In Canada, RAN is caring for the earth !!

Dear Virginia,

I have huge news: The Ontario government recently announced plans to protect 56 million acres of northern Canada's Boreal forest -- an area half the size of California -- from all industry.

The protected area falls entirely within the traditional territories of 36 First Nations communities, and the plan will protect at least 50 percent of Ontario's roadless northern Boreal region.

If properly implemented, the commitment -- which requires community "support" for new forestry and mines and local planning "done in agreement" with First Nations -- could be a leap forward in respecting the right of Indigenous communities to free, prior and informed consent over land use decisions on their territories.

Your support has allowed RAN to campaign in solidarity with First Nation communities in Canada for the past four years, and this announcement is by far the biggest step we have ever seen towards protecting both Canada's Boreal forest and the rights of Indigenous peoples in Canada.

This development would never have happened if not for the power that First Nations communities like Grassy Narrows, KI, Ardoch, and Six Nations have built in Ontario with help from RAN supporters like you and from allied organizations across the continent.

During the past four years, RAN and our network of activists, members, and allies across the U.S. and Canada have supported this struggle through building awareness, grassroots action, and by funding the campaign.

Like I said, this is big news, but there are still several outstanding questions about the announcement, and a long road ahead to implementing these promises and building on them. RAN just joined a broad coalition of environmental, labor, faith-based and human rights organizations calling for Ontario's premier to implement this plan with full respect for Indigenous rights.

It is crucial that local land use planning proceed only in agreement with First Nations, and that the broader plan for conservation and development in the northern Boreal forest and throughout the province also be developed and implemented with First Nations? consent at its foundation.

Your support for this campaign, and for the broader movement, is invaluable. This announcement is a major milestone, but the work goes on as these communities continue to assert their sovereignty, reclaim their territories and livelihoods, heal their people, and care for the Earth. They are setting a bold example for the world to follow, and I hope you will continue to stand in solidarity and support the movement for justice and the environment.

Thank you for your support.

David Sone
Old Growth Campaigner
Rainforest Action Network

ACTIVISM: No war, No Warming ! Stop the RNC !

No War, No Warming - No Mas, No More - Stop the RNC!

Come to the Twin Cities, Minnesota To Take Action at the Republican National Convention

Sept. 1-4, 2008. Come Early!

With the occupation of and war in Iraq continuing and escalating--with more Iraqis and US soldiers dying--with the suicide rate of vets hitting record numbers--and with the costs of war spiraling out of control with hundreds of millions being spent in Iraq every day that is badly needed here at home for housing, jobs, schools, health care and clean energy--we must resist!

We are also experiencing climate disruption on a major scale as carbon emissions keep going up and up. People all over the world, especially low-income people and people of color, are feeling the global warming impacts in the form of super-destructive tornadoes, cyclones, hurricanes and drought. Our climate is spiraling out of control because of the power of the oil, coal and automobile companies who have put their profits before human lives and our threatened ecosystem.

The US drive toward empire and global domination of all people in order to control and exploit the earth's resources is being led by the violent neoconservatives who dominate the Republican Party.

This drive toward death must stop! We must let the country know that large numbers of us reject their plans to keep wrecking our ecosystem, wage wars for oil and make a mockery of democracy. We must rise up and put our bodies in their way.

No War, No Warming is calling for people to join in nonviolent direct action to disrupt the opening proceedings of the RNC.

We will be working in coordination with Twin Cities activists and progressive groups who are organizing RNC actions to successfully implement a diverse action strategy. No War, No Warming's plan is to establish public assembly sites to help facilitate mass participation in marches to the Xcel convention center where the RNC is meeting in order to reclaim strategic areas around it. Our intention is to occupy that space--to swarm, sieze and stay--using creative acts of direct action and nonviolent civil disobedience.

This is an open cluster and we encourage people to start organizing affinity groups now. We will be participating in spokescouncil meetings in the days before the convention and hold cluster meetings and trainings as well!

There are many action camps this summer and NWNW will be hosting one in Washington DC July 20-25. The camp -an Urban Action Training - will focus on mobile tactics including marches, blockades, swarms and more!

We urge support of the actions at the RNC. We must stop the RNC's drive for permanent war and deeper and deeper climate disruption!

