Why We Are Seeing More Conflicts in Ontario's Far North.

The Drivers.
1. A "phenomenal" amount of exploration money being spent in Ontario this year with the provincial forecast for 2007 at $370 million, more than three times the numbers of $118 million and $114 million spent in 2000 and 2001.

2.Staking activity is at record highs. The number of active claims reached record levels in 2006 at 229,000, compared with 162,329 in 2000.

The Bad News
A weak and declining pattern of exploration investment by the majors. Juniors make up 40 per cent of Ontario's exploration spending compared to 25 per cent in 2000. Majors are in the beginning of a merger boom and would rather buy than find.

The majors at least have some clues when it comes to corporate social responsibility.The juniors, just don't care about aboriginal and treaty rights or are willfully blind and conveniently ignorant.

What this means.
The most aggressive and least experienced folks when it comes to First Nation relations are on a staking spree in the Far North. Flying blind when it comes to matters of jurisdiction and the legal questions of consultation, accommodation and consent; advised by MNDM bureaucrats who are heartless shills for the industry, they are bound to get into trouble.And they do.

I'm thinking Sandy Lake.I'm thinking Temex in Neskantaga. I'm recalling Metalex in Attawapiskat and Marten Falls. I'm remembering Aurora Platinum at Bartman Lake. And how about De Beers disrupting the goose hunt in Muskrat Dam. What about that all leaking fuel in Sachigo at Lingman Lake? Isn't there an abandoned mine on KI territory at Foster Lake.Why can't they clean up the mess they left behind? And did they ever close out the old Dona Lake deal properly? I'm hearing sturgeon issues at Musselwhite.I'm hearing that First Nations folks have a promotion ceiling in the Musselwhite mine.I'm hearing that white guys make racist comments at the Musselwhite mine.And what about all those years when the First Nations at Musselwhite were capped out in their IBA. I'm hearing nasty rumours out of Attawapiskat.I'm hearing community members assaulted a De Beers official in a community meeting over trapline compensation. A billion dollar mine and still no high school. I'm listening to stories about hard hats with Indian 1 and Indian 2 at the old Umex mine in Pickle. I could go on about the paradise that is the republic of mining.Ugly.

What happened in KI is far from an isolated incident. We have a number of ongoing and unresolved disputes. There is a humungous moratorium around KI in the so called Jimmie Teit lands and many companies have been asked to leave by First Nations.

It's time for the McGuinty government to pull its thumb out and make things right-beginning in KI.