-Stornoway snubs Crees at Conference

Despite a glowing presentation from Stornoway Diamonds of their diamond-mine project at the recent Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) conference in Toronto, Cree attending the conference were not pleased.

Stornoway’s presentation failed to make any mention of the Cree people, agreements or businesses. One Cree told the Nation the closest the company came to us was to say the mine was in the Otish Mountains, but never mentioned the area is part of Mistissini’s traditional lands.

Board of Compensation and CreeCo president Jack Blacksmith felt the Cree people were slighted by the omission. Another Cree, who requested anonymity, said it felt like the old days when the mining industry pretended we didn’t matter, didn’t exist or need to be acknowledged.

They hope Stornoway will remember that positive relationships with local Cree communities is a key element to the success of their mine on Cree lands.