Page 19 By Frank Giorno Phil Fontaine the former National Chief of the Assembly of First Na tions and the keynote speaker at the Northern Mines Expo Aboriginal Pro curement and Partnership Conference said mining companies inter ested in developing the Ring of Fire must ne gotiate up front so that everyone can share in the mineral wealth contained in the area Mining companies must negotiate with First Nations up front asserted Fontaine instead of the way it was done in the past as an afterthought companies must respect our history and understand our culture Fon taine believes there is enough min eral wealth within the Ring of Fire to boost the Northeastern economy for decades to come Negotiate upfr ont so all can beneft fr om mineral wealth of Ring of Fir e First Na tions Communi ties Sup port Min i n g Bu t Also Have Right to Say No Conflicts are in evitable if mining companies play by the old rules said Fontaine and try imposing their will onto First Nation communities There is no reason to beli eve this has to be true Fontaine went on if the mining industry treats the First Nations communities fairl y Fon taine cautioned however that people should realize even if companies are upfront in their negotiations with First nations there are no guarantees to Phil Fontaine answers media questions after speech at Northern Mines Expo Aboriginal Procurement and Partnership conference in T immins Contd on pg 20