For information contact: info@nowarnowarming.org, or go to www.nowarnowarming.org.

ACTVISM SUPER ALERT: Help out the Lake Ardoch protestors TODAY

Please circulate this WIDELY
Ladybroadoak.blogspot.com

to find out what is needed, press on the links below!!!

This is merely some media and government link information.

Much is needed to help out today!

First off - if anyone wants to come up, my apartment is available!! I will even drag my poor aching body around to clean it up. Creator will give me the strength, I am sure. You can leave a comment on the comments section if you see this.

Read on to see what is need urgently NOW.

This is definitely serious!! Anyone, anyone who will help out is welcome to accept what is extremely humble hospitality.

Once before when RAN had a LIVE demo at Queen's Park, he took the Premier's website down and the telephone lines were TURNED OFF, just last fall. Dalton McGuinty's cousin, FRANK, is one of the primary benefactors of the du and edumping monies!!

I did some checking with Lauren Moret this weekend to figure out the power that be's plans for Canada and particularly Ontario. What she told me only confirms what I already KNOW. There is HUGE MONEY RIDING on shutting DOWN THESE PROTESTS; they sure need EVERYONE'S help and they need it today. She is on here way to a speaking tour in Canada right now. Lauren Moret had me do my lowlevel radiation blog.

Canada is the ruling class' river of nuclear destruction; CN RAIL is one of the 30 corporations set up to run North America. Their head, Hunter Harrison, changed CN rail to hauling all sorts of Nuclear Waste - This is why CN rail went after Shawn Brant. And now they REALLY have him. He goes to court this morning and that is why the ptb are trying to split up OUR forces today. The press firmly sealed its lips about all this abuse over the weekend including the CBC, which we bloody pay for. OUTRAGEOUS. Comeco has done some heavy lobbying and the influence peddling must be INTENSE. Frontenac Ventures is a FRONT.

Additionally, I have a lot of information about earthquakes coming in Abbotsford, BC shortly. There will be traditional lands affected by those two. Martial law may be declared in my opinion; it's all a big fat SETUP. This neocon government will stop at nothing to put all activists behind bars and SHUT UP.

Please send SMOKE to everyone on traditional lands (and in our dingy government apartments, too) here in Canada.

The head of the OPP here in Ontario, Julian Fantino, is slated to be the new head of the RCMP when the Vancouver Olympics are held. This is his "testing ground" I assure you all. He regularly surveils my blog(s) from a location in Barrie. So ... please, get on with the support before he takes me DOWN. So, far he hasn't managed it due to the fact Google uses me as an intelligence source, seriously!! But they never ever index my Ardoch Lake OR Caledonia articles that I see.

I am SO busy, I don't even have time to write proper articles on this, so bear with me. I have gone all out to get GLOBAL ATTENTION FOCUSSED on what is happening here. If there is someone shot today this will be just like OKA very shortly.

Here is a link to ALL government MPs in Canada
http://www.yayacanada.com/MPs.html

Here is a link to ALL MPPs in Ontario
http://canadaonline.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=canadaonline&cdn=newsissues&tm=8&f=10&tt=2&bt=1&bts=1&zu=http%3A//192.75.172.22/web/members/members_current.do%3Flocale%3Den

Time is of the essence, friends. Just FLOOD ONTARIO and Canadian government officials. I'll be back when that Abbotsford thang starts happening and repost these links

Here is the email address to get updates.
davidrmaracle@...

We had a transit strike here in Toronto. I made MANY MANY calls to get good information - this is the one that RESPONDED. (hint, hint)

Hers is one other place to direct calls: DEMAND THAT THE REAL NEWS here in Toronto gets a camera crew to Ardoch Lake NOW. Put this out over the drum circle as fast as you can!

The Real News, (416) 916 5202.

As I said, expect McGuinty to go OFF LINE and to stop taking phone calls today!!

