[IPSM] Algonquin Protest for July 28

[Ahni]

Hey. Here's some updates and background, courtesy of Chief Paula Sherman.

A.

http://intercontinentalcry.org/algonquin-protest-and-information-toll-july-28/

*ALGONQUINS PROTEST AGAINST URANIUM EXPLORATION WILL AFFECT TRAFFIC ON
TRANSCANADA *
 <http://intercontinentalcry.org/wp-content/uploads/perth-ontario.png>

Ardoch Algonquin First Nation and Shabot Obaadjiwan First Nation will be
conducting a protest and information toll on Highway 7 in Perth on July 28th
from 3pm-6pm to bring attention to the issue of uranium exploration and
mining in North Frontenac County.

This will be the third action by the Algonquin alliance to bring attention
to the fact that mining claims were registered and issued to Frontenac
Ventures Corporation for land where Algonquin title and jurisdiction remain
and where required consultation never took place.

Consultation must take place between the Crown and the two affected First
Nation communities prior to any mining or land use permits being issued.
More actions are planned along Highway 7 over the next few months until a
positive resolution has been achieved.

*For more information please contact: *
Chief Paula Sherman – 613-329-3706 omamikwe at bell.blackberry.net;
Chief Randy Cota – (613) 541-8205;
or our lawyer, Christopher Reid – lawreid at aol.com (416) 466-9928.

*ALGONQUINS SUED BY URANIUM MINING COMPANY *

The Algonquin First Nations occupying a proposed uranium mine site in
eastern Ontario are being sued by the mining company, Frontenac Ventures
Corporation, for $77 million dollars in damages, as well as a court order
ending our protest and forcing us to vacate our land.

In their Statement of Claim, which was served on our lawyer today, the
company makes absurd and outrageous claims that we are "threatening" and
"intimidating" them and their employees. In fact, our peaceful protest has
been completely non-violent and non-threatening from the beginning, even
when the president of FVC threatened to send in armed paramilitaries to
attack us.

We are not afraid and we have no plans to end our protest! In fact, news of
the company's legal action has brought more supporters to our protest camp
at the mine site. Meanwhile, the provincial government, which has the legal
obligation to consult with us, remains conspicuously silent.

Last year Frontenac Ventures Corporation began aggressively exploring for
uranium on our land in Frontenac County in eastern Ontario. FVC have now
staked hundreds of mineral claims covering more than 5,000 hectares of land
and have clear-cut large areas of forest to make way for the next phase of
exploration: drilling core samples to determine how much uranium is under
the land they have staked. The government of Ontario has allowed all of this
to happen without any consultations whatsoever with our communities, in
clear violation of Canadian law.

Last week, after we rejected an offer by the company to end our protest in
exchange for $10,000 blood money, we again called for the province to begin
discussions with us to end the standoff. The province has still not
responded.

AAFN members, together with our neighbours, the Shabot Obaadjiwan Algonquin
First Nation, have occupied the site of the proposed uranium mine since June
29 and we have informed Frontenac Ventures that no further mineral staking
or exploration activity will be allowed within our territory at this time.

Today, Chief Doreen Davis of Shabot Obaadjiwan First Nation and Paula
Sherman, Co-Chief of the Ardoch Algonquin First Nation again called on the
province to begin consultations to resolve the issues which led to the
protest. Said Chief Sherman, "we have yet to hear anything from Premier
McGuinty or his Minister of Aboriginal Affairs, David Ramsay, and so far
none of their officials have even had the courtesy to return our calls,
emails or letters, They do not appear to have any interest in resolving this
mess or meeting their legal obligation to consult with us."

*ALGONQUIN ALLIANCE STATEMENT AGAINST URANIUM EXPLORATION AND MINING*

July 24, 2007

On June 28, 2007 leadership and members of Ardoch Algonquin First Nation and
Shabot Obaadjiwan First Nation moved to secure the site of a proposed
uranium mine in the traditional lands of the Ardoch Algonquin First Nation
near Ardoch Ontario. Frontenac Ventures Corporation, under the ownership of
George White had been notified by mail to vacate the premises prior to the
28th with his equipment and staff. On the 28th members of the two Algonquin
communities moved in and secured the site to prevent the drilling of uranium
core samples which were slated to begin the following week.

