Pentagon Funding of Sisson Mine Provokes Renewed Opposition from Wolastoq Elders

Earlier this year, Northcliff Resources announced it had received $20.7 million from the U.S. Department of Defence to “accelerate development” of its controversial Sisson mine project in the Upper Nashwaak River area, about 60 kilometres northwest of Fredericton.

The timing raised eyebrows. President Donald Trump had spent months musing about annexing Canada while stoking a trade war over unfounded claims of a border crisis. In that climate, the idea of a Canadian mining company partnering with the U.S. military to develop an open-pit mine might have seemed far-fetched—until it happened.

According to the company’s statement, the proposed mine will help meet U.S. demand for tungsten and molybdenum—minerals used in many defence and aerospace applications. China currently produces roughly 80 per cent of the world’s tungsten supply.

The Pentagon partnership has reignited opposition from Indigenous Elders, including Wolastoq Grand Chief Ron Tremblay and Wolastoq grandmother Alma Brooks.

Tremblay—Spasaqit Possesom, or Morningstar Burning—called the deal “one of those head-scratching situations” in an interview with the NB Media Co-op. “That’s like getting back together with your abusive spouse,” he said. Tungsten carbide, valued for its hardness, is used in armour-piercing ammunition. Tremblay said the Wolastoq Grand Council rejects any activity that fuels war or what he called “the continuum of genocide” in places such as Gaza and the West Bank.

Brooks said the funding announcement only strengthened her opposition. “I am absolutely and totally against anything that would support the United States or Canadian military in their war efforts,” she told the NB Media Co-op. She pointed to Israel’s prolonged U.S.-backed assault on the Gaza Strip, calling it “a genocide that’s happening right under the nose of the world.”

The Sisson Partnership did not respond to a request for comment. The project received provincial environmental approval in 2015 and federal approval in 2017, both with conditions. Northcliff says it has spent $70 million on the project so far.

The company’s website highlights agreements with Indigenous communities, including a 2017 cooperation agreement with Woodstock First Nation and a revenue-sharing “accommodation agreement” signed that year between all six Wolastoqey First Nations and the provincial government. However, five of the six chiefs have reportedly stated they oppose the mine and felt coerced by the then-Liberal government into signing. The Wolastoqey Nation in New Brunswick, an advisory body for the six communities, warns on its website that the project “poses a risk to water cleanliness and fish-bearing brooks” in the proposed location. None of the chiefs was available for comment by publication time.

In a brief statement, Indigenous Affairs Minister Keith Chiasson said the province values feedback from the Grand Council and continues to consult with the six Wolastoqey nations. “Extensive consultation began in 2012, and there has been an ongoing dialogue with First Nations regarding this project,” Chiasson said. “This file remains active, and I’m always open to having discussions with First Nations.”

This video report includes interviews with Alma Brooks by volunteer Anna-Leah Simon and with Ron Tremblay by NB Media Co-op staff reporter David Gordon Koch.

Full coverage is available at nbmediacoop.org. This reporting was made possible in part by the Government of Canada, administered by the Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations (CACTUS).