"Court of Appeal Calls on Ontario to Negotiate with KI and Ardoch,"

On February 15, 2008, Robert Lovelace, retired Chief of the Ardoch Algonquin First Nation, was sentenced to six months in a maximum security prison. His crime? He had declared that he could not obey a court order which banned peaceful protest against uranium exploration on his community’s territory in eastern Ontario, because he must obey Algonquin law which forbids uranium mining and exploration. The government of Ontario had approved the exploration in 2006 without any consultation with the Ardoch Algonquins and without any regard for the sensitive ecology of the area.

On March 17, Chief Donny Morris and five other leaders of the Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI) received a similar six month sentence in a very similar case. In KI’s case Ontario had also approved the staking and exploration of land which KI says is part of its traditional territory, and which should not be subjected to the environmental impacts of mining. The six KI leaders: Chief Morris, Dpty. Chief Jack McKay, Spokesperson Sam McKay, Councilors Cecilia Begg and Daryl Sainnawap and Bruce Sakakeep – became known as the “KI Six”. Like the Ardoch Algonquins, they had refused to obey a court order prohibiting them from interfering with mining in their territory.

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Contacts:

Sam McKay, Spokesperson, KI (807) 537-2263
Robert Lovelace, Ardoch FN (613) 532-2166
Chris Reid, Legal Counsel for KI and Ardoch: (416) 629-3117Recommend this Post

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