Comments on: Grassy Narrows Wins. For Real.

By: easyVegan.info » Blog Archive » easyVegan Link Sanctuary, 2008-06-04

easyVegan.info » Blog Archive » easyVegan Link Sanctuary, 2008-06-04 — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 22:05:57 +0000

[...] Rainforest Action Network (RAN): Grassy Narrows Wins. For Real. It was a regular day at RAN today, full of meetings and discussions with my ever so talented colleagues. Until about 3pm when David Sone, my fellow Old Growth campaigner, interrupted a meeting that I was in to tell me that AbitibiBowater had just announced that they will pull their logging operations out of Grassy Narrows Territory. [...]

By: Greg

Greg — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 14:59:46 +0000

It is time that Euro-American government and corporate leaders honored Indigenous rights. This is a great turn around for the Ojibwe people of Grassy Narrows. I am proud of them. Thank you RAN for having the courage and endurance to stand by them.

By: Charlene Rush

Charlene Rush — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 17:31:50 +0000

It is terribly sad, how some, believe that so-called “progress”, always trumps conservation and the environment. Do we not care enough about our future generations, living in a healthy planet?

By: The Understory » Grassy Narrows Victory Conference Call Thursday!

The Understory » Grassy Narrows Victory Conference Call Thursday! — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:36:12 +0000

[...] by Annie in Old Growth, RAN General on June 17th, 2008 If you’ve been reading this blog, you know by know that RAN’s Old Growth Campaign had a major victory last week when [...]

By: Nick Gulotta

Nick Gulotta — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 23:46:31 +0000

Thank you everyone who worked on the Free Grassy Narrows Campaign.
Great job everyone!
Cheers.

By: Raven Redbird

Raven Redbird — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 14:31:35 +0000

As a counsellor at an Aboriginal shelter for women and children in Toronto the women in our Life Skills group were excited about attending the September 21/07 rally at Queen’s Park. It was a beautiful, empowering day. We had the honor or meeting and singing with Linda from Grassy Narraows. It was the first rally for a couple of the women.
What brought tears of joy to my eyes was when one of them said “Did you see how the people moved for us when we came in with our banner?”…How happy they will be to hear this wonderful news! Nya:weh/Miigwetch and Thank you to Creator and all who fought and won for the future of Mother Earth ahd those she provides for!!

By: Ananda

Ananda — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 18:49:55 +0000

I believe that long-term economic prosperity for communities and sustainable resource-use are mutually reinforcing values, but the current status quo forest and mining economies of Canada serve to undermine both of these with devastating consequences for future generations. The corporations running these industry sectors are currently shipping more jobs and wealth out of these communities and country than could ever bring sustained and equitable benefits to both First Nations and Canadian communities, eh!

By: David

David — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 18:45:46 +0000

Hi Joseph,

Thank you for your comments and important questions. Certainly the history of relations between enviros and First Nations has been far from perfect. RAN has been thinking hard about these questions, and we are developing a protocol to guide our work with First Nations and to help answer questions like yours. It is currently under review by our Indigenous partners and we look forward to sharing it publicly soon. Until then, here are my thoughts on the matter…

RAN supports the right of First Nations to GIVE OR WITHOLD consent for industrial projects on their traditional territories.

That said, First Nations who want to log or mine get relatively huge amounts of support (from corporations and the government in the form of impact benefit agreements, revenue sharing, job sharing etc.) compared to First Nations communities who say ‘no’ (who get jailed or ignored). Since we believe in responsible use of resources that respects both Indigenous rights AND the ecosystems that support life, we focus our limited energy and work on working with First Nations and other frontline communities who have invited us to support them in putting forward a vision of a just AND sustainable future.

While RAN won’t ever actively campaign to promote clearcuts, strip mines, and dams, we do support the rights of Indigenous communities to determine their economic priorities and path. I know of no situation where RAN has actively campaigned against a First Nations economic development project.

I have been told, and I know clearly, that even for communities like Grassy who have said ‘no’ to clear-cutting, the ultimate issue is their desire and right to control their traditional lands. I respect this.

David (RAN Campaigner)

By: Grassy Narrows +1, Loggers -? « Aid & Abet

Grassy Narrows +1, Loggers -? « Aid & Abet — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 07:22:51 +0000

[...] Want to know more? Free Grassy. It’s Getting Hot In Here. Rainforest Action Network. [...]

By: Joseph Quesnel

Joseph Quesnel — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 22:48:18 +0000

I am a Metis public policy researcher from Canada an I wonder about what this all means as well. While as an Aboriginal, I believe that First Nations deserve the right to determine what type of development occurs on their territory, I wonder what environmentalists like yourselves are really interested in. What about when First Nations approve industrial activities on their territories, do you still support unequivocally?
You need to understand some things. I am from Nortern Ontario, which is a resource-dependent, rural region. Because we are not a sprawling metropolis, we do not have many alternative bases for our economy. Our trees and our mineral resources are what built our region. Many of our communities owe their very existence to logging and mining. Your opposition to Old Growth forestry in principle is bothersome to me because this is an essential part of our economic growth.
It is nice to discuss these things in isolation in your urban environmentalist offices in large metropolitan centres, but you need to see that our industries are our natural resources and they are our survival.
I support the First Nations of Grassy Narrows in their decisions. But, I wonder about your motives, to be honest. Would you support for Aboriginal rights extend, for instance, to the rights of many First Nation communities who desire to develop forest resources in the Far North in the Boreal forest?