IHRP Participates in Ring of Fire Regional Assessment Working Group Meeting

IHRP Presentation to the Regional Assessment in the Ring of Fire – March 25, 2026 – Timmins, ON | Pictured left to right: Iryn McMechan and Allison Zhao (IHRP clinic students); Sandra Wisner (IHRP Director) and Nabila Khan (IHRP Research Associate).

This week, by way of invitation from First Nations communities, the IHRP participated in the Ring of Fire Regional Assessment Working Group’s meeting in Timmins, Ontario. IHRP Director Sandra Wisner, Research Associate Nabila Khan, and IHRP clinic students Iryn McMechan and Allison Zhao presented before First Nations delegates, tribal council representatives, and the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada on an international human rights-based approach to the assessment of potential development in the Ring of Fire area. The IHRP discussed Canada’s obligations under international law, the rights protected under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), and the legal and practical realities of development in the Ring of Fire area, including potential rights impacts.  

The Regional Assessment brings together 15 First Nations and the Government of Canada to assess the potential positive and negative effects, including cumulative and interactive effects, due to possible development activities throughout the Ring of Fire area. The assessment seeks to provide information on key priorities of importance to the First Nation Partners and the Government of Canada, as well as identify and provide recommendations on how potential effects of development can be best managed.

The IHRP has been working alongside the Anishnawbe Business Professional Association (ABPA) over the past two years to prepare a report that applies an international human rights lens to examine proposed mining development in the Ring of Fire, with particular attention to Canada’s commitments under UNDRIP. Along with students from U of T Law’s Investor Protection Clinic, IHRP clinic students have also been conducting research on whether and how companies engage in processes of consultation and free, prior and informed consent with affected communities in connection with their mining operations, as well as the impact of mining exploration and proposed operations on the substantive rights of First Nations.

For more information, read about the Regional Assessment in the Ring of Fire Area and the IHRP’s presentation to the Regional Assessment Working Group here.