CPTnet
Grassy Narrows Delegation
May 17, 2000

Christian Peacemaker Teams Delegation to Grassy
Narrows: May 19-22, 2000, four Delegates from Manitoba
will visit Grassy Narrows 1st Nation in North-Western
Ontario.

A deadly system of environmental racism has pitted itself
against Grassy Narrows for decades. Currently,
"Abitibi Consolidated" clear-cuts Grassy's traditional
forest, soaks the area with pesticides and grows
mono-culture tree farms. Grassy Narrows' rights
(inherently, and under treaty 3) -- to hunt, trap,
gather fire wood and to otherwise enjoy their forest
-- are not being protected.

CPT delegates are invited to see the clear-cuts and to
listen to the nation's stories. They will also visit
Sean Stephenson from Ontario's Ministry of Natural
Resources; the body that grants both trapping licences
to Grassy Residents and logging licences to companies.
CPTers were originally invited to the nation as human
rights observers at a blockade that Grassy residents
were planning. The block did not happen due to a rain
storm, but CPT supports the nation's current forms of
resistance.

Those forms include Grassy Narrows' current process of
suing Abitibi and the provincial government. Also,
the nation's citizens continue to gather their
firewood in their traditional forest against the
wishes of Abitibi, the MNR and the Ontario Police.

Delegates include CPT reservists Lisa Martens and
Matthew Schaaf, Menno Simons College Conflict
Resolution student and Robin Neustaeter and
Menno Simons professor Anna Snyder.

Christian Peacemaker Teams is a program of Brethren, Quaker and Mennonite
Churches. CPT P. O. Box 6508 Chicago, IL 60680 tel. 312-455-1199 FAX
312-432-1213, E-Mail cpt@igc.org WEB www.cpt.org