ABPA Endorses New Position Paper “Forging a New Paradigm” for Ring of Fire Impact Assessment – NetNewsLedger
Press Release
September 11, 2025
Robinson-Superior Treaty, Fort William First Nation Territory, Thunder Bay, Ontario: The Anishnawbe Business Professional Association (ABPA) today announced its full endorsement of a new position paper by Waawoono Consultancy, titled “Forging a New Paradigm: Rights, Reconciliation, and the Future of Impact Assessment in Canada”.
“The Impact Assessment Act (IAA) is an empty promise of Reconciliation without meaningful reform,” said Jason Rasevych, a member of Ginoogaming First Nation, as quoted in the paper. “It’s time to replace the discretionary language that allows the Crown to ‘consider’ our rights and interests with a mandatory requirement to achieve free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) as a central objective of the assessment process”.
The paper provides a critical analysis of Canada’s current project assessment model and argues that it is structurally flawed, creating a high-risk environment for Indigenous nations, proponents, and investors alike.
