Time for roads and rail?

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http://www.timminspress.com/2018/01/24/northern-communities-face-threat-of-climate-change

Northern communities face threat of climate change

By Ron Grech, The Daily Press (Timmins)

Wednesday, January 24, 2018 9:32:31 EST PM

Mushkegowuk Grand Chief Jonathan Solomon addresses the audience Wednesday, during the opening day of a two-day Mushkegowuk Climate Summit being held at the Ramada Inn in Timmins this week. The summit continues Thursday.

TIMMINS - About 120 Indigenous leaders, scientists and government officials are meeting for a conference in Timmins this week to discuss the potential impacts of climate change on First Nation communities within Mushkegowuk region.

The conference, hosted by Mushkegowuk Council, kicked off Wednesday.

The prospect of shorter winters is a particular concern to many residents on the James Bay Coast who rely on the ice road to travel south.

Vern Cheechoo, director of lands and resources for Mushkegowuk Council, said if this warming trend continues, it will add to a push for governments to eventually finance an all-season road from the coast.

Mushkegowuk Grand Chief Jonathan Solomon said he has observed changes in climate along the coast within his own lifetime.

He urged community leaders to “utilize the knowledge of your Elders” and engage community members and help them “understand what climate change is,” even in the face of some highly publicized skeptics.

“On the other side of the border, there’s a man named Donald Trump,” an observation Solomon made, drawing immediate chuckles from audience members attending the conference. “He doesn’t believe in climate change. He doesn’t believe climate change will do harm to humankind because what he sees is green. He’s a businessman. He’s not a president. He’s a businessman.”

Solomon said, “Many people think climate change is new, but it has been happening over time. And I know for a fact, we in Northern Ontario remote communities will not be immune to climate change.

“We will all be affected. Our children, our grandchildren will be affected. The economy of this country will be affected by climate change.”

Alison Pilla, assistant deputy minister with the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, said, “The ministry has heard many stories from community members and recognizes that climate change impacts are already affecting Indigenous ways of life, health, territories and resources. We’ve heard about shorter winters and warmer weather, resulting in fewer days for winter roads that connect you.”

Pilla said, “We can all see that climate change is already impacting Ontario, and I know the effects are felt even more in Northern regions and coastal communities. It is more important than ever for us to work together to find new ways to mitigate and adapt to climate change.”

The province has committed to funding a collaborative climate change research initiative involving university scientists, government officials and Mushkegowuk communities to at least March 2019. The funding has provided for, among other things, the appointment of environmental stewards based in eight Mushkegowuk communities.

David Pearson, a professor in the school of environment at Laurentian University, said, “We’ve worked with the stewards … and I think that has been very, very fruitful because we have gathered the observations and the knowledge of Elders and community members regarding the change in climate that they have seen. We have collated all of that and are busy putting it together — splicing the science together with the knowledge we get from those who remember the past.”

Pearson said each community involved in this initiative will receive a report containing the findings and conclusions of the research team.

“There will be a report for each community,” he explained. “Those reports belong to the community. We have an obligation to produce an overview report for the Ministry of the Environment, and the Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation.

“But this work is for you,” Pearson said, addressing the conference attendees during the opening day of the summit. “It’s to empower you to tell your story more persuasively, more strongly — especially when you are seeking to persuade those who have funding programs to make funding available for the adaptations, the preparations that you will need in your communities to withstand, to prepare for those changes” resulting from shifts in climate.

The conference being held this week is actually a follow-up to the climate change summit Mushkegowuk hosted last year.

Cheechoo, the director of lands and resources for Mushkegowuk Council, speaking to The Daily Press, explained, “Our first summit, we brought in science experts from different parts of Ontario, Quebec and the U.S. to begin addressing the issue of our wetlands within the Mushkegowuk region.

“It being the third-largest wetlands in the world … we felt it was important due to potential development west of us, in the Ring of Fire. We felt we needed to get a full picture of what the wetlands do, its vulnerabilities and the potential impact (of climate change) on the people who live within our Mushkegowuk communities.

“What we did last year was review the existing research that is out there … It was identified that a research gaps analysis needed to be done.”

“So this year, what we’re doing with the scientists is to have them review the research gaps analysis that was done and begin to recommend the steps needed to go forward in order to get that full picture of the wetlands and its vulnerabilities, including the lifestyle of the people within that region, and then come up with a plan of action.”

The Mushkegowuk Climate Change Summit continues Thursday.