Protecting Our Mother - Walk to Toronto spring/summer 2008

Boozhoo,
as Grassy Narrows, the entire Anishinaabe Nation and all creatures and spirits celebrate,
let's continue to support our brothers and sisters in KI and other communities on Turtle Island and beyobd who are still struggling for justice and defense of their lands, cultures and traditions.

Meegwech,
S

Grassy Wins Campaign, KI Process Now Needed

http://www.kifriends.org/2008/06/grassy-wins-campaign-ki-process-now.html

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

With folks out of jail and contempt charges dropped we now need to turn our attention to a long term solution at KI.

The panel KI proposed should be appointed and the studies set out in the KI consultation protocol need to be put in motion as soon as possible.

Needless to say the Platinex exploration project is over and Ontario must deal with Platinex on the implications of terminating their claims and leases.

A more than fair approach would be to appoint an independent appraiser and compensate the company for all reasonable exploration expenditures they made on the "property". In return Platinex would drop the lawsuit against the Crown.

The big obstacle will likely be the little matter of legal fees.Platinex will want Ontario to pay and Ontario will say no.Personally, I don't want the taxpayer to compensate Pltinex for this nasty lawsuit.

Once we have the conditions for "peace" we can move to the conditions for justice.







Forest giant retreats after five-year native blockade


Mike De Souza, Canwest News Service Published: Tuesday, June 03, 2008

A five-year-old blockade in northwestern Ontario has forced
AbitibiBowater to stop using wood from a one-million-hectare forest near
the Manitoba border.

The Montreal-based forest products company told the Ontario government
on Tuesday that it was prepared to give up its licence to operate in the
Whiskey Jack forest in order to avoid having to wait several years for
the outcome of a consultative process with the Grassy Narrows First
Nation.

"The flexibility of a newly merged company, paired with the current
context of an industry that gives access to unused fibre, allow us to
temporarily find alternative wood supply for our operations," wrote
AbitibiBowater CEO David J. Paterson in a letter to Ontario's Natural
Resources Minister Donna Cansfield that was obtained by Canwest News
Service.

"Furthermore, we wish to engage in discussions with the Ministry of
Natural Resources and other key stakeholders to begin moving the Whiskey
Jack Forest to a more appropriate management structure, and are prepared
to work on an orderly transition of the licence. Our decision comes with
a clear commitment on our current management responsibilities, including
those related to reforestation."

Greenpeace Canada's forest campaign co-ordinator Richard Brooks said the
decision was significant, noting that the existing conflict was
considered to be the longest-standing blockade in Canadian history.

"You don't often having a company saying: 'We want to get out of this
forest because it's too controversial,'" said Brooks. "This follows on a
number of customers who have said to AbitibiBowater: 'Stop logging in
intact forest areas, and stop logging in the Grassy Narrows community.'"

Brooks added that Boise, the owner of the OfficeMax and Grand & Toy
office supply stores, was one of the customers that had recently
announced it would no longer purchase paper products that came from the
Whiskey Jack forest.

AbitibiBowater is expected to announce details of its plan to
shareholders of its newly-merged company on Thursday.

"We hope that they will take this initiative and build upon it and
really take a look at the rest of their forestry operations in Ontario
and Quebec and pursue environmental and social sustainability in those
operations as well," said Brooks.