First Nations families in Ontario protest development laws by reasserting presence on the land

A family travelling on the Attawapiskat River in Ontario's far north has been planting flags — created by Attawapiskat First Nation families — as a symbol of protest after the passing of provincial and federal laws created to fast-track development. 

Bill 5, the Protecting Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act, allows Ontario to create special economic zones, where companies or projects can be exempted from having to comply with provincial laws, regulations or municipal bylaws.

Attawapiskat First Nation is downstream from the mineral-rich Ring of Fire, which Premier Doug Ford wants to designate as a special economic zone. 

Bill C-5, the federal One Canadian Economy Act, gives cabinet the authority to fast-track certain projects through the regulatory process, particularly those expected to generate economic growth for Canada.

Jeronimo Kataquapit said the goal of the trip is to reassert Indigenous presence on the land. 

"We've been going ahead, setting up a bunch of flagpoles of not just the Attawapiskat First Nation flag, but a lot of family flags," he said.

Kataquapit explained the flags have been customized by Attawapiskat families to include elements like signatures, hand prints and individual messages. 

"Our first steps are to just reassert our presence within our own home," Kataquapit said. "One of the things that we commonly hear is ... no one lives these ways anymore. The old ways are gone… which couldn't be further from the truth."

After planting flags where the Attawapiskat and Muketei rivers meet, Kataquapit said the group plans to travel further upriver to add teepee poles every half kilometre on both sides of the Attawapiskat River.

"We're saying, 'OK, you want hard proof that we're here. We are here.' And these teepee poles will also contain messages," Kataquapit said. "They might contain wood carvings, they might contain maybe paint of people's hands… to show that we are here. We use the land. This is our home, and you can't come in here without our consent." 

'A direct attack on us as a people'

Kataquapit said while he's personally against mining in the Ring of Fire, any project on their territory has to go through consultation with the First Nation communities in the area.

He said documenting the protest through regular livestreams and social media updates is a crucial part of the protesters' strategy, since protests in remote areas can otherwise be ignored.

He said he plans to stay on the land for the entire summer and possibly into the fall or winter.

"I probably won't be going back to Attawapiskat or anywhere else until we see this through the end, until we reassert our presence," he said. 

He also intends to meet with the community of Neskantaga First Nation and build an encampment along the river.

"Any attack on the land, development on the land that doesn't involve us whatsoever… is a direct attack on us as a people, on our very identity, our very essence of who we are," Kataquapit said.