The Metis Nation-Saskatchewan is calling on both the Government of Canada and the Province of Saskatchewan to reject a uranium mine project in northern Saskatchewan.
The MN-S says the planned PLS Uranium Mine by Fission Uranium Corp on Patterson Lake has the potential to disrupt Metis cultural practices in the area.
“Patterson Lake sits at the heart of our Metis Northwest Land Claim and is a critical area of Metis land use,” said MN-S Northern Region 2 Director Leonard Montgrand. “We offered to sit down in a spirit of collaboration with Fission five years ago… but Fission rejected that and subsequent offers.
Patterson Lake is also the site of the Rook 1 uranium project, which received MN-S backing in the past.
According to the MN-S, the Rook 1 project is being developed in collaboration with the Metis to ensure Metis rights are respected and accommodated.
“The MN-S supports the development of opportunities across Saskatchewan where they do not come at the expense of Metis rightsholders,” said MN-S Vice President Michelle LeClair. “I Metis rights… are to have any value, governments must be willing to reject projects that are harmful to Metis citizens.”
The Metis Nation worries the Fission PLS Uranium Mine across the water from Rook 1, will have significant environmental effects.
“The PLS Uranium Mine is a problematic development in a problematic location,” read a media release sent out by the MN-S Wednesday morning. “At very minimum, any approvals should be placed on hold until Rook 1 is fully operational, so that there can be a clear understanding of any impacts from the first mine.”
In the meantime, the MN-S is also calling on the province to end its “blank-cheque” approach to exploration around Patterson Lake.
The MN-S says the province has authorized massive exploration programs in the area and the Metis Nation says the level of impact by this exploration goes beyond “death by a thousand cuts.”
MBC Radio News has reached out to the provincial government for comment.