HARDROCK PROJECT Final Environmental Impact Statement / Environmental Assessment Chapter 18.0: Assessment of Potential Environmental Effects on Traditional Land and Resource Use Prepared for: Greenstone Gold Mines GP Inc. 365 Bay St, Suite 500 Toronto ON M5H 2V1 Prepared by: Stantec Consulting Ltd. 1-70 Southgate Drive Guelph ON N1G 4P5 Project No. 160961111 June 2017 HARDROCK PROJECT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT / ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT Table of Contents 18.0 ASSESSMENT OF POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS ON TRADITIONAL LAND AND RESOURCE USE ........................................................................................18.1 18.1 SCOPE OF ASSESSMENT ............................................................................................... 18.2 18.1.1 Sources of Information .............................................................................. 18.9 18.1.2 Conditions for Traditional Land and Resource Use ............................. 18.10 18.1.3 Regulatory and Policy Setting ............................................................... 18.15 18.1.4 Influence of Consultation on the Identification of Issues and the Assessment Process ................................................................................. 18.17 18.1.5 Selection of Potential Environmental Effects and Measurable Parameters ............................................................................................... 18.37 18.1.6 Boundaries ................................................................................................ 18.38 18.1.7 Residual Environmental Effects Description Criteria ........................... 18.39 18.1.8 Considerations for Determination of Significance for Residual Environmental Effects .............................................................................. 18.41 18.2 EXISTING CONDITIONS FOR TRADITIONAL LAND AND RESOURCE USE ................ 18.41 18.2.1 Methods .................................................................................................... 18.42 18.2.2 Overview of Existing Conditions ............................................................. 18.43 18.3 PROJECT INTERACTIONS WITH TRADITIONAL LAND AND RESOURCE USE ........... 18.70 18.4 ASSESSMENT OF RESIDUAL ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS ON TRADITIONAL LAND AND RESOURCE USE ....................................................................................... 18.73 18.4.1 Analytical Methods ................................................................................. 18.73 18.4.2 Assessment of Change to Availability of Plant Species and Access to Plant Harvesting Sites and Activities ................................... 18.74 18.4.3 Assessment of Change to Availability of Fish Species and Access to Fishing Areas and Activities ............................................................... 18.77 18.4.4 Assessment of Change to Availability of Hunted and Trapped Species and Access to Hunting and Trapping Areas and Activities .................................................................................................... 18.80 18.4.5 Assessment of Change to Cultural or Spiritual Practices, Sites, or Areas ......................................................................................................... 18.84 18.4.6 Summary of Residual Environmental Effects ........................................ 18.88 18.5 COMMUNITY SUMMARIES ......................................................................................... 18.97 18.5.1 Animbiigoo Zaagi'igan Anishinaabek .................................................. 18.97 18.5.2 Aroland First Nation ................................................................................. 18.98 18.5.3 Biigtigong Nishnaabeg ........................................................................... 18.99 18.5.4 Biinijitiwaabik Zaaging Anishinaabek .................................................... 18.99 18.5.5 Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabek .............................................................. 18.99 18.5.6 Constance Lake First Nation ................................................................ 18.100 18.5.7 Eabametoong First Nation ................................................................... 18.100 18.5.8 Ginoogaming First Nation ..................................................................... 18.101 18.5.9 Long Lake #58 First Nation ................................................................... 18.102 18.5.10 Marten Falls First Nation ........................................................................ 18.104 i HARDROCK PROJECT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT / ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT 18.5.11 Métis Nation of Ontario......................................................................... 18.104 18.5.12 Pays Plat First Nation .............................................................................. 18.105 18.5.13 Pic Mobert First Nation .......................................................................... 18.106 18.5.14 Red Sky Métis Independent Nation .................................................... 18.106 18.6 DETERMINATION OF SIGNIFICANCE ....................................................................... 18.107 18.7 PREDICTION CONFIDENCE ..................................................................................... 18.107 18.8 REFERENCES .............................................................................................................. 18.108 LIST OF TABLES Table 18-1: Aboriginal Communities and their Locations .............................................. 18.3 Table 18-2: Potential Environmental Effects and Measurable Parameters for Traditional Land and Resource Use ............................................................ 18.37 Table 18-3: Characterization of Residual Environmental Effects on Traditional Land and Resource Use................................................................................ 18.40 Table 18-4: Project-Specific Traditional Knowledge Studies ........................................ 18.43 Table 18-5 TLRU Information Sources .............................................................................. 18.45 Table 18-6: Potential Project Effects on Interactions with Traditional Land and Resource Use, Prior to Mitigation ................................................................. 18.71 Table 18-7: Proposed Mitigation for Change to Availability of Plant Species and Access to Plant Harvesting Sites and Activities ......................................... 18.76 Table 18-8: Proposed Mitigation for Change to Availability of Fish Species and Access to Fishing Areas and Activities........................................................ 18.79 Table 18-9: Proposed Mitigation for Change to Availability of Hunted and Trapped Species and Access to Hunting and Trapping Areas and Activities .......................................................................................................... 18.82 Table 18-10: Proposed Mitigation for Change to Cultural and Spiritual Practices, Sites, or Areas ................................................................................................. 18.85 Table 18-11: Summary of Project Residual Environmental Effects on Traditional Land and Resource Use................................................................................ 18.89 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 18-1: Aboriginal Community Locations - Regional ............................................... 18.7 Figure 18-2: TLRU Assessment Area and Potentially Affected Communities .............. 18.13 ii HARDROCK PROJECT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT / ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT Assessment of Potential Environmental Effects on Traditional Land and Resource Use June 2017 18.0 ASSESSMENT OF POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS ON TRADITIONAL LAND AND RESOURCE USE Traditional land and resource use (TLRU) includes activities related to the harvesting of resources such as hunting, fishing, trapping, gathering plants for food and medicine, areas where teaching or transfer of knowledge regarding cultural practices occur, ceremonial sites, travel routes, and sacred sites. TLRU was selected as a valued component (VC) for assessment because of the potential for the Project to affect traditional activities, sites and resources identified by First Nations and Métis (herein referred to as Aboriginal communities). “Aboriginal”, in the context of this Final Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Assessment (EIS/EA) is taken from the usage in section 35 of the Canadian Constitution Act, 1982. Aboriginal community locations in the region are illustrated in Figure 18-1. Métis people live throughout the region including citizens of the Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) (“Métis Nation of Ontario - Traditional Knowledge and Land Use Study for the Hardrock Project: Lakehead/Nipigon/Michipicoten Traditional Territories” [MNO TKLU Study; Appendix J3]) and Red Sky Métis Independent Nations (RSMIN; RSMIN 2016). Project-specific traditional knowledge (TK) studies by Aroland First Nation (AFN), Eabametoong First Nation (EFN), Ginoogaming First Nation (GFN), Long Lake #58 First Nation (LLFN), MNO, and Pays Plat First Nation (PPFN), as well as Project consultation activities, land use survey results from LLFN, and existing literature confirmed the potential for Project effects on TLRU. The objective of this chapter is to understand and document Aboriginal people’s TLRU, describe potential Project interactions, identify mitigation strategies, and characterize anticipated Project residual effects. Activities associated