Your friend and SISTER,
Virginia
Many Rivers


I just called directly to the front lines and YES! they are all staring at SWAT and OPP cars sitting just on the edge of the Culbertson land claim area. They are wanting to REMOVE the road bloc protestors and perhaps the quarry protestors too. PRAY PEOPLE and forward this out EVERYWHERE
Bluejay
>
> **URGENT** Tyendinaga 9:30 am Monday morning, April 28th
>
> We have just been informed by the Tyendinaga Mohawk community
> spokespeople that SWAT teams are amassing right now on the Deseronto
> and Slash Roads, bordering the Tyendinaga quarry reclamation site.
> Community spokesperson Jason Maracle has just been told by the OPP to
> pull people out of the quarry because they are going in.
>
>
> please cal the premier's office immediately and urge them to:
>
> -Honour Mohawk land, call off the OPP: Do not risk people's lives
> for a gravel pit the government has already acknowledged is on Mohawk
> land!
>
> -Release all First Nations political prisoners! If they don't well will be seeing plenty more in the next few weeks here in Canada!!
>
> Premier Dalton McGuinty: 416-325-1941 (phone) 416-325-3745
> daltonmcguinty@....ca


I just called directly to the front lines and YES! they are all staring at SWAT and OPP cars sitting just on the edge of the Culbertson land claim area. They are wanting to REMOVE the road bloc protestors and perhaps the quarry protestors too. PRAY PEOPLE and forward this out EVERY!WHERE
Bluejay
>
> **URGENT** Tyendinaga 9:30 am Monday morning, April 28th
>
> We have just been informed by the Tyendinaga Mohawk community
> spokespeople that SWAT teams are amassing right now on the Deseronto
> and Slash Roads, bordering the Tyendinaga quarry reclamation site.
> Community spokesperson Jason Maracle has just been told by the OPP to
> pull people out of the quarry because they are going in.
>
>
> please call the premier's office immediately and urge them to:
>

> -Honour Mohawk land, call off the OPP: Do not risk people's lives
> for a gravel pit the government has already acknowledged is on Mohawk
land!

>
> -Release all First Nations political prisoners!
>
> Premier Dalton McGuinty: 416-325-1941 (phone) 416-325-3745
> daltonmcguinty@....ca

What happened - How you can help -Tyendinaga

Update: Sunday, April 27, 2008 – Needs of

Mohawks - Contacts of cops and politicians

MNN. Apr. 27, 2008. An email came from the real estate

agents, Emile and Theodore Nibourg,

enibourg@sutton.com.

These are the guys who wanted

to build condos on Mohawk land, or at least they wanted

to make it look like they were building condos. They

knew the Mohawks would object. They even told some

of us they were hoping to get a pay out guaranteeing

their profits from Canadian taxpayers when the deal fell

through. What a scam! The "OPP" [who help the thieves

of "Other Peoples Property"] fell for it hook, line and

sinker. These are Nibourg's puppets. You can

practically see the strings. In a press statement Nibourg

said, "We sent out a media release last week stating we

are refraining from continuing our plans to develop the

land to allow for a peaceful resolution and negotiations

with the government".

We want peace too. There is nothing to resolve. If

someone was trespassing on your land, what would

you expect the police to do? Kick them off or kick you

off? Why are the police on Mohawk land? They were

not invited, Nibourg's gone, the cops are trespassing!

They are also violating international law by unlawfully

confining our people.

Throughout the Rotiskenekete have not blocked any

roads. Commissioner of the OPP, Julian Fantino, said,

"There are no blockages except for the ones we put up.

It's all peaceful now." Even though the Globe and Mail

has published photos of the cops pointing guns at us

and beating up our people, Fantino tried to deny this

happened in a Canadian Press release, of April 26^th.

He said, "There are claims on blogs that police officers

pointed their guns at unarmed women and children,

broke people's arms and beat prisoners". Fantino went

on to say, "I think it's inflaming what is already a very

tenuous, very difficult situation".

Fantino didn't denying any of this. There's obviously

a double standards in Canadian society. A photo of

an ordinary person resisting violence results in

immediate charges and an arraignment in court. A

photo of a cop doing the same things results in

excuses, foot shuffling and obfuscation. It looks like

becoming a cop makes them immune from prosecution.

It's becoming a magnet for thugs. Fantino doesn't like

it when the brutality and law breaking of his henchmen

gets publicized. [MNN has photos of cops standing

behind their patrol cars, pointing their weapons at us.

Also, in the Globe and Mail is a photo of the cops

beating one of our men in the ditch and breaking his

arms.]

Fantino told the Globe Mail, "The hard work and

dedication of our officers in protecting the citizens of

this community cannot go unnoticed". No kidding!

