SASKATOON — Métis Nation-Saskatchewan is asking the provincial government to protect Patterson Lake from harm by a Kelowna, B.C.-based mining firm's plans to extract uranium ore.
Fission Uranium Corp. wants to advance its PLS Uranium Mine to extract uranium ore underneath Patterson Lake. MNS leaders hope the provincial government will reject the project.
Patterson Lake is northwest of Saskatoon and about a two-hour drive from La Loche. It is part of MNS' Northern Region II, headed by Director Leonard Montgrand.
Métis People have long used the lake, its shores, and surrounding areas to hunt, fish, trap, and travel. However, MNS says mineral exploration activities will harm the practices of its citizens, those who visit the lake, and its species.
Montgard said the area is at the heart of the Métis Northwest Land Claim and critical to Métis land use. However, commercial fishing no longer occurs within Patterson Lake.
"Over the years, as mining activities in the area have increased, our land users have reduced their activities there, including the loss of the Métis commercial fishery," said Montgard.
"We offered to sit down in the spirit of collaboration with Fission five years ago, something we offer to all exploration companies within NR2, but [they] rejected that and subsequent offers."
He said Métis Citizens have decided to support the development and its collaboration with Rook 1, a company committed to mining and delivering uranium responsibly.
Montgard added that MN-S was concerned with the development of a second mine on Patterson Lake and the cumulative effects it could have with FUC as its proponent.
MN–S and NR2 support economic development that can create opportunities and benefits for all Canadians. However, they say this does not mean every proposed mine should be approved or that the Métis are unconcerned by the intensive exploration activities occurring in and around Patterson Lake.
MN-S Vice President Michelle LeClair said they support the development and economic opportunities across Saskatchewan but not at the expense of Métis rightsholders.
"Where Métis 2 rightsholders and lands are developed, we expect proponents to engage in good faith to gain the support of [those] impacted," said LeClair, the MN-S Lands and Environment Minister.
She added that MN-S expects governments to recognize Indigenous free, prior, informed consent as a critical consideration in granting permits and approvals.
"If Métis rights are protected under s. Thirty-five of the Constitution Act, 1982 are to have any value, and governments must be willing to reject projects harmful to Métis Citizens," said LeClair.
MNS said Rook 1 aims to develop Patterson Lake's uranium mine responsibly. MNS and Rook 1 will collaborate in the project to ensure the appropriate respect and accommodation of their citizens' rights and communities.
MN-S added having Fission's PLS Uranium Mine across the water from Rook 1 will have environmental effects, add pressure on the species Métis communities rely on, and further alienate Métis rights holders from their historic and continuing connection to Patterson Lake.
The MN-S leadership said PLS Uranium Mine is a problematic development in a difficult location. Any approvals should be placed on hold until Rook 1 is fully operational so that there can be a clear understanding of any impacts from the first mine and a baseline in place to reliably assess the cumulative effects of the PLS Uranium Mine.
They said that, in the meantime, any authorizations should be subject to Fission obtaining the consent of impacted Indigenous rights holders, consistent with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) principles.
MN-S and NR2 also called on the province to end its "blank cheque" approach to exploration in and around Patterson Lake. MNS recently learned that Saskatchewan has authorized a massive exploration program by Fission that will involve up to 200 drill holes, including 100 within Patterson Lake.
The provincial government's approval also allows Fission to establish 45 kilometres of trails, which is not merely "prospecting" but likely involves up to a hundred people, aircraft, and heavy machinery. These activities stress our environment and discourage Métis land use in and around Patterson Lake, they said.
MN-S said this level of impact goes beyond "a death by a thousand cuts" that has already afflicted Patterson Lake. Fission's massive exploration program is similar to what would be expected for more minor mining operations and should be assessed as such.
