hello everybody,
from today's Uranium news I draw the following info, please feel free to forward:
ROBERT LOVELACE BEGINS HUNGER STRIKE/PAULA SHERMAN MAY GO TO JAIL
On February 15, 2008 Ardoch Algonquin First Nation (AAFN) Spokesperson Robert Lovelace was sentenced in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Kingston to 6 months in maximum security, plus crippling fines, for peacefully protesting uranium mining in the Ardoch homeland. Chief Paula Sherman was fined $15,000 and given until today to pay the fine, failing which she will be jailed.
Lovelace, who turned 60 in jail, announced that he will begin a hunger strike tomorrow to press the government to respond to Ardoch’s request for good faith negotiations. “I do not want my children and grandchildren to have to go through what we are going through” he said. “Starting tomorrow I will consume only water in the hopes that our cry for justice will be heard by Mr. McGuinty and Mr. Bryant.”
Chief Paula Sherman said: “I will soon be going to jail because I cannot and will not pay this unjust fine. I am a single mother with three dependents whose only crime is the defense of our land. Like Bob Lovelace and the KI 6, I would rather go to jail than take food out of my children’s mouths or let our land be destroyed.”
GATHERING OF MOTHER EARTH PROTECTORS
Please contact Susan at sdelisle@kingston.net for busing to this event from Ottawa Valley and Kingston.
May 26th - SOVEREIGNTY RALLY
May 27th - Ongoing events
May 28th - Appeal of the Bob Lovelace/AAFN and KI council sentences (6 months incarceration and in Bob's case, fines)
(editor's comment: unlike the charges against protesting settlers, the appeal is tried in Toronto at the Ontario Court of Appeal: Osgoode Hall, Queen & University Aves, Toronto. Check with ccamu.ca for ride sharing out of Perth and Ottawa)
May 29th - Aboriginal Day of Action
Showing posts with label First Nations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label First Nations. Show all posts
Monday, May 19, 2008
Monday, October 1, 2007
RESISTANCE IS FERTILE interviews Bob Lovelace
The following excerpt was taken for the Resistance if Fertile website. There are two recorded interviews with Bob Lovelace, elder of the Ardoch Algonquins.
Follow Up With Bob Lovelace on the Blockade of a Proposed Uranium Mine
The continuing blockade of a proposed uranium mine near Sharbot Lake is an incredibly important struggle that is getting very little media coverage. Unfortunately that's the way it goes, and that's one of the reasons I do this show. I spoke with retired Ardoch Algonquin chief Bob Lovelace back on August 29 (our first interview is below this one), and here we speak again to learn how things have been progressing.
As it stands most of the leaders of the blockade have warrants out for their arrest and are facing a $77 million lawsuit. Despite this, they are absolutely firm in their stance that the mine will never go through and they will not leave their land. In conjunction with their continued presence at the site, a group of elders and others from their community have embarked on canoes up the Ottawa river to Ottawa, with the intent of gathering support and raising awareness about their struggle. In
support of them, a growing number of communities and organizations are calling for a moratorium on uranium exploration and mining in their territory, and also, a growing number of people in the surrounding municipality are refusing to pay their taxes.
Bob talks about their interesting relationship with the OPP, and how they maintained a good relationship with them from the start, which helped them not get evicted when an injunction came down ordering their removal. Since then, however, the OPP was called to court to provide names of leaders and participants in the blockade, and despite their alleged best of intentions, they had to give names to the court to be named in a civil charges on behalf of Frontenac Ventures. Bob also talks about who Frontenac Ventures is and what their business is about.
As with last time, Bob is an excellent, thoughtful speaker, and I hope you can spread news of this around in your own circles. To hear the interview that was recorded on September 26, 2007 go to
http://www.resistanceisfertile.ca/
Follow Up With Bob Lovelace on the Blockade of a Proposed Uranium Mine
The continuing blockade of a proposed uranium mine near Sharbot Lake is an incredibly important struggle that is getting very little media coverage. Unfortunately that's the way it goes, and that's one of the reasons I do this show. I spoke with retired Ardoch Algonquin chief Bob Lovelace back on August 29 (our first interview is below this one), and here we speak again to learn how things have been progressing.
As it stands most of the leaders of the blockade have warrants out for their arrest and are facing a $77 million lawsuit. Despite this, they are absolutely firm in their stance that the mine will never go through and they will not leave their land. In conjunction with their continued presence at the site, a group of elders and others from their community have embarked on canoes up the Ottawa river to Ottawa, with the intent of gathering support and raising awareness about their struggle. In
support of them, a growing number of communities and organizations are calling for a moratorium on uranium exploration and mining in their territory, and also, a growing number of people in the surrounding municipality are refusing to pay their taxes.
Bob talks about their interesting relationship with the OPP, and how they maintained a good relationship with them from the start, which helped them not get evicted when an injunction came down ordering their removal. Since then, however, the OPP was called to court to provide names of leaders and participants in the blockade, and despite their alleged best of intentions, they had to give names to the court to be named in a civil charges on behalf of Frontenac Ventures. Bob also talks about who Frontenac Ventures is and what their business is about.
