By Abdul Matin Sarfraz \u00a0Local Journalism Initiative As the mining industry convenes in Toronto, some Ontario First Nation leaders are calling on the sector to engage only with legitimate First Nations rights-holders when developing projects on Indigenous lands. Speaking Monday at a Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada Conventionpress conference, the leaders affirmed their willingness to collaborate with the industry but cautioned against consulting or signing any impact benefit agreements with the M\u00e9tis Nation of Ontario (MNO). They claimed that the MNO is not a legitimate rights-holder and even accused it of \u201cfalsely\u201d identifying as a First Nation, describing it as a \u201cCrown Corporation\u201d rather than a nation with historical or ancestral ties to the land. Jason Batise, executive director of the Wabun Tribal Council, said the council has already… <\/p>\n
By Abdul Matin Sarfraz \u00a0Local Journalism Initiative As the mining industry convenes in Toronto, some Ontario First Nation leaders are calling on the sector to engage only with legitimate First Nations rights-holders when developing projects on Indigenous lands. Speaking Monday at a Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada Conventionpress conference, the leaders affirmed their willingness to collaborate with the industry but cautioned against consulting or signing any impact benefit agreements with the M\u00e9tis Nation of Ontario (MNO). They claimed that the MNO is not a legitimate rights-holder and even accused it of \u201cfalsely\u201d identifying as a First Nation, describing it as a \u201cCrown Corporation\u201d rather than a nation with historical or ancestral ties to the land. Jason Batise, executive director of the Wabun Tribal Council, said the council has already... <\/p>\n