A First Nation in northern Ontario, citing infringement of sacred territory, has sued the province and a prospector for $80 million in damages and an injunction to stop further exploration work and commercialization of hard rock gold claims said to contain tens of millions of ounces. In response, the Ontario government cites support it’s provided since 2008 to boost the indigenous community’s capacity for consultation including in terms of mineral development. The prospector, now in his mid-70s, similarly points to years of engagement efforts that met with “non-engagement and delay,” as well as “intensive logging and exploration activities” that have already occurred on the land under dispute. The gold-rich region in question is near Geraldton, northwestern Ont., north of Lake Superior. It’s a historic mining and logging district that’s seen prospecting and drilling since the 1930s. From then until around 1970, over two million ounces of gold had been mined there. …