Yol xxYr - The Arctic Circle

NZ
"The Land and the People t"lorth of 50", js not directly taken from what was
sa1d at the hearings: in this, jt differs from tire chapters vrhich follow.
Rather than outl in'ing t;re issues, it sets the stage on wh jch the ,,issues',
must play themselves out. Subsequent chapters will djscuss these lssues
as they were presented to the commissjon.
The purpose of the prel im'inary hearings was to prov j de the peop'le of the
north wlth an an opportuni ty to express what 'is vital to them, and to suqgest
to the Corrniss jon how best to go about address'ing these concerns. t'lhi'le the
Corqmission came to life as a result of a proposal by Reed Ltd. to build a
forest products complex in the Red Lake/Ear Falls area, and to harvest
19,000 square miles of vjrgin forest, its nnndate quickly expanded to encom-
Fss resource development as a whole'in the area north of 50 deqrees and to
attempt an assessment of the potential impact of such developmeit on the environment.
The people of the nonth have helped give the Cornmission a focus
and a djrection. The Conmission initially was certainly not prepared for the
range of concerns that northerners raised at the hearings. The ilroduction of
an Issues Report, in sectjons at first, js an attempt to convey sorne appreciation
of these matters to the people of Ontario.
As the various sections of the Issues series are released, certain trends will
become apparent and certajn sinrilarities wjll surface. l,lhile the north does
not speak w'iih a single voice, there are areas in whjch consensus does exist.
One of these is tlre need for northerners to have a say in determjning their
own future. These l.ssues papers are a step !sr^/6rds giving the peopl e of the
rnrth that voice. l,lhen comp'leted, the series of chaiters wil I be ba thered and
bound into a single report and made available to the public.
Chapter I
Cha pter I I
Chapter I I I
Chapier IV
Introduction
PROJECTED ISSUES REPORT
t'li n i ng - Wea I th and Di s tu rba nce
Tourism - A Saleable Wjlderness Experience
Pursuits
Agriculture - Potential jn the Future, Insignifiance Today
l^lild Rice - A Symbol of Independence
Land Use - Confl ict over Priorities
Marmion Lake Power Proiect l{orries l'lat'ive Peopl e
The i'lorth's Wj'ld Rivers - Their Power Potentjal
Polar Gas Pipel ine Proposal Sparks Reaction