Sept-Iles multipurpose port: No projects without consent of the Innu of Uashat mak Mani-utenam

UASHAT MAK MANI-UTENAM, QC, July 10, 2015 /CNW Telbec/ - The saga involving Innu Takuaikan Uashat mak Mani-utenam (ITUM) and the multipurpose port in Sept-Iles is not over. The future of the port and the land situated in Pointe-Noire, Sept-Iles, depends on an agreement with the ITUM, which must give free, prior and informed consent for any development project on their lands.

"All involved parties must acknowledge that the Innus of Uashat mak Mani-utenam hold ancestral rights and title to the land. Regardless of the project or the key players, we have a say and we intend to play an active role in any development on our territory," said Mike McKenzie, chief of ITUM.

Any developer (mining or logistics company) hoping to carry out a project in Pointe-Noire, Sept-Iles, must include the Innu Uashat mak Mani-utenam, including any development related to the operations or the acquisition of assets of the Arnaud Railway Company, which are now protected by the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA).

"ITUM will no longer tolerate having a private company to independently hold interests on Aboriginal land in Pointe-Noire, which would in the end jeopardize or harm the economic and political interests of the Innu," said Chief McKenzie. "Operations in Pointe-Noire must remain public and must be aimed at facilitating the region's economic and political interests of the, including the economic interests of the Innus."

ITUM will vigorously defend and protect its Aboriginal rights, including rights signed under its Impact Benefit Agreement with Cliffs Natural Resources – Bloom Lake, should a developer seek to acquire Cliffs' assets in Pointe-Noire, which are under CCAA protection, in a way that would jeopardize the Innus' economic interests.  

SOURCE Innu Takuaikan Uashat Mak Mani-Utenam (ITUM)

Jean-Alexandre D'Etcheverry, Tel : [phone], Mobile: [phone]