‘We will not be holding up the expansion of Highway 69’: Magnetawan Chief

Magnetawan First Nation’s leadership wants to see Highway 69 four-laned from Toronto to Sudbury as quickly as possible. This, Chief Lloyd Noganosh said, regardless of an ongoing land dispute they have in the pipe with the province, which provincial officials haven’t budged on despite it being filed in 2021. “We want to make it very clear that Magnetawan First Nation, we want the highway expansion done,” Noganosh said. “We’re very concerned for the safety of everyone involved that travels these highways, and on our end, we will not be holding up the expansion of Highway 69.” Regardless of their disappointment in the province’s dealings with a land dispute, he said, “we’re not stopping the Highway 69 expansion.” Spanning three First Nations communities, the final 68-kilometre stretch of Highway 69 to be four-laned stretches between French River and Parry Sound. Magnetawan First Nation is in ongoing negotiations with the Ministry of Transportation regarding design and environmental issues, as well as how to compensate the First Nation for the approximately 150 acres of land the expanded highway will eat up. This could come in the form of land, monetary compensation, or a combination of the two, Noganosh said. On March 4, Magnetawan First Nation issued a media release in which both the Highway 69 project and their land claim were brought up, which led some to conclude that they were related or that one is dependent on the other. Sudbury.com was granted a phone interview with both Noganosh and Deputy Chief Pamela Dehaan on March 10, during which they strived to clear up what they described as a public misunderstanding. “We’ve already lost land when they did the survey back in 1851, so we’ve already lost land there, so we ‘re trying to get that back, too,” Noganosh told Sudbury.com. “We’re trying to do it in unison, but we’re not going to hold up the Highway 69 expansion.” The land dispute in question relates to how land was surveyed in 1851, Noganosh said, which divided up lands agreed to in the Robinson Huron Treaty. As has also been disputed by other First Nations, including the nearby Shawanaga, there’s longstanding disagreement regarding the use of leagues versus miles. Magnetawan First Nation lands were measured using miles and not leagues in 1851, which they contend as being misleading given the context of the times. As such, the 11,300-acre Magnetawan First Nation is undersized, Noganosh said. “We filed a statement of claim in March 2021 to Ontario and Canada, Canada has responded and they’re at the negotiating table with us to resolve this issue, but Ontario has failed to come to the table yet,” he said. “Canada’s there, but Ontario still needs to sit down with us also.” “On July 13, 2022, Magnetawan First Nation was advised that Ontario will complete an assessment of the claim submission within three years,” the province notes on their website. The province has yet to assess the claim. “Our lawyers followed up, we still haven’t met, and for us it just feels like yet another broken promise on our path to reconciliation,” Dehaan said. “Ontario talks about reconciliation. Reconciliation takes action, and that’s what we need.” Despite repeated attempts, the province has not acknowledged Sudbury.com’s attempts to seek comment. Unanswered questions include: What's the hold-up in addressing the Magnetawan land claim? An assessment was to be completed within three years, a timeline which has passed. Why hasn't it been completed? Last year, Premier Doug Ford pledged to get Highway 69 done "as quickly as possible." What evidence is there that this has been a priority in the 12 months that followed his making this statement? Four-laning Highway 69 has been a "priority" for eight years. What has the province done in that time to signal to Northern Ontarians that they've followed through on this pledge? Under what specific timeline does the province propose finalizing the four-laning of Highway 69? What is the status of the province's consultation with each of the three affected First Nations, including Magnetawan, Henvey Inlet and Shawanaga? Under the Ford government, ministry staff routinely ignore interview requests in lieu of written responses which rarely answer all of the questions sent to them. That is, when they respond at all. Sudbury.com also reached out to Henvey Inlet First Nation and Shawanaga First Nation, and will continue efforts to connect with all involved and report on the results in future stories. Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.