Members of the Anishinaabe nation of Lac-Simon demanded and obtained, on Monday, the cessation of work at an open-pit mine in Abitibi-Témiscamingue.
Members of the community went to the Novador project site, near Val-d’Or, to deliver a notice to the workers on site to cease all activities.
In this letter, the First Nation chief, Lucien Wabanonik, argues that the Fresnillo company’s work is taking place without the community’s consent, even though it “has expressed its clear and unequivocal opposition to this project.”
The gold mine project, previously developed by Probe Gold, was acquired by the Mexican mining company Fresnillo last January. Wabanonik points out that it is located on the ancestral territory of the Anishnabe Aki Nation, a fact acknowledged by the company in various project documents.
For its part, the company says it is “sensitive to the position expressed by the nation.” The director of community relations and sustainable development, Chantal Dancose, indicated in an email to The Canadian Press that “exchanges and information sessions have been held with various stakeholders in the community, including the Lac-Simon community,” from the outset of the project.
She said she wanted to continue these exchanges constructively with the community.
“We are open to dialogue, but not to a process where decisions have already been made and work is carried on despite our opposition,” Chief Wabanonik warned in a statement.
He also accuses the Quebec Ministry of Natural Resources and Forests of issuing permits “for exploration work with impacts” without having obtained the consent of the nation.
“The Quebec government cannot authorize work on our territory as if our nation did not exist. Our opposition is known. Our concerns are serious. Our consent has not been obtained,” says Chief Wabanonik.
The ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Canadian Press.
The Novador project envisions surface and underground operations that would lead to the extraction of 15,500 to 19,200 tonnes of ore per day over a 14-year operating period, according to documents filed by Probe Gold with the department.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
