Response to February 24, 2020 letter from the Agency (see related document #112)

Hi Caitlin,

Due to the current crisis situation, I am sending this message on behalf of Constance Lake First Nation:

In reviewing the February 24^th documents on the Marten Falls Community Access Road Project and the Webequie Supply Road Project IAs, the following comments are provided on Attachment 4 (summary of information available to the IAAC on CLFN):

• Sections b) & c):
  • Constance Lake First Nation’s traditional territory may be traversed by the proposed Marten Falls project, and will be impacted by increased access by people hunting and fishing in the area, and an increase in forestry and tourism activities. CLFN members will also be impacted by increased traffic on the connecting southern highways, most notably once both projects connect to the Ring of Fire (i.e. the recent announcement from Ontario on the ‘Northern Link Road’). The documentation of CLFN’s traditional territory area is always evolving, and further focused IK data collection activities need to be undertaken in the northern and eastern portions of our homelands prior to determining potential impacts to our physical & cultural heritage and sites of historical & archeological significance. The extent of potential impacts to CLFN’s rights, as well as changes to our health, social and/or economic conditions, will be determined through community consultation and engagement activities yet to be undertaken during these IAs.

Constance Lake First Nation would like to confirm our interest in a community-specific annex to the Indigenous Engagement & Partnership Plan for both projects. We also look forward to receiving further information on the Participant Funding Program, as funds are required to maintain/establish capacity moving forward in these IA and community engagement processes.

Please note that our band office is currently closed, and our community has declared a state of emergency due to the current pandemic situation. Any future meetings on these projects will have to take the current circumstances into account, and we ask for patience in the weeks ahead.