Rock Circle Radio Show
Produced in partnership with the Manitoba Government, Manitoba Mineral Development Fund, the Treaty Relations Commission of Manitoba, and NCI-FM Radio (Native Communications Inc.), the weekly show featured Indigenous representatives, mineral sector representatives, and other stakeholders discussing topics such as UNDRIP, the Truth and Reconciliation recommendations, exploration developments, prospecting, economic development, regulatory considerations, basic geology, employment opportunities, capacity building, and environmental stewardship. NCI reaches 80 per cent of Manitoba and was the primary source of information for many Indigenous communities throughout the program’s run.
Welcome to the Rock Circle
The Rock Circle is an innovative, two-way dialogue between First Nations and the minerals industry. Listen every week at 6 pm on NCI FM. Today’s show introduces the partners producing the show: Manitoba Prospectors and Developers Association, the Manitoba Mineral Development Fund, the Treaty Relations Commission of Manitoba, and Narratives Inc.
Listen to the showWhat is diamond drilling?
Kevin Norberg, General Manager of Rodren Drilling, a Manitoba company active in the mineral exploration business talks with MaryAnn Mihychuk about diamond drilling – what it is, and why this industry should be interesting to northerners.
Listen to the showGovernment Programs
The Hon. Jeff Wharton, Minister of Environment, Climate and Parks in the provincial government, talks to MPDA President MaryAnn Mihychuk about the government’s program to clean up old minesites in places where the responsible company is no longer in business.
Listen to the showCommunity concerns about mining
MPDA’s MaryAnn Mihychuk is in conversation with journalist and former MKO Grand Chief Sheila North, talking about the concerns some Indigenous communities have about mineral exploration and mining, and why governments and industry need to address the roots of mistrust.
Listen to the showIndigenous participation in resource development
What do Indigenous communities think about resource development? Are “outside actors” allies or are they getting in the way of Indigenous economic development? Chris Sankey, President and Chief Executive Officer for Blackfish Enterprises and a member of the Coast Tsimshian Lax Kw’alaams Band near Prince Rupert, British Columbia provides his perspectives, in conversation with MPDA’s MaryAnn Mihychuk.
Listen to the showJason Combe
MPDA Vice President Jason Combe and President MaryAnn Mihychuk in conversation about issues facing the resource sector.
Listen to the showManitoba Mineral Development Fund
The Manitoba Mineral Development Fund (MMDF) is a $20M provincial fund, administered by the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce, that provides funding for northern economic development and mining projects that create Indigenous partnerships, increase local employment, and stimulate investment in Northern Manitoba. Program Manager Jessica Ferris explains what MMDF does, in conversation with MPDA’s MaryAnn Mihychuk.
Listen to the showHollow Water land issues
How are mining projects viewed by Indigenous communities? Wesley Monias from Hollow Water joins MPDA’s MaryAnn Mihychuk to talk about his community’s long history with mining and its concerns and hopes for future projects.
Listen to the showTreaty Land Entitlement
Bill Gallagher returns to the Rock Circle to talk about Treaty Land Entitlement: what it is, where it came from, and how it can have a significant impact on mineral exploration projects.
Listen to the showManitoba Geological Survey
Join us for a conversation with Tafa Kennedy, the Director of the Manitoba Geological Survey, a branch of the provincial Natural Resources and Northern Development Department. Dr. Kennedy talks about the Manitoba Geological Survey – what it is, what it does, and how people anywhere in Manitoba can get access to information about the geology and mineral potential of their area.
Listen to the showResource Rulers
Bill Gallagher is an authority on the rise of Indigenous empowerment in Canada’s resource sector. He has published two books – Resource Reckoning and Resources Rulers – that address the gridlock that is now the defining feature of many resource projects. After winning an unprecedented number of court rulings in the Canadian resource sector, it is Indigenous people – the Resource Rulers – who now determine the outcome of resource projects.
Listen to the show1911 Gold
Does Manitoba have any gold mines? Do we have any promising finds? Scott Anderson, Vice President of Exploration for 1911 Gold Corporation, is in conversation with MPDA President MaryAnn Mihychuk, talking about his company’s exploration projects in the Bissett and Snow Lake areas.
Listen to the showCritical minerals
Michelle Nicolas, head of the Manitoba Geological Survey, presents a talk on critical minerals: what are they, why are they important, and where they could be found in Manitoba.
