Is Ontario’s newly minted, Green Energy Act: British Columbia is Next?
The Ontario government has approved new mining permits using a map supposedly used on 7,800 sites with potential mineral deposits as part of the “closed captioned.” That document shows numerous holes that have yet to be established or fully explored. And, in the case of the No. 1 objective at Gault Ridge for almost 20 years, the document has changed several times.
Even the provincial government admits the error as recently as May 19, 2017, when it took 5.9 pages for it to delete the error from the Gault Ridge document but posted it online for only 7.3 pages.
When I questioned the credibility of Ontario’s Green Energy Act, I was quickly dismissed. But a review of the table of contents (including date, contact information and chart of references) reveals that there were numerous other flawed charts and tables in the table of contents and several others included in the tables of numerous pages.
And, here’s what the table of contents states about the mining permit that expired before the legislature adopted the Green Energy Act:
Notice the National Energy Board permit number is 250769. The National Energy Board issued that permit for a trench at the site, but no mining was ever planned.
There’s more. A closer examination reveals that the original map was for the land where the no. 1 objective is being investigated. The land currently being explored hasn’t been determined to be a drilling target. It doesn’t even mention Gault Ridge as a mineral target.
However, when I contacted the government about the map issue a spokesperson stated that:
“[the government] found a failed map, designating access road to Gault Ridge. This map has been transferred to the Ministry of Natural Resources for our review and assessment.”
What could possibly be going on here?
One theory is that the drawing is from a discontinued project that has been disconnected from the footprint of the page and has been released to the public as a replacement.
But, on another hand, it could be that the drawing is part of a clandestine, secret meeting when the government asked First Nations to give up their land, and the residents were promised an “A” level presentation. Maybe the government lied to them and told them that Gault Ridge is a major new mineral target that will be mined and paved over on Indian land in two years.
A more realistic explanation would be that the drawings were used to authorize mining permits to go into play and were used at least in part to allow the government to refuse the First Nations the opportunity to maintain their land.
In response to all of this, I sent a letter to state Energy Minister Glenn Thibeault; the general manager of Natural Resources and Forestry Tom Bevins; Deputy Minister of the Environment, Water, Community, Local Governance and Indigenous Relations Shirley-Anne Reaume; and to the Chief of the Centre Reaume and Keeper of the King at the Ministry of Environment, Community, Local Governance and Indigenous Relations:
“The Village of Gault Ridge, has received answers to most of the questions that have been raised regarding the lack of activities in their village site. I, however, am still concerned about our original permit number and the credibility of the ‘Circle of 21s’.
I also want to take this opportunity to make the residents of Gault Ridge aware of the discrepancies and inaccuracies we believe were used to issue mining permits to the mining companies.
The strip of land above Gault Ridge is now designated to be public land, yet Gault Ridge has experienced multiple quarters of frozen precipitation in the area.
The area above Gault Ridge is currently owned by Paramo-Wiser Corporation. However, early claims by Paramo show there to be “no grading/ excavation as of 5 January.”
I believe Paramo-Wiser Corporation may have been backed into a corner and directed to commence drilling on Gault Ridge using this report that is now considered outdated and inaccurate.
So I sent the government a copy of this map along with a list of questions to ask the mining companies about their exploration activities.
I have received little response from the government. I will keep you posted on the results of this correspondence.”
Gustavo Azucena is the legal representative of the Village of Gault Ridge.