And now:Ish <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: Date: Sat, 29 May 1999 08:14:48 -0700 Message-Id: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> From: Nancy Thomas <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> From: CPTnet <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Saturday, May 29, 1999 Subject: CPT completes fact-finding mission with Grassy Narrows First Nation people - KENORA, ON: On May 27, CPTers Doug Pritchard (Toronto, ON), Wes Hare (Richmond, IN) and Cole Hull (Seattle, WA) completed a two week fact-finding mission with the Grassy Narrows First Nation People, who had invited CPT to witness clear-cut logging on their traditional land use area by Abitibi Consolidated Corp. The Grassy Narrows First Nation is an Ojibwe community of some 700 persons on a 14 sq. mile reserve in Northwestern Ontario. The Ojibwe is a regional group of the larger Algonquin people. Although there has been logging in the area of the Grassy Narrows community since the 1950's, and even clear-cutting in recent years, the cutting is getting much closer to the community and is more apparent than previously. The Grassy Narrows community felt pushed to the edge in February 1999 when the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) approved Anitibi-Consolidated Inc.'s logging plan which reaches through the year 2019, and includes substantial clear-cutting of Grassy Narrow s Traditional Use Land Area. Traditional land use is gaining some acceptance with judicial and policy-making bodies. Grassy Narrows claims 2500 sq. miles of adjoining land as Traditional Use lands that they have used for hunting/fishing/gathering . Anitibi claims to be the largest newsprint company in the world, and is a major employer (though not of Grassy Narrows people) in the Kenora community, the main town of the area, some 70 km. to the south. Grassy Narrows has already gone through a major health crisis because upstream pulp & paper mill discharge poisoned their waterways with mercury in the early 70's. Their wild rice harvesting operations have also been destroyed by fluctuations in water levels caused by Ontario Hydro s operation of two nearby dams. An Environmental Committee of several persons has formed to take leadership in voicing community concerns. In recent months the Grassy narrows community has conducted information pickets at the MNR office and at a VIP dinner in Kenora, and on the Trans-Canada Highway. They have also posted signs on roadways leading into their Traditional Use Land Area, but these were immediately removed by the Ministry of Transport. Following a recent meeting in Kenora with the provincial Ministry of the Environment (MoE), the Environmental Committee is waiting for the Ministry s response. Pritchard, Hull and Hare took and "emotionally exhausting" tour of land cleared by Antibi, and saw scarification (the furrowing of clear-cut land to prepare for tree-planing), some limited tree-planting operations, and the slow growth of the monoculture "forests" that replace the existing boreal forest. They saw the trash left by operations, clear cutting right up to streams and shores of clear lakes and streams, and a tremendous amount of timber left cut and rotting. _____________________________________________________ Christian Peacemaker Teams is an initiative among Mennonite and Church of the Brethren congregations and Friends Meetings that supports violence reduction efforts around the world. CPT P. O. Box 6508 Chicago, IL 60680 tel:312-455-1199 FAX 312-666-2677 To join CPTNET, our e-mail network, fill out the form found on our WEB page. URL: http://www.prairienet.org/cpt/ _____________________________________________________ Reprinted under the fair use http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html doctrine of international copyright law. &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Tsonkwadiyonrat (We are ONE Spirit) Unenh onhwa' Awayaton http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/ &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