Upon securing the site, the two communities established an alliance whose
overall purpose was to prohibit access to the site and any proposed drilling
within and around the site and all associated sites by Frontenac Ventures
Corporation. The Algonquin alliance discovered through an initial search
that multiple users had been granted access to the site and land surrounding
the site by the MNR, Mining and Northern Development and private owners. At
no time did any of these ministries or private owners contact or secure
permission from Algonquin people to use the lands or resources in question.
In fact, while Algonquin people in the area had heard rumors of a proposed
uranium mine in Frontenac County, we were not aware of the plans to develop
a mine on our traditional territory until Gloria Morrison, a private land
owner in the region, attended a council meeting and asked for the Ardoch
Algonquin council's help in protecting her property. Gloria came to the
meeting because 60 acres of her 100 acre holding had been staked by
Frontenac Ventures under the Mining Act. She had exhausted all other
alternatives at that point and hoped that Algonquin people could help her as
she understood that the land she had purchased was in the historical
territory of Algonquin people.

As already mentioned the overall purpose of the Algonquin alliance is to
prohibit access to the site and any proposed drilling within and around the
site and all associated sites. This includes sites that are privately owned
and leased to Frontenac Ventures Corporation as this usage is against the
Original Teachings and Guiding Principles which provide the guidance
necessary to live within Mino-Pimaadiziwin (which means to live the good
life, in a balanced way that promotes the sustainability of the Natural
World and all living entities). The alliance is using a four-pronged
approach to dealing with uranium exploration and mining which includes
education of the larger community on the dangers of uranium exploration and
mining and direct action in various locations in Algonquin territory to
bring local, national and international attention to the issue. The two
Algonquin communities who make up this alliance are also concerned with
their responsibility as Anishinaabe people to examine prior usage of the
land and resources by all users who have been granted access by the province
of Ontario. Part of that strategy is to develop sound mechanisms for
restoring balance to the land and waterways that have been impacted by their
activities on the land and also create protocols of interaction that can be
used with future users so that the same mistakes do not occur again.

The alliance also has to deal with the other users who were granted access
to our territory through the province. One such user is MREL. MREL is a
company that has moved heavily into the defence and security industry, and
in particular the development of a range of vehicle disrupters which are
used to neutralize improvised explosive devises and bomb laden vehicles,
placed in anything from regular automobiles up to tractor trailer sized
trucks. The units are robot deployed and designed to minimize collateral
damage. The thrust of their work is humanitarian with an emphasis on saving
lives, both by countering the threat of bombs in the civilian community, as
well as to improve the defence capability of Canadian troops.

As MREL's current contract is designed to save lives, and not connected to
the drilling of core samples or uranium mining, the alliance has made the
decision to permit MREL to enter the site under a memorandum of
understanding between MREL and Ardoch and Shabot Obaadjiwan First Nations.
The memorandum of understanding will cover only the current project related
to their research on vehicle disrupters. It will cover the nature of
required clean-up from previous MREL work, set out the protocols for
relating to the land in a way that promotes balanced relationships with the
land and waterscapes, while also enabling MREL to complete the project in
the designated timeframe. Any other usage of the site by MREL would have to
be renegotiated. The MOU will also address the issue of securing the site
while MREL is conducting their research. MREL has also come out openly
against George While and Frontenac Ventures Corporation and has provided the
alliance with numerous documents, maps, and correspondence that supports our
position against uranium mining.

The alliance is also concerned with a new tendency on the part of some
individuals to treat this site as a tourist attraction. The articulation of
our autonomy here is a serious issue for both Ardoch Algonquin First Nation
and for Shabot Obaadjiwan First Nation. We have secured the area for the
sole purpose of preventing the drilling of core samples which would lead to
the development of a uranium mine on our traditional territory. Securing the
area means literally keeping everyone out unless they have been invited to
enter at the main gate where the encampment is located. This policy is
necessary to secure the safety of everyone, inside and outside the gate. The
entire parameter has been secured through the use of warriors to prevent
access to Frontenac Venture Corporation and no one should enter the site as
you could be seen as working for FVC. This encampment and occupation of the
surrounding land and watersheds is part of an ongoing resistance on the part
of these two First Nations to resist the attempts of Frontenac Ventures
Corporation to drill core samples, it should respectfully not be treated as
a tourist attraction.