We have you on video beating up our people.

"Those

responsible for criminal activities will be held

accountable". If this is true, we expect to see some

cops wearing handcuffs in court prisoner's dock.

The standoff at the quarry continues. OPP are still

holding their positions, though their numbers have

decreased. Talks are ongoing between Tyendinaga

Mohawks and the OPP.

Today the OPP sent a message to the Rotiskenekete

at the quarry on Mohawk land. "Let's agree to walk

away from this and go our separate ways and then

nothing will happen"!!! Remember what happened the

other day when the OPP were arresting Shawn Brant

for a fake charge? They said the same thing. When

our five men got into their cars, ten OPP goons jumped

them, threw them in the ditch and beat them up. They

broke both arms of one native man and one arm of

another. Then the OPP put out a lie that one of our men

had a gun.

The Rotiskenekete listened and told the officer, "Put

out a statement that our men did not have guns and

that you lied, and then maybe we'll talk to you".

The community is still holding strong both inside the

quarry and outside on nearby Slash Road. There are

a significant number of supporters. People from other

Indigenous communities arrived last night and today.

Visits from allies are welcome. Come during daylight

hours. The situation is less tense at this moment, but

dynamics can shift suddenly.

Urgently Needed are – first aid - water - money -

non-perishable foods – meat – fish - camping

equipment – communications equipment – fuel – gas –

propane – mobile phones – phone cards – rain coats –

towels – soap – wet wipes – tooth brushes – tooth

paste – gloves – work shoes – boots – runners –

socks – mosquito repellant – sun block – radios –

two-way radios – hand held radios/scanners – cooking

utensils – plates – silverware – buckets – pails –

blankets and sleeping bags - and anything else you

can think of. Once again, the police have turned what

should have been a non-event into a summer project.

Directions to the site: take TransCanada Highway 401

to the "Marysville/Deseronto" exit (east of Belleville).

This is the exit to Highway 49. Go south [right] on

highway 49 for about 10-15 minutes. You'll pass a stop

sign "Tyendinaga". Once you hit the Slash Road, turn

left. Drive until you see the people and a big bonfire.

Tyendinaga_support@masses.tao.ca.

The five arrested on false charges of assaulting OPP

on Deseronto Road, are Matthew James KUNKEL, 21,

Clint BRANT, 29, Daniel John DORENE, 34, and Steve

CHARTRAND, 32. All four men are from the

Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory. They are scheduled to

appear on Monday, April 28, 2008 in Napanee court.

The names, ages and places of residence of the ten

trespassing police officers who committed the assault

on our men are unknown. Shawn BRANT, 44 years,

was remanded into custody and is also scheduled to

appear in Napanee court on Monday, April 28, 2008.

[Contact: Sgt. Kristine Rae, (613) 285-5479cell,

1-800-279-8660 pager].

Some have been released but we don't know their

conditions.

We demand our native men be released from the

colonial jails immediately. Here are some of the

colonial culprits.

Julian Fantino, is the Commission of the Ontario

Provincial Police, julian.fantino@jus.gov.on.ca,

julian.fantino@ontario.ca;

Governor General Michaelle Jean info@gg.ca;

Hon. Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada

harper.s@parl.gc.ca;

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty

dalton.mcguinty@premier.gov.on.ca;

Paul Leblanc of Indian Affairs,

leblanc.p@ainc-inac.gc.ca;

Yvan Dery, Privy Council Office,

ydery@pco-bcp.gc.ca;

Sylvia McKenzie, Justice Canada,

sylvia.mackenzie@sppcc-psepc.gc.ca;

Gilles Rochon, Aboriginal Policing,

gilles.rochon@psepc.gc.ca 613-990-2666;

Emanuel Chabot, Public Affairs 7 Emergency

Preparedness

emmanuel.chabot@psepc-sppcc.gc.ca

613-990-4353;

Louis-Alexandre Guay, the inaptly named

"Justice Canada" lguay@justice.gc.ca;

Phil Fontaine, Assembly of [Colonized] First

Nations, reception@afn.ca;

Jim Potts, advisor to the inept Ontario

Provincial Police on Indigenous policing

who claims to be Indigenous 613-795-3907;

RCMP Royal Canadian Mounted Police,

London Ontario Detachment 519-640-7267;

Chuck Strahl, Minister of Indian Affairs,

819-997-0002, 819-953-1160, 613-992-2940

Fax 613-944-9376 strahc@parl.gc.ca;

Walter Walling, who organizes police

attacks against Mohawks such as the Jan.