As with last time, Bob is an excellent, thoughtful speaker, and I hope you can spread news of this around in your own circles. To hear the interview that was recorded on September 26, 2007 go to
http://www.resistanceisfertile.ca/
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Mining Company sues anti nuclear activists
By Gena Gibson, The Perth Courier August 1st 2007 www.perthcourier.com
Lawsuit, injunction hearing moved to September
The people who have camped out near Robertsville for more than a month say they won't leave until Frontenac Ventures Corporation gives up its quest for uranium.
Lawyers for the Ardoch Algonquin and Shabot Obaadjiwan First Nations met in Kingston court on Monday with Neal Smitheman, the legal representative for the uranium exploration company. The company has served the groups, their leaders and "unknown persons" with a $77 million lawsuit, and would also like an injunction to allow it to begin exploration on thousands of acres of land near Robertsville, in North Frontenac Township.
"Our position and stance haven't changed," said Paula Sherman, who shares co-chief duties of the Ardoch Algonquin First Nations with Randy Cota. "We're staying, anyway."
She said the injunction hearing is set for late September, but the company, and the judge who heard arguments on Monday, want to get together tomorrow (Thursday) to find a compromise.
"Our stance on that is they won't have access here," Sherman stressed, pointing out that officials with Frontenac Ventures Corporation are concerned with losing financial backing for the project. "We consider that to be a ploy."
Sherman said the people, both native and non-native, who have blocked access to the property plan to stay until the provincial government resolves the issue of land jurisdiction.
"The hearing now is not to determine whose land it is," she pointed out, saying the judge would like to know what Frontenac Ventures can do that won't compromise the land.
"We don't recognize anything (that can be done)," she added. "Anything they can do leading up to exploration and mining (is not acceptable)."
She said the native community believes the $77 million lawsuit is posturing on the part of Frontenac Ventures.
The main issue, for Sherman and her group, is their claim to more than three billion acres of land for the Ardoch Algonquins. The Shabot Obaadjiwan First Nations, under Chief Doreen Davis, are in the midst of a land claim that has gone on for years.
"We don't need to use that process," Sherman explained. "We already have jurisdiction over our land.
"It was never ceded."
Sherman, who teaches aboriginal studies at Trent University, said the hearing in September and early October will have no bearing on what is happening at the potential mining site.
"They can just do the injunction, because our minds are not changing," she said. "The issue needs to be dealt with once and for all."
Many of the protesters lined Hwy. 7 in Perth on Saturday afternoon, handing out pamphlets on uranium mining to drivers. While most people were receptive, Sherman said, "There are a few who obviously don't care that they're going to be vacationing or living in areas with uranium contamination."
Smitheson did not return a call to his office yesterday (Tuesday).
Lawsuit, injunction hearing moved to September
The people who have camped out near Robertsville for more than a month say they won't leave until Frontenac Ventures Corporation gives up its quest for uranium.
Lawyers for the Ardoch Algonquin and Shabot Obaadjiwan First Nations met in Kingston court on Monday with Neal Smitheman, the legal representative for the uranium exploration company. The company has served the groups, their leaders and "unknown persons" with a $77 million lawsuit, and would also like an injunction to allow it to begin exploration on thousands of acres of land near Robertsville, in North Frontenac Township.
"Our position and stance haven't changed," said Paula Sherman, who shares co-chief duties of the Ardoch Algonquin First Nations with Randy Cota. "We're staying, anyway."
She said the injunction hearing is set for late September, but the company, and the judge who heard arguments on Monday, want to get together tomorrow (Thursday) to find a compromise.
"Our stance on that is they won't have access here," Sherman stressed, pointing out that officials with Frontenac Ventures Corporation are concerned with losing financial backing for the project. "We consider that to be a ploy."
Sherman said the people, both native and non-native, who have blocked access to the property plan to stay until the provincial government resolves the issue of land jurisdiction.
"The hearing now is not to determine whose land it is," she pointed out, saying the judge would like to know what Frontenac Ventures can do that won't compromise the land.
"We don't recognize anything (that can be done)," she added. "Anything they can do leading up to exploration and mining (is not acceptable)."
She said the native community believes the $77 million lawsuit is posturing on the part of Frontenac Ventures.
The main issue, for Sherman and her group, is their claim to more than three billion acres of land for the Ardoch Algonquins. The Shabot Obaadjiwan First Nations, under Chief Doreen Davis, are in the midst of a land claim that has gone on for years.
"We don't need to use that process," Sherman explained. "We already have jurisdiction over our land.
"It was never ceded."
Sherman, who teaches aboriginal studies at Trent University, said the hearing in September and early October will have no bearing on what is happening at the potential mining site.
"They can just do the injunction, because our minds are not changing," she said. "The issue needs to be dealt with once and for all."
Many of the protesters lined Hwy. 7 in Perth on Saturday afternoon, handing out pamphlets on uranium mining to drivers. While most people were receptive, Sherman said, "There are a few who obviously don't care that they're going to be vacationing or living in areas with uranium contamination."
Smitheson did not return a call to his office yesterday (Tuesday).
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