a collaborative manner (p. 37);
• Gather information about existing community socio-economic conditions and community-identified values, interests and priorities (p. 22); Develop assessment priorities based on dialogue with community members (p. 28);
• Ensure that the assessment processes and outcomes are shared transparently, making participation in the RA and use of the RA results accessible (p. 7);
• Include a chapter in the Final Report by each First Nation Partner that reflects their community’s vision and priorities for sustainable development (p. 44); and
• Contribute to a renewed relationship between Canada and indigenous peoples based on the recognition of rights, respect and partnership and concrete action towards reconciliation at all aspects of community governance throughout the process (p. 6).

For more information, we encourage you to review the following resources:

• The Regional Assessment for the proposed Ring of Fire has begun – here’s what you need to know
• Fact sheets on Indigenous rights, the proposed Ring of Fire, and Indigenous protected and conserved areas
• The Indigenous grassroots’ Protection Declaration calling for the protection of Treaty 9 lands and waters

As this first of its kind RA proceeds, we also invite you to stay tuned by joining our mailing list and following us on instagram and facebook. We will also be discussing the proposed Ring of Fire at our upcoming environmental justice and Indigenous rights workshop in Timmins on March 31, 2025, co-hosted by LAND and the Friends of the Attawapiskat River. Whether you join us in person or remotely, we hope to see you there! If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us at info@naturesdefence.ca