A Sudbury junior miner that's suing Queen's Park for $110 million remains openly critical of the province's response to resolve a land access in northwestern Ontario.
Northern Superior Resources CEO Tom Morris said the province's proposal of “facilitated mediation” completely misses the mark in addressing the company's claim of damages.
In a Nov. 18 letter to shareholders, Morris called the government's response “incomplete and oversimplified” which “demonstrates the Government of Ontario's complete lack of an understanding of the situation.”
Northern Superior blames the government for dropping the ball in failing to carrying out consultation talks with area First Nations before the company was “evicted” from its three gold properties in the fall of 2011.
The junior miner argues Ontario compounded its mistake by declaring a huge 23,000-square-kilometre area off-limits to exploration in early 2012 by arbitrarily imposing an exclusion zone next to company's mining claims.
Two area First Nation communities then declared an even wider area off-limits with an exploration and mining moratorium based on territorial rights.
The company claims Sachigo Lake First Nation demanded the company pay a 24 per cent fee to access its mining claims and on one occasion physically detained two employees and some equipment in return for payment.
While Northern Superior Resources (NSR) maintains it is respecting the inherent rights of First Nations to decide whether to permit exploration on its traditional territory, the company is directing its wrath at Queen's Park.
“The Government of Ontario has done nothing to address the moratorium on exploration asserted over NSR's claims by two other First Nations, nor has it taken any responsibility for arbitrarily imposing an exploration and mining exclusion zone directly adjacent to NSR's claims.”
Morris said the company maintains “terrific” relationships with First Nation communities on its other exploration projects in Ontario and Quebec.
