Residents of Hollow Water First Nation set up the Peace Camp to protest a silica mining company in their area three years ago. The issue was that a Canadian company wanted to mine silica sand – a fine sand that is used to make high-quality glass found in solar panels.
While everyone talks about going green these days, Hollow Water First Nation fears that the environmental impact of the mine for them will outweigh any economic benefits.
Two members of that group join Melissa Ridgen to discuss the extract project and why they object.
To the west, in Saskatchewan, a Quebec company is planning to harvest acres of peat moss in the muskegs south of Lac La Ronge in Saskatchewan. The group For Peat’s Sake – Protecting Northern Saskatchewan Muskeg – is fighting the project which is planned to start next year.
And finally, the show takes a bit of a turn. Indigenous Peoples are overrepresented in Canada’s prisons and jails. Now the Saskatchewan government has announced that it’s planning to build a larger jail. Opponents say the money would be better spent on keeping people out of jail and offering supports.
