Protect First Nations Rights and the Peatlands

Hello everyone, my name is Jeronimo Kataquapit, I am 21 years old, and live in the community of Attawapiskat First Nations.

Here We Stand is a Call to Action to everyone everywhere— it is time to take action against the government of Ontario’s Bill 5 and the government of Canada’s Bill C-5, specifically in the context of the Ring of Fire.

I started this GoFundMe in hopes of pulling together the grassroots people of not just Attawapiskat First Nation, but all Omushkegowuk communities, all Treaty 9 communities, all indigenous communities/nations from across turtle island, and all allies.

The funds received from this GoFundMe will be used to support and fund our initiative to re-assert our presence on these lands, in these waters— our home.

We are in what many would consider “the middle of nowhere.” We are taking our fight out onto the land and water, specifically on the Attawapiskat River, where the proposed Ring of Fire is supposed to be situated.

The funds will specifically be used to charter several float planes, supplies, lumber, people, and more— to our permanent joint encampment with the community of Neskantaga First Nation that is situated on these lands and waters.

The first permanent encampment will be situated on one of the two proposed Ring of Fire all-season road crossing on the Attawapiskat River, with another camp to be built at the other road crossing in the coming weeks.

This not only impacts First Nations, but the entire world. The Peatlands is one of the last pristine, intact, untouched ecosystems on the planet. Billions of tons of carbon is stored in the ground, and it continuously offsets climate change by absorbing carbon dioxide emissions from the atmosphere and stores it in the ground. This carbon sink is enormous, and incredibly sensitive. If disturbed, it would release all of the carbon stored in the ground into the atmosphere, becoming a positive source of greenhouse gas emissions. The Peatlands take tens of thousands of years to form, and once destroyed/disturbed, may never recover.

We will be here as long as it takes, work as much as it takes, and will fight for not only our rights, but for the future of all generations to come.

HereWeStand is a 100% grassroots youth led movement, and everything is voluntary.

Meengwetch (Thank you) for donating!