Red Rock Indian Band and surrounding First Nations are calling for accountability from the federal government over its handling of ancestral remains at a construction site in Nipigon, Ont.
The Ojibwe First Nation, located about 120 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay, held a protest on Monday morning, where more than 200 people walked along the TransCanada Highway to the Nipigon River Bridge, briefly stopping traffic.
In May, Parks Canada began excavation at the Nipigon Marina, where a new administration and visitor centre is being built for the Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area.
During construction, the remains of four Indigenous ancestors were uncovered. Carbon dating on the first set of remains showed they were buried in approximately 1404 AD, according to Red Rock Indian Band.
“That’s pre-contact,” said Chief Allan Odawa Jr. “We’ve been here since the beginning of time. Our ancestors protected the land, and now it’s our turn to protect our ancestors for future generations.”
Red Rock Indian Band believes the site could be an ancient burial ground and other remains may be under the dirt. Construction has stopped while more investigation takes place. But the Band wants more accountability from the government.
During the protest, there was a heavy police presence from Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officers. Odawa Jr. said he negotiated with members of the OPP’s provincial liaison team to allow highway traffic to be slowed in two locations from about 10:30 a.m. until noon:
- Highway 11 northbound and southbound between Lake Helen First Nation and Highway 17 junction.
- Highway 11/17 eastbound and westbound traffic around the Nipigon River Bridge.
Red Rock Indian Band is calling for accountability from the federal government over its handling of ancestral remains at a construction site in Nipigon, Ont. The CBC’s Sarah Law explains.
Odawa Jr. says Red Rock Indian Band has control over the soil that was disturbed during the excavation, and that it’s under 24/7 surveillance. Over the next two to three weeks, the soil will be screened, and the community will be able to determine whether they have all four ancestors’ remains.
“Hopefully, what we get out of this is that it never happens again,” Odawa Jr. said.
Project on pause: Parks Canada
Construction on the centre halted as soon as the ancestral remains were discovered, Parks Canada said in a statement issued Monday.
“Parks Canada understands that the uncovering of remains could be triggering for community members, and has made every effort to act with the utmost caution and respect. After the first chance finding, which turned out to be an animal bone, Parks Canada worked with Red Rock Indian Band to hire an environmental monitor from their community for the remainder of the excavation and project,” it says.
The federal department said it’s been working with Red Rock Indian Band – which has taken the lead on much of the archeological work related to the remains – and respects the community’s right to peaceful protest.
“Further progress has been made in the past week, and Parks Canada remains committed to resuming open and sincere discussions with Red Rock Indian Band when they are ready.
“It is our hope to reach a mutually agreeable understanding and path forward,” the statement says.
Construction on the administration and visitor centre is expected to take between two and two and a half years, with the goal of being open to the public by 2026. The Government of Canada announced $37 million for the project at the beginning of this year.
Parks Canada says there has been “several years of design, planning, and consultation on the project with Red Rock Indian Band and other Indigenous communities,” leading up to the start of construction.
Surrounding communities show solidarity
Members of Red Rock Indian Band were joined by people from several surrounding First Nations and municipalities.
Mary Blakely, who lives in Nipigon, is a member of Animbiigoo Zaagi’igan Anishinaabek First Nation, also known as Partridge Lake. She said it’s important for people to recognize the cultural significance of the findings at the marina.
“There’s a lot of work that needs to be done with this, but we’re all here to support one another,” Blakely said.
Desiree Hardy, whose name means Blue Thunderbird, is from Rocky Bay First Nation. For her, it was important to participate in the protest, because nearby First Nations have shared relations all around Lake Superior.
“Traditionally, we didn’t live in just one area; we were nomadic, so we lived all over the place,” Hardy said.
“To honour that not just our reserve land is our sacred land – and to gain knowledge on that so we can learn as a whole and move forward in a good way and respect each other.”
‘This is a Canadian issue’
Chief Michele Solomon of First William First Nation also attended the protest to show her support, saying she was shocked by the high number of police officers there. Red Rock’s Odawa Jr. said he was thankful for the OPP’s traffic control to make sure everyone stayed safe.
Solomon’s hope is that the federal government reassesses its commitment to reconciliation, “because this speaks volumes that they don’t respect it – and they have a lot to learn still.”
Wendy Landry is a member of Red Rock Indian Band and the mayor of Shuniah. She handed out pamphlets with information about the discovery of the remains to motorists on the highway that were slowed down by the protest.
“This is a Canadian issue, where our ancestors are buried in all different places across this country — and this is a perfect example of where this gets really complicated really fast if you’re not doing the consultation, transparent, collaborative work from the beginning,” Landry said.
It’s also important for the general public to acknowledge the historic significance of the remains overall.
“Not very often do you find remains that are dated back to the 1400s; this is history right here,” she said.
“Those are ancestors of all these families that you see here today, and I think it’s also really important from a municipal perspective that municipalities work with our First Nations on projects like this.”
If the ground freezes over before the soil can be screened, Odawa Jr. said the work will resume next spring.
“We’re going to do a four-day ceremony, reinsert [them] into the ground with the same soil, because they’re part of that soil and it has to go back with them.”