12, 2004 debacle at Kanehsatake,

wallingw@ainc-inac.gc.ca;

Leona Dombrowsky, Member of Ontario

Legislature, 613-962-1144, 1-877-536-6248

Fax 613-969-6381

ldombrowsky.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org;

Michael Bryant, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs,

Ontario, 416-314-8693, Fax 416-314-2701,

mbryant.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org,

416-656-0943, 416-325-7754, Fax

416-325-7755;

L.G. Beechey Chief Supt. Commander

Eastern Region OPP, 613-284-4500

TO VERIFY AND FOR INFORMATION CALL:

Akwesasne Rotiskenekete 518-358-3660

Tyendinaga Aserakowa [Warchief]:

613-243-4993

Jan Hill [Longhouse] 613-961-8515

613-827-1547

Dan 613-919-1354

Rotiskenekete 613-849-1314 613-827-4991

613-577-1355

Alberta tar sands activism - RAN

Everyone’s Downstream

posted by Jocelyn in RAN General on December 2nd, 2007

The Alberta tar sands are the biggest oil development in Canadian history.

Last weekend, I attended the conference “Everyone’s Downstream: Realities and Resistance” in Edmonton, Alberta to learn about resistance to unrestrained expansions of the tar sands among First Nations and to present lessons learned from our solidarity work with Grassy Narrows First Nation.

My interest was to hear from First Nation leaders experiencing the impacts of tar sands. Too often, First Nations’ experience with huge industrial developments goes unreported but this conference provided a space for the First Nation voices to be heard by the numerous ENGO’s and local participants.

George Poitras of Mikisew Cree First Nation presented a study done in his territory downstream from the tar sands. The study found arsenic, mercury and PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) are on the rise in sediments of the Athabasca river which runs through the community’s territory where it accumulates in the Mikisew Cree’s traditional foods.

Kevin Timoney, the report’s author, reveals that Dr. John O’Connor was the first medical professional to call attention to high increase of diseases within the community. Dr. O’Connor stated that high levels of bile duct cancers, colon cancers, lymphomas, leukemia, autoimmune diseases, thyroid cancers and overactive thyroids were seen in Fort Chipewyan patients.

Chief Allan Adam of Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation discussed the violation of his people’s Treaty Rights to harvest food in their territory. Beaver and muskrats are becoming scarce and looking unhealthy.

Chief Adam also shared that in the past year his community buried 24 people from a population of less than 1500.

After the conference, I traveled with a delegation from the Indigenous Environmental Network to Fort McMurray—ground zero of the tar sands development–to observe and learn about how the oil sand boom is impacting local communities and the region.

Stay tuned for the second part of this fact finding trip….

Rainforest Action Network Holiday update!!

A group of DC based polar bears made a “bank run” on Bank of America withdrawing $27k in COLD CASH from the banking giant over their funding of coalmining and climate change.

About 2:00.

RAN Supporters Making a Difference!

National Day of Action Against Coal Finance a Success!

Over the course of 24 hours on November 16-17, RAN supporters in more than 50 cities and towns across the U.S. planned and participated in more than 100 actions protesting Citi and Bank of America's investments in new coal-fired power plants and mountaintop removal coal mining. The turnout was overwhelming and the message was clear: Stop funding coal, start funding the future!

You can check out great video recaps from San Francisco, New York, Las Vegas and Columbia, S.C.; read on-the-ground reports from dozens of locations on our blog; and check out photos from actions all across the country on RAN's Flickr site.

Plus if you couldn't be there in person, RAN has set up an online action where you can get Citi to call you personally, at a time of your choosing, so you can tell the company to stop funding coal yourself!

Help Stop Cargill's Plans for a New Polluting Port in Paraguay

U.S. agribusiness giant Cargill operates an illegal soy port in the Brazilian Amazon, but this hasn’t satisfied the company's insatiable appetite for rainforest destruction. Cargill has new plans for a soy mega-port in Asuncion, the capital of Paraguay.

