Imagine talking with someone about how best to split a pie that belongs to you — but before you’ve even decided, the other person starts handing out slices to people walking by.

That’s kind of what’s happening in northwestern Ontario, where I travelled last summer with photographer Christopher Katsarov Luna. While Ontario’s Ring of Fire region gets more attention, the Doug Ford government says the minerals near the shores of Lake Superior are also key to building things like electric vehicles. 

But this critical mineral boom? It’s happening as some First Nations still fight for title over land they didn’t cede.

So, when a tip landed in my inbox last April — “There’s one hell of a story here,” it said — I knew I wanted to hit the ground and find out more.  

Netmizaaggamig Nishnaabeg never signed a treaty with Ontario or Canada. Yet the provincial government has allowed mining companies to stake claims across its territory without consulting Netmizaaggamig. The claims are eating up land the nation is currently negotiating over, and covering sensitive, culturally important sites like the sacred White Lake narrows.

“If mining companies get their way to stake claims on our territory, especially around White Lake, you can pretty much kiss the lake goodbye,” Netmizaaggamig Nishnaabeg Chief Louis Kwissiwa told me.

A big factor contributing to frustrations? The Ontario government doesn’t require industry to secure consent from First Nations, and often leaves the task of consulting Indigenous communities to private, for-profit companies. Some of those companies prioritize it, and many of them just … don’t.

Just down the road in Biigtigong Nishnaabeg territory, a mining saga has played out differently: after years of work and negotiation, Biigtigong has consented to a proposed mine slated to be built nearby, a process it said should be a model for industry seeking to work there.

Netmizaaggamig, meanwhile, is open to mining in its territory — if companies are prepared to truly listen and respond to concerns.

Here, the power of this rich landscape is undeniable. The glimmering waters of White Lake and Lake Superior, and the expansive sand dunes at the mouth of Biigtig Ziibi (Pic River) are scenes that will live in my memory forever. The power of the people is undeniable, too: two communities taking control of their territories and their futures, whatever role they may want mining to play. 

The mining industry contributes nearly $13 billion to Ontario’s economy every year, but it can be easy to only hear about profits flowing to Bay Street offices or politicians making announcements at podiums. I hope you’ll take the time to see things from the view of the people who call this place their home.

Take care and don’t say goodbye yet,

Emma McIntosh
Ontario reporter 

This week in The Narwhal