Author: Xavier Kataquapit

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:: Wawatay News :: The Buck Stops Here

First Nation youth are rising up to protest Canada’s Bill C5 and Ontario’s Bill 5 which both threaten the most pristine wilderness in Northern Ontario. These new bills threaten to bypass the idea of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) which is a principle within the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) that emphasizes the right of Indigenous peoples to give or withhold their consent to activities that affect their lands, territories, and resources.

Both the Federal government and provincial government used the excuse of American tariff threats to push through these bills. It should be noted both governments also used this excuse in their bid to win recent elections and this worked for them. Arrogantly they have refused to include First Nations before setting up and pushing through these historic bills.

…. to read the full column, please click on the link below

https://www.wawataynews.ca/blogs-columns/buck-stops-here

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CBC National :: First Nations encampment set up to oppose Ring of Fire development

Jeronimo Kataquapit on CBC News National on June 30, 2025

a report by CBC News National

A First Nations encampment has been set up in Ontario’s mineral-rich Ring of Fire region to protest provincial and federal laws created to fast-track development. Organizer Jeronimo Kataquapit, a member of the Attawapiskat First Nation, explains why he and his family travelled 400 kilometres by canoe to get to the site of the encampment.

…. to read the full news story and video, please click on the link below

https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.6815503

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Canadian Press :: Two First Nations setting up encampment near proposed bridge to Ring of Fire

Jeronimo Kataquapit, right, and his father James A. Kataquapit, from Attawapiskat First Nation, are shown on the Attawapiskat River in this recent handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - Jeronimo Kataquapit (Mandatory Credit)

Liam Casey The Canadian Press
Jun 26, 2025 Updated Jun 26, 2025

A political decision one thousand kilometres from Jeronimo Kataquapit’s home in a remote First Nation near James Bay set the course for his summer.

Now, the 20-year-old from Attawapiskat First Nation, his father, mother and older brother are headed upriver in two 24-foot freighter canoes on a 400-kilometre journey to “reassert First Nations’ presence” near the Ring of Fire region in northern Ontario.

…. to read the full news story, please click on the link below

https://www.thecanadianpressnews.ca/business/two-first-nations-setting-up-encampment-near-proposed-bridge-to-ring-of-fire/article_c9de4267-d9e2-511b-9926-03905e552a5f.html

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CBC :: First Nations families in Ontario protest development laws by reasserting presence on the land

Jeronimo Kataquapit and his family are planting flags and teepee poles every half kilometre along the Attawapiskat River to demonstrate their continued use of the land. (Jeronimo Kataquapit/Facebook )

by Faith Greco (with files from Markus Schwabe)

A family travelling on the Attawapiskat River in Ontario’s far north has been planting flags — created by Attawapiskat First Nation families — as a symbol of protest after the passing of provincial and federal laws created to fast-track development.

Bill 5, the Protecting Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act, allows Ontario to create special economic zones, where companies or projects can be exempted from having to comply with provincial laws, regulations or municipal bylaws.

Attawapiskat First Nation is downstream from the mineral-rich Ring of Fire, which Premier Doug Ford wants to designate as a special economic zone.

…. to read the full news story, please click on the link below

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/first-nations-families-in-ontario-protest-development-laws-by-reasserting-presence-on-the-land-1.7568643

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:: Timmins Press :: Here we Stand aims to show Ring of Fire is occupied land

I’ve been filled with a renewed sense of hope for the future through the work of filmmaker Jeronimo Kataquapit, who has made it his mission to highlight the connection that the people of Attawapiskat have to the land and its waters.

“We keep hearing government and industry saying that nobody uses the land up there anymore — so, according to them, developing the Ring of Fire should have minimal impact on First Nations,” he said.

…. to read the full story, please click on the link below

https://www.timminspress.com/opinion/here-we-stand-aims-to-show-ring-of-fire-is-occupied-land

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:: Wawatay News :: Here We Stand – Call To Action

Photo by Jeronimo Kataquapit. Jeronimo Kataquapit (right) with his father James Kataquapit on the Attawapiskat River as part of their protest ‘Here We Stand - Call to Action’ against recent government decisions that threaten First Nation rights. Jeronimo and his family want to demonstrate to the world their people’s connection to the river and the land.

I’ve been filled with a renewed sense of hope for the future through the work of Jeronimo Kataquapit, who has made it his mission to highlight the connection that the people of Attawapiskat have to the land and it’s waters. He is the son of James Kataquapit and Monique Edwards who are both deeply connected to families in Attawapiskat and Fort Albany First Nation. James is also my cousin. Jeronimo’s grandparents Alex and Susan Kataquapit and Daniel and Elsie Edwards have always represented traditional Cree families who are deeply connected to the land.

…. to read the full column, please click on the link below

https://www.wawataynews.ca/blogs-columns/here-we-stand-%E2%80%93-call-action

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Windspeaker :: Northern Ontario First Nation youth protest Bill 5

Chief Jennifer Constant, of Mattagami First Nation (centre) is photographed with First Nation youth at the Youth Led Protest Against Bill 5 in Timmins, Ont. on June 6. Photo by Xavier Kataquapit

“This is an important event for me to take part in because this government action will affect my future and it will affect everything including the land, the water and the animals everywhere,” said event organizer 20-year-old Leeon Prince of Mattagami First Nation.

…. to read the full news story, please click on the link below

https://windspeaker.com/news/windspeaker-news/northern-ontario-first-nation-youth-protest-bill-5

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Wawatay News :: Northern Ontario First Nation Youth Protest Bill 5

First Nation Youth Protest Bill 5 In Timmins

First Nation youth in northeastern Ontario took to the streets of Timmins to protest the Ontario government’s recent introduction of Bill 5 which aims to fast track resource development in northern Ontario.

“This is an important event for me to take part in because this government action will affect my future and it will affect everything including the land, the water and the animals everywhere. Their decisions will bypass laws, our people’s rights and directly affect our lives. I wanted to be part of this protest and to help out in any way I could. It was astonishing to see how everyone came together and to see the Eagle staffs, the regalias, the drumming, the flags and the people. I want to say Kitchi-Meegwetch (thanks very much) to absolutely everyone who came out to support us,” said 20 year old Leeon Prince, Mattagami First Nation, one of the organizers.

…. to read the full news story, please click on the link below

https://wawataynews.ca/breaking-news/northern-ontario-first-nation-youth-protest-bill-5

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And It Burns, Burns, Burns That Ring Of Fire

The government of Ontario is pushing through Bill 5 which aims to designate the Ring of Fire as a so-called “special economic zone”. This bill is intended to reduce regulatory processes across major infrastructure, mining, and resource projects. The bill affects several key Acts, including: Ontario Heritage Act, Ontario Energy Board Act, Environmental Assessment Act, Mining Act, Environmental Protection Act, Electricity Act, Endangered Species Act and Rebuilding Ontario Place Act. The Ring of Fire is located in northern Ontario just west of the James Bay lowlands and my home community of Attawapiskat. The proposed development that is being pushed in this region is basically the head waters of the Attawapiskat River which would directly affect all the water flowing out to James Bay.

…. to read the full column, please click on the link below

https://www.wawataynews.ca/blogs-columns/and-it-burns-burns-burns-ring-fire