By Zainab Zaman
Standing up for their rights, the First Nation Community in Beaver Lake have been protesting in the last twenty-four hours to defend their land that has been taken away from them after the government denied them permits to log timber in their own territory.
This afternoon, Chief Sherry Mosquito speaks with Humber news and addresses in detail the main challenges the First Nations community is facing. The meeting is held in regard to an international logging company called Cut Timber Logging that will be replacing the Indigenous communities own logging company that provides sustainability and jobs for several years.
“We want the government of Ontario as well as the federal government to know that when we are in negotiations on a land claim, they do not have the authority to issue permits for companies to come and extract resources from our land without having first a consultation with us,” Mosquito said.
For Mosquito, she believes that the government has taken away their opportunity for growth through forestry by not issuing them a permit. “When it comes to protecting and developing from our land, our community needs to be aware and things need to be done with our consent” she added “Our community needs economic development on our own territory,” Says Mosquito.
The Ontario Provincial Police are surrounding the blocked Highway 17 and peaceful protest, they are having conversations with protestors.
We also spoke with Logging Company CutTimber Regional Director, Richard Thomas who says they have legal documents to enter the 500-acre land to log and keep their company in business through their supply chain of producing paper products for people to use worldwide.
“ We have every legal right to harvest this land, we regret that chief mosquito is preventing us from doing our work, the Ontario government and the federal government need to be brought in and bring this to a peaceful ending,”
The First Nation community has filed a land claim, they are fighting for their territory negotiation which includes taking into consideration 300,000 land mass that is part of their traditional practices, hunting and fishing rights and their ability to exercise their jurisdiction.
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