STAKING OUR CLAIM FOR A HEALTHY FUTURE
June 24, 2008
For the complete report of a citizens' inquiry held in April 2008 in Eastern Ontario,
convened by the Community Coalition Against Uranium Mining, please click on the following link:
Uranium Mining Inquiry Report (pdf 1.8 Megs)
Uranium Mining Inquiry Report (text 120 Kbps)
John Kittle Speech in Almonte, 12 October, 2007
John Kittle is leading a group called the Citizens Committee Against Uranium Mining and he made his pitch at a meeting in Almonte on 12 October. All interested parties wishing to contact their civic leaders, please scroll down to "Useful Links" below.
Please click on the following for John's full speech:
John Kittle's Speech in Almonte
Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority Handout
Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority has provided a handout that has been circulating about a proposed uranium mining operation near Crotch Lake.
Apparently as of a few weeks ago, the mining has been put on hold and the MVC General Manager has been in touch with the mining company. While they
cannot stop their mining the company will have to follow specific regulations. Concerned citizens should throw their support behind MVCs effort to institute a moratorium on uranium mining
in the Watershed. Also, a letter/email writing campaign aimed the Premier could let the government know how we feel about the risks involved. For the MVC handout, please click on the following:
Uranium Mining ... A Threat to our Environment
Also, please check out this link put out by the First Nations in the area:
MNN Canada's "Chernobyl" at Sharbot Lake
Aboriginal protesters reject money offer to end standoff
Sharbot Lake, ON - Aboriginal protesters occupying the site of a potential uranium mine in eastern Ontario have rejected the mining company's offer of financial compensation.
Officials and lawyers from Frontenac Ventures Corp. met with members of the Shabot Obaadjiwan and Ardoch Algonquin First Nations on Tuesday and offered $10,000 to the communities to end their protest. But Ardoch Co-Chief Randy Cota told the company ''our land and our principles are not for sale.'' The company's lawyers then threatened legal action to gain access to the site. Aboriginal leaders fear a uranium mine will contaminate their traditional lands. They are again calling on the province to begin consultations to resolve the situation. Frontenac Ventures has mineral claims covering an area of about 60 square kilometres in Frontenac County, known for its pristine wilderness. The protesters have occupied the site since June 29. (CP, London Free Press C5)
This message is from Howard Robinson, VP of MVFN. It is relevant to the present concern with Uranium Exploration in the Ardoch/Sharbot Lake area and Ottawa Valley.
There is a hard deadline for input by Sept 16th for the following
environmental review related to the Surface and Mineral rights within the
Mining Act. Some MVFN members may have a personal interest and may also
wish to review and comment as individuals.
For the purpose of mineral exploration in Ontario, the Mining Act defines
two types of land rights and ownership. "Mining rights" are the rights to
minerals on, in or under any land and "surface rights" are all other rights,
besides the mining rights, in land. These distinctive land rights may be
held by the same person or could be held separately. If the Crown (i.e.,
Ontario government) holds the mining rights, any person with a prospector
licence may stake the land and attain the exclusive right to explore for
minerals.
There is an open review being conducted on a portion of the mining act. The
proposal relating to surface rights covers sections 29, 30 and 32 and 78 of
the Mining Act which may eventually get rolled into one section.
Instructions to provide input can also be found at the following link.
Specifically, this can be viewed at the environmental registry and found EBR
Registry Number: 010-1018 at the following site
Specifically, this can be viewed at the environmental registry and found EBR
Registry Number: 010-1018 at the following site:
Instructions to Provide Input
Title: Potential changes to how claim staking and mineral exploration would
be conducted on property where the mining rights and surface rights are held
separately.
Comment Period: 60 days: submissions may be made between July 18, 2007 and
September 16, 2007.
The review period closes on September 16th so it is important to make a
submission before that date.
Possible Areas to consider for input to protect property, individual rights
and the environment.
* Reunite surface and mining rights in Southern Ontario.
* Restrict staking only to areas identified as having significant
mineral potential
* No staking or exploration on area zoned residential, cottage lots,
managed woodlots, or where there are registered plans of subdivision.
* No staking on areas identified as significant wetlands, valleylands
and woodlands, farm land and lands zoned environmental protection or
Municipal lands such as parks, arenas, public buildings,
baseball/soccer/football/hockey fields, etc.
* Written consent required on all lands that are privately owned
* Compensation guide should be provided to all landowners when land
has been staked
* Compensation should include loss of property value
* MNDM need to update maps showing improvements and land zoning
* All changes to exploration plans should require consent from
landowner
* MNDM need to address issues of liability
Useful Links:
Email address for Paul Dulmage, Mayor of Carleton Place:
paul@dulmage.ca
Email address for Aubrey Churchill Reeve of Drummond North Elmsley:
achurchill@lincsat.com
Email address for Richard Kidd Reeve of Beckwith:
rkidd@ripnet.com
Information on sending a note to Dalton McGinty, Premier of Ontario, can be found at his official website:
http://www.premier.gov.on.ca
Here is the environmental registry link for searching
Search Government Review Notices
* * Here is the environmental registry link for searching
government review notices
* To understand whether a landowner owns the mineral (mining) rights
along with surface rights, please consult your land registry or lawyer.
Another method is as follows:
Go to the website of the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines
at:
Ministry of Northern Development and Mines
o Click on Mines and Minerals, and then Mining Lands, to find Mining
Claim Maps and map search. Answer the disclaimer and then Key in a township
(Possibly old township name), and then zoom in on a specific area by drawing
a rectangle with the cursor. When the area is sufficiently detailed, the map
will display a legend indicating who owns the subsurface mineral rights. Use
'Identify disposition' button and click on target area for more detail as
needed.
MNDM Glossary of terms
Regards
Howard Robinson
MVFN VP
Here is some information on the mining situation from the FOCA newsletter. Please click on:
FOCA Elert 1807