In this 8th Fire Rising update, you can learn about new Projects of National Interest (PONIs), analysis of the federal budget, and the successful defeat of Bill 97.
In this Update:
- Analysis of the Federal Budget
- Good News: Bill 97 in Quebec has been killed
- Update on Bill C-5 & New PONIs announced
- Update on Opposition to Ontario’s Bill 5
- New Film Alert: “Here We Stand”
- Indigenous Land Back and Resistance News
Federal Budget Analysis
The Budget: read analysis by Shiri Pasternak in the Toronto Star on the hyperdive into critical minerals the government is proposing, pivoting industrial policy towards defense spending and military stockpiling.
Good News: Bill 97 in Quebec has been killed
Good News: Bill-97 in Quebec has been killed. As we wrote in our explainer from June 2025, Bill 97 proposed to “divide” Quebec’s public forests into three different “zones,” one of which would have granted extractive industry open access for development.
More recently, in this excellent analysis, Vijay Kolinjivadi and Nicolas Renaud write about the grassroots resistance and alliance-building that helped usher in its demise:
“Seeing the destructive potential of the bill while it was still being drafted, groups of Innu, Abenaki and Anishinaabe land defenders joined the Nehirowisiw to form the MAMO Alliance. MAMO means “together” in the Nehirowisiw and Innu languages.”
“After the bill was introduced, the alliance erected tipis as symbols of resistance and solidarity and issued eviction notices to 11 logging companies operating without their consent. They established blockades on roads and organised protests.”
“Quebec’s civil society also sprang into action. Environmental groups, wildlife biologists, fish and game outfitters, industry labour unions and artists also voiced opposition. University students and social justice collectives in Montreal organised support for the blockades.”
Update on Bill C-5 & New PONIs Announced
PONIs = Projects of National Interest
Bill C-5, the legislation that lets the federal government designate and fast-track “nation building” projects, continues to garner massive concern across the country. Here are some highlighted voices and analysis:
New PONIs released: five more “projects of national interest” (PONIs) have been announced by the federal government: they include LNG development and new mines, including a graphite mine that the government of Canada is directly investing in, based in Quebec.
We’re getting more pipelines! One of the projects moving forward under the Major Projects Office in the federal government is the Pathways Alliance Plus carbon-capture initiative. It is a 400-kilometre-long pipeline that would transport carbon at tar sands facilities to an underground hub near Cold Lake, Alta. As the Globe and Mail reports, the plus “tagged on by Ottawa refers to a new pipeline to access export markets, along with the increased oil production needed to fill said pipeline and provide the economic benefits of fossil fuel royalties.” While promised to reduce emissions by 22 megatonnes per year, don’t believe the hype. As Environmental Defense describes, “Up to 90 per cent of emissions from oil and gas come from when these fossil fuels are used, not from when they are produced. So when applied only to the production of oil and gas, carbon capture ignores 90 percent of the problem.”
Update on Opposition to Ontario’s Bill 5
Bill 5 in Ontario continues to stagger forward through a gamut of opposition and disagreement amongst First Nations:
- Webequie First Nation has agreed to a road through their territory to reach the so-called Ring of Fire mineral development. They will get tens of millions in funds in exchange for badly needed community infrastructure. The Ford government is trying to convince the federal government to drop the requirement for a federal impact assessment process for the project. Meanwhile, the First Nations Land Defence Alliance of the region has held multiple rallies outside Queen’s Park criticizing the government’s “Special Economic Zone” approach to their homelands and demanding that the Ring of Fire development conform to principles of free, prior, and informed consent.
- Neskantaga First Nation filed a designation request for the proposed Eagle’s Nest mine in the so-called Ring of Fire region. On October 28, 2025, Neskantaga sent a letter to Environment and Climate Change Minister Julie Dabrusin arguing that the proposed nickel mine must be subject to a federal impact assessment. You can read Neskantaga’s news release here, as well as coverage by Canada’s National Observer and The Narwhal.
- Check out this great piece in The Narwhal about the slow erosion of environmental rights in Ontario.
New Film Alert:
“Here We Stand”
#ProtectTheAttawapiskatRiver #StopBill5
In September 2025, the Legal Advocates for Nature’s Defense (LAND) camped along the Attawapiskat River — the site of the proposed Ring of Fire region and the Here We Stand camp.
As they describe: “Here We Stand was founded by Indigenous youth leader Jeronimo Kataquapit in June 2025 and is a call to action to everyone, everywhere, to take action against Ontario’s Bill 5 to protect Indigenous peoples’ inherent rights and Treaty rights, and the land, water, and animals for current and all future generations.”
Resistance Rising:
Indigenous Land Back and Resistance News
In a recent landmark ruling in so-called British Columbia, the B.C supreme courts ruled that the Quw’utsun (Cowichan) holds Aboriginal title at Tl’uqtinus on the Fraser river in Richmond. The Cowichan Nation has been facing anger and racism from private landowners as a result. Politicians have stoked these fears with misinformation on how private properties will be impacted. Read this statement from the Cowichan Nation to clear up the ‘misinformation.’ The Musqueam have also reacted to the ruling.
The UN Climate Change conference (COP30) was recently held in Belem, Brazil. Thousands of Indigenous people from South America held a massive protest at COP30 and made it a point to get their message heard as there were a lot of oil lobbyists and fossil fuel executives. As Indigenous people we understand their urgency of protecting their traditional territories, and in South America Land Defenders get killed risking their lives to protect their lands. You can see thousands gathering across Latin America in the streets of Belem here. Voices of different Indigenous nations express why they are there and how they are criminalized.
Our Indigenous Sister Mskwassin Agnew, a Cree/Dene, a Toronto-based Indigenous Land Defender and harm reduction worker, journeyed on the Conscience Flotilla that departed September 30, 2025. The flotilla brought much-needed humanitarian aid, food, baby formula, medical supplies, and teddy bears to Palestinians, children, and babies suffering an ongoing genocide and man-made famine. Mskwassin and others on the flotilla were intercepted and illegally held captive on October 7, 2025. Her kin, supporters, and Indigenous relatives quickly mobilized and demanded their safe return. They also made the following demands: that their aid pass through to the people, the release of Palestinian prisoners (about 500 to 700 are children and being denied their basic rights), the imposition of an immediate arms embargo on Israel, the enactment of diplomatic and economic sanctions, and an official condemnation of Israel’s violations of international law.
Here is the first action at University and Queen where there were eight arrests that evening. At the second action at MP Karim Bardessy’s office, there were eight arrests that day. Here is a statement of what happened at the action and a press release about Mskwassin arriving home!
If you are planning an action, attending a rally, providing analysis, or want to share info, please email us at comms@8thfirerising.ca.
