Standing Together to Protect Muskeg: ta-kistîthihtamahk ikwata-manâcihtâyahk wâpâstâskamikwa Is a mini doc collecting voices from around the 'tri-communities' of La Ronge, Air Ronge, and the Lac La Ronge Indian Band Communities who may be impacted by the Proposed Development of Peat Moss Mining by the French company Lambert Peat Moss, Inc.

In October 2020 Residents in the area received letters from Lambert Peat detailing a 2619 hectare proposed development in their region. Peat Moss extraction is done to modify and improve soil 'character' in agronomy settings across the world; peat improves the water and mineral retention capacity of the soil-matrix.

While Peat does not technically 'add' anything to the soil, it does improve its nutritive capacity, and thus - typically - yields. Because peat extraction is intensive, it is considered a form of mining. Mining and Forestry are allowable essential components of Saskatchewan's pandemic economy, as outlined in March of 2020.

The Proposed Development will have a project timeline of 80-years, with current benefits to the immediate communities comprising, primarily, of seasonal employment to remove the resource: 25 jobs per season. There are yet to be any impact benefit agreements (IBAs) or other revenue-sharing agreements. 

In May of this year, the Energy Minister for Alberta, Sonya Savage, told listeners of an oil trade association podcast that the coronavirus pandemic was 'the perfect time to move forward with the construction of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion due to bans on large protests' -- can the same be said of mining and the Duty to Consult?

This video captures opinions of a breadth of persons potentially affected by the development: men and women of all ages, with FN/Cultural presence, and includes non-monetary use cases for the land that may not have been captured in the rote engagement process. STPMuskeg is a for press, politicians, private industry, and acts as additional consultation data in a pandemic that limits engagement.

This video leans on participation by the advocacy group For Peat's Sake, founded in 2020 in response to the proposed development, local youth groups, Indigenous Elders, and more.