By Mike Stimpson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter ONIGAMING- The decision to join the Land Defence Alliance was an easy one, Ojibways of Onigaming’s chief said Friday. “The reality is that the Ojibways of Onigaming, our First Nation, has remained in a state of emergency since 2014. And things have gotten worse, to be quite frank,” Chief Jeff Copenace said in an interview. Copenace said his small community southeast of Kenora has seen 32 deaths since he became chief two-and-a-half years ago. Meanwhile, he said, companies in the minerals sector have been “barreling down our community” with projects that present potential threats to nearby “sacred” Cameron Lake and Crow Lake, sources of drinking water in Onigaming. “We’re watching industry and government race past us without any respect for our lives,” he…
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