Mining project in Kanesatake/Oka: Kanesatake says "no" to any exploitation of
niobium on its ancestral lands

KANESATAKE, QC, June 9 /CNW Telbec/ - The Mohawk Council of Kanesatake made public today that it categorically rejects the project of the company Niocan Inc., which plans to exploit a resource of niobium on land forming part of the Seigneury of Lake of Two-Mountains, on which Mohawks of Kanesatake have title as well as Aboriginal and treaty rights. "Our position is clear. We will never allow our land to be used without our consent and in a way that is harmful to the environment," says Grand Chief Sohenrise Paul Nicholas.

This opposition of the Mohawk Council was forwarded to the Quebec Government, which is expected to rule shortly on the request for a Certificate of Authorization made by Niocan to the Ministère du Développement durable, de l'Environnement et des Parcs (MDDEP).

The Council of Kanesatake wishes to remind those concerned that the entire Seigneury of Lake of Two-Mountains, including the area chosen for the mining project, is currently the subject of territorial dispute. Therefore, until an agreement has been reached, the governments should impose a moratorium on any development project that could have a negative impact on the rights of Mohawks.

The Council also wishes to stress that serious concerns have been raised by numerous experts regarding the long-term health and environmental hazards that the proposed mine will create. The many pollutants, the radiation emitted by the mine, the gases, the noise, the dust and the possibility of significant impact on the natural hydrographic network could have disastrous consequences for the environment and the health of families living in the vicinity.

For all these reasons, the Mohawk Council says 'no' to Niocan's project. "The Mohawks of Kanesatake have never consented to this project, have never been seriously consulted and continue to strongly oppose it," indicates Grand Chief Nicholas.

For further information: Eric Cardinal, [phone], Cell: [phone], [email protected]