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National Indigenous News August 12 · National Indigenous Newscasts

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: This is a look at your National Indigenous News.
• 0:02
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Darrell Stranger.
• 0:03
  SPEAKER_00: An Indigenous Grassroots Group has launched what it says is the first federal court challenge against a Ring of Fire project.
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_00: The Friends of the Attawapascat River have filed an application for judicial review asking the federal court to revoke the federal environment minister's approval of the project.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_00: The applicants argue the federal government approved a major transportation route into the Ring of Fire despite significant environmental impacts and indigenous rights concerns.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_00: They warned the decision could set a precedent for future mining projects in the region.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_00: The application lists the Attorney General of Canada, the Federal Minister of Environment, Climate, Change, and Nature, and Webequay First Nation as respondents.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_00: The claims have not yet been tested in court.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: The planned 107-kilometer Webacway supply road is one of three all-season roads planned to access the Ring of Fire mining area in northwestern Ontario.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: A six-year federal impact assessment for the road ended in June.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_00: The Federal Impact Assessment concluded the project would cause significant adverse effects, including contamination and loss of peatlands, degradation and loss of habitat for species at risk, such as woodland caribou, disruption of traditional indigenous activities and culturally significant sites, and increased risks of physical and sexual violence and human trafficking due to the expected influx of workers.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_00: Environment Minister Julie DeBrusen determined on June 25th that the project's adverse effects were justified in the public interest.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: The Friends of the Attawapascat River argue that decision was unreasonable because it failed to properly consider indigenous rights protected under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, as well as the project's impacts on biodiversity, climate change, and sustainability.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: The group wants the federal court to cancel the minister's decision, declare it invalid, and pause the project's approval while the review is underway.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_00: The federal government is making an investment in the Community Futures Treaty 7 that supports personalized employment and skills training opportunities for First Nations youth across Treaty 7 Territory.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_00: Through Employment and Social Development Canada's Youth Employment and Skills Strategy, or Yes program, Community Futures Treaty 7 is receiving more than$3.2 million for their regional Skills Link project.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_00: The project will support 165 First Nations youth to develop the skills, experience, and confidence to secure meaningful careers while remaining connected to their communities and creating lasting opportunities for themselves and future generations.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: The Yes program provides funding to organizations to deliver a range of activities that help young people maximize their employment opportunities.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_00: The program supports a flexible approach, ensuring tailored services are available so youth can gain the skills and experience they need.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_00: Supports can include mentorship, coaching, training, wraparound services such as dependent care support, paid work placements, and other supports.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_00: A team from Saskatchewan Polytechnic is collaborating with Montreal Lake Cree Nation to create new digital land maps.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_00: The three-year project aims to gather geospatial data using satellite images and sensors mounted on drones.
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_00: The information is then brought onto a geographic information system, or GIS, to create different types of maps.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_00: The community has been collecting information about house locations, streets and roads, as well as identifying areas for trapping, fishing, medicine gathering, berry picking, sacred sites, and burial sites.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_00: A key part of the project is that the maps are dynamic, meaning they will be constantly updated and changed alongside the different bioregions.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_00: All information collected will be converted to a different format for storage.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_00: New Generation 911, a new system the federal and provincial governments are trying to implement.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_00: The system includes detailed information about roads, infrastructure, housing, fire hydrants, and even ongoing maintenance and construction.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_00: Residents of Montreal Lake Creation are being trained to operate the drones so they can update the maps themselves.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_00: That's a look at your National Indigenous News.