The Algonquin alliance and resistance force is being assisted by CCAMU,
Mining Watch, and other environmental and citizenship groups who are opposed
to uranium mining. Many of the individuals involved in the various groups
have had their own property staked under the Mining Act by Frontenac
Ventures Corporation. While Algonquin people are concentrating on direct
actions that articulate our autonomy in the valley of the Kiji Sìbì (which
is a necessary component in the overall efforts to prevent uranium
exploration and mining on our traditional lands), our non-Aboriginal friends
and neighbors have renewed ancient relationships with the Algonquin people
and communities here and have taken up once again their side of the wampum
belt that was neglected long ago by their ancestors. Their efforts to create
and disperse important information on the Mining Act and impacts of uranium
mining have gone a long way in gaining outside support for our struggle to
stop Frontenac in their tracks. Our non-Aboriginal neighbors have also
created a network of support for the Algonquin and other Aboriginal
communities who remain on the site behind the gate. This network of
concerned friends and neighbors have taken it upon themselves to make sure
that the people who remain there have the food, supplies, and necessities
needed to maintain the occupation until a positive resolution can be
achieved. Both Algonquin communities, as well as the other Aboriginal people
at the site greatly appreciate the dedication and sacrifices made by
everyone who has supported and continues to support our efforts to stop the
proposed uranium exploration and mining on Algonquin land and that of our
neighbors.

Direct Action

The alliance has taken several direct actions in the past few weeks to draw
attention to the issue including two protest marches down Highway 7 in
Sharbot Lake. The next direct action will take place on July 28 in Perth.
Those wishing to participate in the action should meet at the lot behind
Wendys at 3pm. This particular action will take place at two spots on
Highway 7. There will be pylons inserted into the middle of the road to slow
it down to two lanes. We will be setting up information tolls at each end of
perth on Highway 7. Cars will be allowed to travel but at a much slower pace
which will permit us to provide info on the issue and also ask for donations
which are needed to sustain the resistance force at the site and to pay for
legal fees. We will need volunteers to stand at each end of the highway with
picket signs and eight people to work the information toll. We will maintain
the information toll from 3pm-6pm. We will continue to plan such actions on
Highway Seven moving next to Carleton Place and eastward……eventually
reaching Ottawa if necessary.

Legal Strategy

The Algonquin alliance has secured the legal services of Chris Reid, who is
an expert on Aboriginal rights and law. Chris is working from the legal
standpoint that Algonquin people never surrendered our lands and thus our
autonomy and jurisdiction remain intact in the areas in which Frontenac
Ventures Corporation has staked and plans to drill core samples. The details
of that strategy need to remain confidential, but we will keep you updated
on the progress made.

Response from Frontenac Ventures Corporation

Frontenac Ventures Corporation has responded to our protest in a variety of
ways, including issuing a statement in the Globe and Mail wherein
Frontenac's CEO George White suggested that perhaps companies in Canada
should utilize paramilitary forces such as those used in Africa (if you have
seen Blood Diamond you will get the idea) to protect mining interests from
people such as ourselves, which he equated with terrorism. In a meeting held
last week, White's lawyer said several nasty things about our Mohawk allies
and asked point blank if there were Mohawk warriors on the premises. White
also promised swift legal action against us at that meeting and has followed
through with that threat as we have been told that he has filed a 77 million
dollar law suit against the two Algonquin communities here and their
associated leaders. While a security force showed up at several points today
trying to serve the notice, no one accepted it and they will know deliver it
to our legal team which is being led by Chris Reid out of Toronto.

Fundraising

Given the length of time we will need to maintain the occupation of our
lands and the nature of the legal issues, we will need to implement and
maintain various fundraising initiatives and activities over the next few
months. Frank Morrison, who alerted us to the activities of Frontenac
Ventures Corporation, is in the process of organizing a major benefit
concert to take place in Carleton Place which will help in that regard, as
will the one that is scheduled for Weds in Sharbot Lake. If you are not able
to come and stand with us on the ground here please get involved in
organizing fundraising activities to support our efforts here and what will
be undoubtedly a lengthy and costly legal battle. All funds raised can be
dropped off at the gate or mailed to 1045 Canoe Lane Ardoch, ON. Please
specify that mailed funds go to fight uranium mining and the efforts of the
Algonquin people occupying the site. If you are not able to get involved in
the organization of fundraising activities, please consider dropping off or
sending in your donation to support this important issue. Uranium
exploration and mining will destroy our traditional territory and make it
impossible to live off the land or to maintain our responsibilities to the
land and waterways. We are doing this for the benefit of your children and
grandchildren, so that they will have a future as Algonquin people.

CHI-MIIGWECH!

The Algonquin Alliance of Ardoch Algonquin First Nation & Shabot Obaadjiwan
First Nation

*For more information please contact: *
Chief Paula Sherman – 613-329-3706 omamikwe at bell.blackberry.net;
Chief Randy Cota – (613) 541-8205;
or our lawyer, Christopher Reid – lawreid at aol.com (416) 466-9928.
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