GLYPHOSATE
Issue 1 2026 – Chiefs of Ontario Advocate magazine 
18  l
T
he pressure to push the 
Province of Ontario to 
quit using glyphosate in 
forests is continuing to 
mount. Glyphosate is the most widely 
used herbicide in Canada, used to 
control invasive weeds and toxic plants. 
However, the safety of glyphosate has 
long been contested, particularly by 
First Nations communities. Along with 
many petitions, there have been many 
grassroots action events calling for the 
end of glyphosate use – recently, an event 
was held in Magnetawan First Nation in 
Robinson Huron Treaty (RHT) terri-
tory along Highway 69 on May 14, 
2026, hosted by the TEK (Traditional 
Ecological Knowledge) Elders.
TEK Elders is a group comprised 
of Elders from the north shore of Lake 
Huron, and they have been advocating 
for the abolishment of glyphosate in 
RHT territory for more than a decade. 
In June 2017, Anishinabek News 
reported, “Since 2014, the group has 
delivered a position paper and written 
letters to the federal health minister, 
Minister of Natural Resources and 
Forestry and with the provincial Minister 
of Indigenous Affairs and Reconciliation, 
seeking a moratorium on the use of 
aerial spraying. Despite those efforts, in 
its resolution, the TEK Group says aerial 
spraying has continued in various areas 
throughout the Robinson Huron  
Treaty territory.”
In addition to ecological and human 
health, TEK Elders also maintain that 
use of the chemical breaches Treaty 
rights. On their website, the group 
states, “We are dependent socially, 
economically, spiritually and culturally 
on the health of the forest, including the 
wildlife, plants, water and soil. In many 
areas, we cannot trust that the medi-
cines and foods we harvest are clean and 
uncontaminated. The aerial spraying of 
glyphosate violates our Treaty rights to 
the water and to hunt, fish and gather 
berries and plant medicines in our  
traditional territories.”
Gimaa Dean Sayers, spokesperson 
for the RHT Chiefs, member of the 
Robinson Huron Waawiindamaagewin 
(RHW) Political Working Group and 
former Chief of Batchewana First 
Nation, indicated that the RHT Chiefs 
sent a letter to the governments of 
Stop the Spray
Calls for moratorium on glyphosate use grow
BY JENNIFER ASHAWASEGAI-PEREIRA
Ontario and Canada on May 5, 2026, 
proposing to discontinue the use of 
glyphosate and ensure forest manage-
ment practices are planned with the 
consent of, and in collaboration with, 
RHW leadership.
Sayers says RHW is asserting jurisdic-
tion to align with the Treaty. He points 
to the 1849 Mica Bay Incident, when 
Anishinabek wanted to stop settlers from 
mining copper because they did not have 
permission. Anishinabek leadership were 
jailed, but quickly released because of 
the jurisdictional issue. The Mica Bay 
Incident led to the signing of the RHT 
in 1850. “Anishinabek in Robinson 
Huron Treaty territory have never ceded 
jurisdiction,” Sayers says.
The Chiefs of Ontario (COO) has 
also taken a position to support a ban 
on the glyphosate use in the province. 
In June 2025, COO passed a resolution 
on the abolition of glyphosate-based 
herbicides. That resolution was moved 
by Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabek 
proxy Marcel Donio and seconded by 
Temagami First Nation Chief Shelly 
Moore-Frappier. COO also resolves to 
hire a scientist to report on cumulative 

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