Cease-and-desist letter served to Ring of Fire mining company by Neskantaga First Nation

As Neskantaga First Nation’s youngest band councillor, Lashaunda Waswa says she wants to inspire the next generation to protect the community’s land, water and wildlife.

That’s why she joined seven others from the remote Ojibway community on Tuesday for a snowmobile trip to a mining exploration camp on their traditional territory — located in the heart of the Ring of Fire region.

There, they served the workers a cease-and-desist letter, with the goal of halting all exploration activities in the area.

“My grandmother's trapline is actually not too far from where the mining camp is, which is very concerning,” said 21-year-old Waswa. “It actually broke me a little inside to know that.”

The Ring of Fire is a crescent-shaped mineral deposit in the James Bay lowlands that’s been eyed by Ontario Premier Doug Ford as a critical asset in the trade war between Canada and the U.S.

While mining has yet to be approved there, efforts to connect the remote area to the provincial highway network have escalated in recent months, with the province signing $40-million deals with both Marten Falls and Webequie First Nations to support road construction through their territories to reach the Ring of Fire, and a $62-million deal with the Municipality of Greenstone.

Meanwhile, several other First Nations, including Neskantaga, have pushed back against development projects, citing concerns about recent legislation which aims to fast-track approvals, such as Bill 5 and the One Project, One Process Framework. 

Waswa says her family taught her about the land’s significance, where they would hunt, fish and carry out traditional teachings and practices.

Once she became more involved in discussions about the Ring of Fire, “it really opened my eyes to how much I really want to protect those lands,” she said.

The exploration camp is run by PTX Metals Inc. for the company’s proposed W2 Project, which is targeting copper-nickel, platinum group elements, gold and cobalt.

According to Neskantaga’s Chief Gary Quisses, his First Nation never consented to the exploration activities taking place, which he says have escalated in recent weeks.

“We never gave you permission to come and take our resources, test our resources, what we have,” he told CBC News, recalling his message to the workers at the camp. “That's our harvesting area, our home and ancestral lands.”

Neskantaga’s action comes ahead of two major developments anticipated on Thursday:

A spokesperson for PTX Metals Inc. provided an emailed statement to CBC News on Wednesday, saying exploration is in the early stages and that it’s received all the required permits.