Listen to the showBill 12: Crown Land Dispositions Act changes
Bill 12, the Crown Lands Dispositions Act, makes significant changes to the oversight and process for the sale of Crown lands in Manitoba, and is aimed at increasing the number and efficiency of Crown land sales. Mike Sutherland, Director of the Consultation and Special Projects Unit at Peguis First Nation, explains the concerns that First Nations have with Bill 12.
Listen to the showIndigenous governance of water and resources
How are resources like water and minerals to be managed in the future? What’s the role for First Nations? MaryAnn Mihychuk speaks with Dr. Stewart Hill, a Senior Research and Policy Analyst at the Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak (MKO), the Manitoba northern Chiefs organization. Dr. Hill has researched and asserted Indigenous governance over land and water in the traditional territory of his home community of God’s Lake First Nation, that has implications for all First Nations.
Listen to the showWhat is geology?
Geology – the study of rocks and other earth materials – is today a key discipline that is unknown or underappreciated by the public. Jeff Young, a Senior Instructor in earth sciences at the University of Manitoba, talks about the science of geology and the role of the University in preparing students for a career in one of the diverse geoscience fields.
Listen to the showThe exploration process
What is involved with early-stage exploration: who are the players, what kinds of activities are carried out? Are there opportunities for Indigenous people during this part of the mining cycle? Ken Lapierre, President and CEO Rockcliff Metals Corporation, brings some clarity to the process of exploration in conversation with MPDA president MaryAnn Mihychuk.
Listen to the showThe 2.8% formula
The “2.8% formula” refers to the up-front fee paid to a First Nation by an exploration company, a feature that is sometimes part of a negotiated exploration agreement. Our guest is Indigenous entrepreneur Robert Houle, President and co-founder of Talon Resources and Community Development Inc. in Kenora, Ontario. Robert will explain what is involved, in conversation with MPDA president MaryAnn Mihychuk.
Listen to the showResource Revenue Sharing
By sharing resource revenue, governments can meet their treaty, legal, constitutional, and moral obligations to the Indigenous people of the country. What’s involved? Who shares the revenue – government, the industry, or both? Lawyer Bruce McIvor from First Peoples Law helps us understand this concept, in conversation with MPDA’s MaryAnn Mihychuk.
Listen to the showAgreements
Agreements between mineral exploration companies and First Nation communities have the potential to provide income or equity to communities, and certainty to companies. How do they work? Dale Ginn (Managing Director at Aston Minerals and Executive Chairman at Pacton Gold) in conversation with MPDA’s MaryAnn Mihychuk.
Listen to the showThe Indian Act
The Indian Act is pervasive in its effect on First Nations people and their communities. What does the Indian Act provide to communities and what are the issues, particularly as they impact the minerals sector? Nathan Neckoway (Band Councillor at Tataskweyak Cree Nation) is in conversation with MPDA’s MaryAnn Mihychuk.
Listen to the showDuty to consult
What does “consultation” mean and where does the requirement to consult come from? How does it affect mineral exploration companies, who are on a tight time-line imposed by provincial and federal regulations? Treaty Commissioner Loretta Ross and MaryAnn Mihychuk are in conversation with MPDA’s Ric Syme.
Listen to the showResource Management
How are natural resources managed now, and how will Indigenous communities play a bigger role in the future to manage the resources in and on their traditional territories? Chief Trina Halkett (Barren Lands First Nation) and Ed Huebert (Natural Resource Manager) are in conversation with MPDA’s MaryAnn Mihychuk.
Listen to the showCommunities vs Camps
A big issue in the north are the camps set up on site for their employees at construction projects, and sometimes mines. That often means those workers don’t live or buy things in nearby communities. But in some cases the workers do try to get into neighbouring towns, sometimes with negative results. What are the pros and cons of camps vs communities? Today’s guests are Nathan Neckoway (Band Councillor at Tataskweyak Cree Nation) and Jordan Willner (CAO of Riverton), in conversation with MPDA’s MaryAnn Mihychuk.
Listen to the showIndigenous Protected Areas
Something called “Indigenous Protected Areas” are being proposed across Canada, including one in the Seal River watershed in Manitoba. What exactly are these “protected areas”? Will development such as mining be allowed in them, and who would set the rules? MPDA’s MaryAnn Mihychuk is in conversation with AFN Regional Chief Cindy Woodhouse and MPDA member Raymond Reichelt.
