Dear Editor,
Lately, the Ontario government has been running glossy ads and press releases about “unlocking the potential” of the Ring of Fire—an area in northern Ontario rich in critical minerals. These ads promise jobs, prosperity, and progress. But what they don’t mention is who pays the real price.
The Ring of Fire sits on the traditional territories of many First Nations. These aren’t empty lands waiting to be developed—they are homelands, sacred ecosystems, and the foundations of Indigenous culture and livelihood. Many of these communities have made it clear that they are not opposed to development, but that they demand their treaty rights and their right to free, prior, and informed consent be respected before any large-scale mining proceeds.
That’s not radical—it’s Canadian law and international human rights. Yet the government’s advertising fails to mention any of this. It’s also worth noting that while Ontario boasts of its mining ambitions, several of these same First Nations still live under long-term boil water advisories—Neskantaga First Nation’s, issued in 1995, is the longest in Canadian history. How can we justify extracting wealth from these lands while people there still cannot safely drink their water?
We often speak as if colonization is something that happened long ago. But when governments push resource extraction over the objections of Indigenous nations, when profit outweighs consent, and when the people most affected are again left out of the decision-making — that is colonization, happening right now.
Critical minerals may fuel the green transition, but justice must fuel our choices. A truly sustainable future for Ontario cannot be built on broken promises or ignored treaties.
Grace Lau, Midland