Prime land forbidden during talks

Although the Teme-Augama Anishnabai band has relinquished its interest in four townships surrounding Temagami and Elk Lake, Ont., the provincial government has not yet reopened the area to claimstakers.

“The (mines) minister is discussing this with her colleagues as we speak,” said John Gammon, deputy minister for the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines.

To appease local residents, the band recently lifted an 18-year old land caution in Best, James, Strathy and Cassells twps. But despite pressure from the Ontario government, chief Gary Potts says his band will maintain a caution on the remaining area until negotiations with the government, which could take as long as a year, are complete.

Since 1973, the land caution — notice that ownership of land is under dispute — has prevented development in the 10,000-sq.-km area surrounding Temagami. In 1984, the Ontario government added its own withdrawal order to ban staking and prevent a free-for-all when the ground is released. After years of legal wrangling, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled in August that the Teme-Augama Anishnabai has no rights to the mineral-rich land. But, despite the verdict, the provincial government is negotiating a new treaty with the band. The two parties do not expect to reach a settlement until sometime next year.

The likelihood of prolonged negotiations between the government and the band has infuriated many local residents. To reflect the frustration of his colleagues, long-time prospector Don McKinnon recently defied the caution and staked a group of claims in Tudhope Twp. His claims were rejected at the recorders office in Larder Lake.

Explorationists like McKinnon have a particularly keen interest in the forbidden ground. In April, 1990, when the periphery of the caution was lifted, over 1,000 claims were staked in a hurry, mainly in the Shining Tree area at the northwestern tip of the caution area.

The move paid off handsomely for at least one company. Last month, Fort Knox Gold Resources (TSE) hit a rich nickel-copper zone on the previously cautioned ground. The discovery boosted Fort Knox stock to record highs.