Contentious bill passed into law

When Bill 191, the Far North Act, passed in the Ontario legislature Sept. 23, First Nation leaders in northern Ontario said they would refuse to recognize the legislation.
With such widespread opposition to the contentious bill, the Far North Act is among Wawatay’s top news stories of the year.
The Ministry of Natural Resources touted the bill as a means to initiate progress and positive change in Ontario’s Far North.
The legislation is supposed to protect up to 225,000 square kilometres of Ontario’s Far North, an area made up of mostly Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) communities.
The MNR said it would work with First Nations in the Far North to determine which areas will be protected under the act and which areas will be open to development. But it will be up to First Nations to initiate the land use plans.
“Bill 191 provides the foundation for First Nations and Ontario to work together to develop new approaches to protected areas in the Far North,” a ministry spokesman said after the bill was passed.
Despite being passed, chiefs from the area said they would issue their own autonomy over the land.
Shibogama First Nations Council said its concerns were not addressed or reflected in Bill 191 and that they never gave their free, prior and informed consent to Bill 191.
“The people of Shibogama will continue to exercise our Aboriginal and treaty rights using the inherent right principles given to us by the Creator,” said Wawakepewin Chief Joshua Frogg. “Any and all land and resources planning will be based on our inherent jurisdiction, our principles and our responsibilities.”
Leading up to the act being passed, NAN had staged an anti-Bill 191 campaign. A protest was held outside the Ontario legislature Sept. 15.
Opposition to the bill had even come from the Assembly of First Nations, the Ontario New Democratic Party, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce and the Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce.
Despite the opposition, Natural Resources Minister Linda Jeffrey said the Far North Act is ambitious and exceptional.
“Together we are entering a new era of social prosperity, economic certainty and environmental protection in the Far North,” she said. “It is our responsibility as global citizens to make wise land use decisions for this vast and unique part of the province and the world.”
The government said land use plans are key to developing the Far North, including the region known as the Ring of Fire, which contains one of the world’s largest deposits of chromite, a key ingredient in stainless steel.
With files from Rick Garrick