Summary
In the interview cited below, Berry Richards reports that exploratory work had been done by the mining company Eldorado along with others in search of uranium around Foster Lake during the early 1950s. However, due to national concern about the use of uranium in the creation of explosives, the federal government prohibited uranium mining. This ban was lifted by the federal government in the 1960s, allowing mining companies to continue resource exploration and development, particularly as it related to uranium.
Implications
Historically, resource exploration and mining was not included in treaty negotiations or in the written documents. These projects were also conducted without the consultation of Indigenous peoples. A prospecting school created by Malcolm Norris (and Jim Brady) that operated from 1945 to the early 1960s, an Indigenous economic development program, introduced minimal participation into an industry dominated by Euro-Canadian settlers. Please see the related entry "Prospecting School in Northern Saskatchewan and Prospectors' Assistance Plan" for further information.
Sub Event
Revival of Uranium Mining in the 1960s in Northern Saskatchewan
Date
1960-00-00