Copyright © 2000 NLThomas
All Rights Reserved

Grassy Narrows, Ontario - Christian Peacemaker Teams Delegation to Grassy Narrows: May 19-22, 2000, four Delegates from Manitoba will visit Grassy Narrows 1st Nation in North-Western Ontario.

A deadly system of environmental racism has pitted itself against Grassy Narrows for decades. Currently, "Abitibi Consolidated" clear-cuts Grassy's traditional forest, soaks the area with pesticides and grows mono-culture tree farms. Grassy Narrows' rights (inherently, and under treaty 3) -- to hunt, trap, gather fire wood and to otherwise enjoy their forest -- are not being protected.

CPT delegates are invited to see the clear-cuts and to listen to the nation's stories. They will also visit Sean Stephenson from Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources; the body that grants both trapping licences to Grassy Residents and logging licences to companies. CPTers were originally invited to the nation as human rights observers at a blockade that Grassy residents were planning. The block did not happen due to a rain storm, but CPT supports the nation's current forms of resistance.

Those forms include Grassy Narrows' current process of suing Abitibi and the provincial government. Also, the nation's citizens continue to gather their firewood in their traditional forest against the wishes of Abitibi, the MNR and the Ontario Police.

Delegates include CPT reservists Lisa Martens and Matthew Schaaf, Menno Simons College Conflict Resolution student and Robin Neustaeter and Menno Simons professor Anna Snyder.