One of the greatest threats posed by this port is its proximity--just a third of a mile--to the water intake of the public utility company that provides drinking water to more than a million residents of Asuncion and the surrounding area. Evidence is very strong that the water contamination associated with the port's operations will lead to a higher incidence of cancer, leukemia and respiratory illness.

Please, join our allies in Paraguay--including Francisco Avalos who joined us on a speaking tour in November--as they call for an immediate halt to the construction of the Cargill port in Asuncion. Tell the Paraguayan government to stop the construction now!

RAN at the LA Auto Show

RAN one-upped the big automakers at the LA Auto Show this past month by performing a rapid conversion of a Prius hybrid into a plug-in hybrid just outside the show. The message to the automakers was clear: If grassroots engineers can make a plug-in in a day, the auto industry's claims that real fuel-efficiency is too technically challenging are a pack of lies. Watch a video of the conversion and see all the photos from three days of action at the show.

Throughout the event RAN activists broadcast live video as they confronted industry executives in person. At one point Toyota executive Bob Carter actually knocked a video camera from the hands of a RAN activist after being asked why his company is suing California for the state's increased environmental standards. Watch the video of Carter in action and read press coverage of the exchange.

RAN to OfficeMax:
Stop Selling Paper from Grassy Narrows

As you may already know, the Grassy Narrows First Nation in Ontario, Canada, has called for a logging moratorium on its territory. But despite the community’s very public demands and ongoing controversy in Grassy Narrows, OfficeMax paper products are still produced from trees logged on Grassy Narrows territory.

Last year, OfficeMax promised to help resolve the ongoing conflict in Grassy Narrows. Now is the time to make OfficeMax keep its word and publicly support the logging moratorium. The province of Ontario is negotiating with Grassy Narrows to address the community's demand for a moratorium on logging and RAN supporters can take action online to support Indigenous Rights in Ontario.

RAN is gearing up for a series of actions targeting OfficeMax, so stay tuned. If you want to plan your own action, get in touch and we'll help you make it happen!

RAN Celebrates in New York!

Sex and the City’s Mr. Big, Chris Noth, hosted and sponsored his second annual exclusive event to benefit RAN at his nightclub, The Plumm, in New York City. Chris’ Law and Order co-star, Alicia Witt, and critically acclaimed, legendary musician, Jimmy Webb, added beautiful music that helped to inspire an already passionate crowd. Other celeb supporters included Kristin Davis, Dan Florek, Patricia Clarkson, Richard Belzer and Jennifer Missoni. And thanks to these folks – and everyone who turned out on the night – we got a great boost in our New York area profile and gained many new friends. Come join us next year!

If you want to get involved in supporting RAN this holiday season and you're looking for meaningful holiday gifts, try a "Gift of Compassion" from our friends at ABC Home and Planet. Each gift is beautifully designed and crafted and the proceeds from each $50 gift will go towards protecting two acres of precious Peruvian rainforest and to building a pathway to self-sufficiency for its Indigenous communities. Give a Gift of Compassion – it’s a wonderful gift to receive.

Movements for change begin with education.

This holiday season you can join our movement by hosting a rainforest agribusiness potluck and teach-in!

- Try Green Caroling This Year!

What holiday tunes do you already know
That could be rewritten to give a marvelous show?

Submit Your Own Green Holiday Song!

- Zero Waste for Zero Warming Visit Zerowarming.org and watch a great video from our friends at GAIA and take action against waste incineration!

Check out the latest posts at RAN's blog: The Understory

-Jocelyn brings us a moving two-part report from her travels to the Alberta tar sands

-Sparki congratulates Rising Tide on a great hoax spoofing an industry-led "climate partnership"

-Luke teaches Tom Friedman a thing or two

-Brihannala skips Thanksgiving to talk sustainable palm oil in southeast Asia

-YouTube video of a polar bear closing his Bank of America account and withdrawing $27,000 in the process!

CANADA: Native Way of Life Vanishing into the Clear-Cut
By Am Johal

Credit:Ranflickr First Nations protest in front of the Ontario legislature, Jun. 25, 2007.

VANCOUVER, Oct 9 (IPS) - As the Ontario election draws to a close on Wednesday, a long-running land rights battle continues in the east-central Canadian province between First Nations groups and mining and logging interests that have been granted concessions to exploit the resources in a vast boreal forest known as Grassy Narrows.