Listen to the showCompany environmental responsibility
It seems that mining companies leave environmental disasters behind, at places like Lynn Lake and Sherridon. But is this really true, and can it happen today? Have things really changed so that companies are not allowed to do environmental damage? Who is responsible for cleaning up old sites – the company or the provincial government? Environmental lawyer John Stefaniuk has the answers, in conversation with MPDA’s MaryAnn Mihychuk.
Listen to the showA deep dive into the rocks
Why are oil wells found in southwest Manitoba and not in Thompson? Why are copper and zinc mines common in Flin Flon-Snow Lake and not in the south? The answer is geology – the rocks and the information locked in them. All rocks have a backstory, and guest geologists Ric Syme and Michelle Nicolas take a deep dive into Manitoba’s geology and mineral potential.
Listen to the showFPIC
“Free, prior and informed consent”, or FPIC, is part of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. What does it mean in the context of mineral exploration and development? Robert Wavey from Fox Lake Cree Nation is in conversation with MPDA’s Ric Syme.
Listen to the showWhere are the benefits?
What are the benefits to Indigenous people, and to mining companies, when companies and communities collaborate and develop agreements? MPDA’s MaryAnn Mihychuk is in conversation with Andrew Colomb of the Marcel Colomb First Nation and Colin Webster of Alamos Gold, which has a project in Lynn Lake.
Listen to the showLand Back
The “Land Back” movement is complex. In this week’s episode, MPDA’s MaryAnn Mihychuk is in conversation with Chief Dennis Meeches from Long Plain First Nation, talking about Treaty One’s decades-long battle to acquire the former Kapyong barracks site in Winnipeg for development as the $1.2-billion Naawi-Oodena project.
Listen to the showClaim Jumpers and more
What is a “claim” and what does it mean? Is there going to be a mine? MPDA’s MaryAnn Mihychuk is in conversation with exploration geologist Dr. Scott Jobin-Bevans to explain how mineral exploration companies acquire land to explore.
Listen to the showSacred sites, sacred relationships
How should mineral exploration companies conduct themselves to make sure they avoid First Nation sacred sites? MPDA’s MaryAnn Mihychuk is in conversation with former MKO Grand Chief David Harper and archeologist Amber Flett.
Listen to the showWhere are the mines?
We often hear that Manitoba is blessed with a vast mineral potential. Is that true, and what are the impediments that result in Manitoba doing so poorly in international mining rankings? Listen to MPDA’s MaryAnn Mihychuk for an overview, and a featured interview with national Indigenous leader Phil Fontaine and MPDA’s Chris Beaumont-Smith.
Listen to the showLet’s make a deal
How do Indigenous communities and the minerals sector make mutually-beneficial business agreements? How common are these agreements? Listen today for perspectives by former OCN Chief Christian Sinclair and industry insider Jennifer Boyle.
Listen to the showTreaties
Numbered treaties define the legally binding obligations and rights of governments and First Nations. However, for some people there is uncertainty as to what the treaties say and what they actually mean. Today’s show features Manitoba Treaty Commissioner Loretta Ross and the MPDA’s MaryAnn Mihychuk, in conversation with Ric Syme about what the treaties mean and why they are important to the minerals industry.
Listen to the showThe Environment
In popular perception the mineral exploration and mining sectors have the potential to damage the environment. What is the Indigenous view of the environment, and what is the industry doing to mitigate risk? Listen to Elder Margaret Swan and industry representative Tara Shea for some answers.
Listen to the showLet's talk UNDRIP: Part 2
We’re continuing the conversation about the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), today with Indigenous commentator and U of Manitoba professor Dr. Niigaan Sinclair, for his views on what UNDRIP really means.
Listen to the showLet's talk UNDRIP: Part 1
Does the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) make it easier, or harder, for the minerals industry to operate on the land? Listen to the head of the BC Mining Association, Michael Goehring, for his take on UNDRIP.
Listen to the showNo episodes match this filter.
We’re grateful to the sponsors and partners who made Rock Circle possible:
- Manitoba Prospectors and Developers Association (MPDA)
- NCI FM
- Treaty Relations Commission of Manitoba
- Manitoba Government Manitoba
- Mineral Development Fund (MMDF)
- VALE
- Hudbay Minerals
- Cummins Inc.
- Manitoba Environmental Industries Association (MEIA)
- 1911 Gold Corp