I reside in Dryden Ontario which is located in the far northwest region of the Province.

Last night I attended an all candidates meeting for the Kenora Riding for the upcoming Canadian Federal Election.

I have attended many of these and last nights debate had the largest attendence I have ever seen. I was quite impressed and pleased with the number of First Nation people in attendence and the fact that they took an active part in the question and answer portion of the debate. While they had many concerns the question of roads to their communities came up more then once and they were not just talking about winter roads but rather all season roads. They made the point that they need these roads so they can participate in and benefit from the economic opportunities that can be generated for them from mining along with other business opportunities.

IMO very difficult for any Government in this country to say no to a combined request from First Nations and Mining Companies. This is where the good relationship between Noront and First Nations will pay off for all.

Puppin