The Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation is challenging the provincial government’s environmental assessment process.
The challenge is over a uranium mine within the Nation’s traditional territory.
The PBCN issued a media release Friday morning say they intend to proceed with court action against the provincial government over the matter.
The mine would be located northeast of Key Lake and would become the largest uranium operation in the Athabasca Basin.
The PBCN says the province did not properly engage with the First Nation over the mine.
“We met with the province. We sent them information. We asked to be at the table,” said Chief Peter Beatty in the media release. “Instead, our concerns were sidelined. Consultation is not paperwork — it’s a constitutional duty. Saskatchewan’s actions fell far short of that duty, and we took this step to protect our rights, land, our water, and our people.”
PBCN says that they first raised concerns in 2022 and say the government did not acknowledge their concerns until 2024. The First Nations says, when consultation was triggered, the First Nation only had six weeks to review thousands of pages of documents. PBCN claims requests for more time were denied.
PBCN also says the province failed to direct Denison Mines to engage with PBCN, and the First Nation says by the time the company attempted to do so, the process was nearly complete.
“By the time the province involved us, the key decisions had already been made,” Beatty said. “That is not consultation — that is an after-the-fact invitation to watch someone else decide your future.”
PBCN is filing the judicial review in the Saskatchewan Court of King’s Bench.
The First Nation says they are now awaiting a response from the Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment.
Chief Beatty adds that the Nation is ready for a long fight if that’s what it takes.