Anishinabek Nation brings treaty rights to the forefront in Lands and Resources Forum

February 5, 2018
Chief Isadore Day setting nets on Oct. 1, 2009 near Elliot Lake – assertion of Treaty Rights.
Southeast Regional Chief JimBob Marsden, Northern Superior Chief Pierre Pelletier, Deputy Grand Council Chief Glen Hare, Grand Council Chief Patrick Madahbee and Lake Huron Regional Chief Paul Eshkakogan: ‘We need to get out on the land and assert our jurisdiction’.

NORTH BAY (February 5, 2018)  – For the second year, Grand Council Chief Patrick Wedaseh Madahbee welcomes First Nations, citizens, government, industry and academia to the 2018 Lands and Resources Forum on the traditional land of Nipissing First Nation. The three-day event focuses on treaty rights as they affect Lands and Resources.

The event brings together 40 member Anishinabek First Nations, representing over 60,000 citizens from the Lake Huron, the Northern Superior, and the Southeast and Southwest Regions in Ontario.

The forum’s theme “Everything is Connected” is reflected in the Sharing Circle format of the talks, where everyone in the circle participates together.

“It’s very important for the format of the forum to be conducive to our goal of understanding, and respecting each other’s views and perspectives,” says Grand Council Chief Madahbee.

This year’s forum opens with the Anishinabek Nation Leadership panel, followed by a plenary session of First Nation Elders sharing their experiences, challenges and insights related to their communities and regions.

Over the course of the forum being held February 6-8 at the Best Western, attendees will also take part in presentations and discussions from representatives from a number of ministries, including the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, and the Ministry of Transportation. Other topics include a panel on future consultation from a legal perspective with representatives from Olthuis Kleer Townshend LLP, a discussion on the reality of today’s environment with First Nation technicians, and a keynote address on energy independence from Induspec, a local engineering firm.

The final day of the forum includes an Anishinabek Nation Caucus, allowing the 40 member First Nations to discuss and reflect on their time together.