Asubpeeschoseewagong, the indigenous or Ojibway name for Grassy Narrows, is situated 80 kilometres north of Kenora, Ontario. The band membership is approximately 1,000, and their traditional land use area spans some 4,000 kilometres. About half of the community still follows a subsistence way of life that relies on hunting, trapping, and gathering berries and medicines from the land.

The community says that 50 percent of their traditional lands have already been clear-cut by multinational logging companies, and the current licenses issued by Ontario authorities will permit continued clear-cutting for more than 25 more years.

"Mining issues continue and permits are handed out despite the Supreme Court decision around native land rights," John Cutfeet of the nearby Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nations near Grassy Narrows told IPS.

The Grassy Narrows First Nation is within an 1873 treaty that recognises the right of the Anishnaabe peoples "to pursue their avocations of hunting and fishing throughout the tract." Recent Supreme Court decisions have upheld the government's duty to conduct meaningful discussions with native groups before carrying out projects that impact their lands.

In early September, the Ontario government appointed former Supreme Court Justice Frank Iacobucci to facilitate a negotiated process and make recommendations to solve the impasse. Talks are expected to begin in November.

"Companies are drilling without following the rule of law," Cutfeet said. "There has been virtually no consultation or accommodation of our people. Treaty land was a fulfillment of the land claims process. The government and the companies have an illegal presence in our territories."

The Grassy Narrows community has suffered many traumas over the years, including forced attendance in Canada's notorious and now-defunct boarding schools, forced relocation away from their traditional living areas, flooding of sacred grounds and burial sites by hydroelectric dam projects, and clear-cut logging of their forests. Mercury waste from a paper mill constructed in the 1970s contaminated local rivers and created devastating long-term health problems.

Compared to other racial and cultural groups in Canada, indigenous people have the lowest life expectancies, highest infant mortality rates, most substandard and overcrowded housing, lower education and employment levels, and the highest incarceration rates. Native people lead in the statistics of suicide, alcoholism, and family abuse.

Brant Olson of the Rainforest Action Project told IPS, "Amnesty International and many groups have verified the problems at Grassy Narrows. The historical and political context is dire due to the logging industry. Since the mid-1960s, large portions of the community have been uninhabitable and there have been enduring health problems and 25 percent unemployment. That led to the Grassy Narrows group to call for a moratorium on development [in January]. We want to ensure that buyers of the wood honour the moratorium."

"The community doesn't trust the intentions of companies like Abitibi Consolidated and Weyerhauser," said Olson.

Jim Loney, a member of the Christian Peacemakers Team, which had a delegation in the region, told IPS that the traditional land use area where they hunt, trap and fish has been logged by the forestry company Abitibi-Consolidated. According to Loney, trap lines have disappeared into the clear-cuts, some of which are a kilometre long.

In December 2002, a group of people from the community, including high school students, formed a blockade to stop clear-cutting. Human rights organisations such as the Christian Peacemakers Team and Amnesty International came to Ontario at the invitation of Grassy Narrows Environmental Committee to be present at the site of the blockade.

International civil society organisations have since helped to build political support for the objectives of the blockade and have alerted U.N. authorities. "There has been a lot of reaching out, educating the public, building allies and alliances, and building solidarity in support of the Grassy Narrows community," said Loney.

Last month, environmental and aboriginal groups unfurled a 75-metre-long arrow-shaped banner on the lawn of the Ontario legislature that demanded "Native Land Rights Now." The public demonstration was organised by Rainforest Action Network and Christian Peacemaker Teams. Rainforest Action Network is organising a campaign to try to stop lumber giant Weyerhauser from obtaining wood from clear-cutting.

Loney added that provincial and federal governments should honour their commitments and responsibilities with First Nations people and consult on matters related to the use of native land. As mining and forestry companies are moving ahead with development, there are concerns about creating a high-profile and credible process to mediate the land rights dispute.

First Nation representatives at the Sep. 21 event described how such projects degrade the land, disrupt traditional cultural practices, and reverse economic rights guaranteed to them under the Canadian Constitution.

"We, the grassroots people of the Anishnabeg, have an obligation to protect the land and the culture and our way of life for the future of our children and grandchildren," Judy Da Silva of the Grassy Narrows First Nations said in a statement.