Logging company AbitibiBowater (AXB.TO)–the largest paper company in the world–has stopped logging on the traditional territory of the Grassy Narrows FirstNation, following decades of lawsuits and protests, including the longest standing logging blockade in North America.
The logging company is the last to cease operations in themillion-acre Whiskey Jack Forest in northwestern Ontario that comprises Grassy Narrows traditionalterritory.
Since 2003, Rainforest Action Network (RAN) has worked with the Grassy Narrows community to pressureU.S. companies Weyerhaeuser Corp. (NYSE: WY) and Boise Inc. (NYSE: BZ) to drop their loggingcontracts with AbitibiBowater for wood obtained from Grassy Narrows land. InFebruary, following a RAN day of action, Boise agreed to suspend itscontract unless community consent could be established.
AbitibiBowater’swithdrawal will also force primary customer Weyerhaeuser to stop sourcingwood from the area."We are thrilled for the Grassy Narrows community that their forests, whichare key to their livelihood and culture, will no longer be clear-cut againsttheir wishes," said David Sone of RAN’s Old Growth Campaign. "Grassy Narrowshas scored a major step forward for Indigenous rights. We’re calling on allcompanies to follow suit and respect the rights of Indigenous peoples togive or withhold consent for industrial projects on their traditionalterritories."
The Canadian constitution and international law affirm First Nations’ rightsto provide or withhold consent for industrial projects on their lands.However, Ontario’s mining and logging laws continue to permit resourceextraction companies to operate without the consent of First Nations.
On May29, Indigenous groups in Toronto marched and camped on the front lawn of theOntario legislature with a broad coalition of labor, student and faith-basedgroups to protest the outdated law.
AbitibiBowater CEO David Paterson wrote in a letter to Ontario’s NaturalResources Minister that "The flexibility of a newly merged company, pairedwith the current context of an industry that gives access to unused fibre,allow us to temporarily find alternative wood supply for our operations."
RAN is calling on Abitibi to extend this precedent across its globaloperations, to respect human rights, and to value the role of intact forestsin providing climate stability and clean water.
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