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Ontario is the only jurisdiction in Canada that does not apply environmental assessment (EA) legislation to mine development. Several jurisdictions also apply their EA process to mineral exploration. Clearly Ontario is out of step with the rest of Canada and Ontarians' expectations regarding decision making about mining in the province.

Baker Lake, Nunavut, is the geographic centre of Canada, but it’s rarely the centre of attention for most Canadians. And yet what’s going on here is nothing less than a test of democracy in Canada’s newest territory. A huge complex of uranium mines is being proposed for the tundra west of Baker Lake, in the middle of important caribou habitat.

Unfortunately, in moving from naming and framing problems in 2008, to providing guidelines through which to address these problems in 2011, Ruggie has retreated from making strong recommendations that he himself had identified as feasible in key areas.

The Algonquin Nation’s traditional territory straddles the Quebec-Ontario border extending along Quebec’s western border up the Gatineau and Ottawa River watersheds. The Algonquins have never signed a treaty and are not party to the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement, so there are no established protocols for consultation or participation in the review of mineral exploration or development projects in their territory.