
Ontario's severed ties with Starlink impedes access to legal services in remote First Nations
CBC
Indigenous legal advocates in northwestern Ontario are sounding the alarm over the Ontario government's cancellation of its contract with Starlink, citing concerns with people's access to legal services in remote First Nations.
Last month, Premier Doug Ford announced he'd be ripping up the $100-million deal with Elon Musk's internet provider, as a retaliatory measure in the ongoing Canada-U.S. trade war.
Starlink, developed by Musk's company SpaceX, is a low-orbit satellite constellation system known for improving broadband internet access in rural and remote communities.
Musk — called a "special government employee" by U.S. president Donald Trump — has received heavy criticism for his role in the Trump administration's government cutbacks, resulting in a growing trend of people 'cancelling' products and services associated with him.
But in northwestern Ontario, this means the end of the Starlink-Navigator Program delivered by Nishnawbe-Aski Legal Services Corporation (NALSC), which "permitted community members, who often do not have access to internet, or reliable internet, an opportunity to participate in virtual courts."
NALSC serves people across Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) territory, which covers 49 First Nations across Treaties 9 and 5. The Starlink-Navigator Program allowed the organization to assist between five and 80 people in attending virtual court per session across 29 court locations.
"Going forward, NAN community members will need to independently find the means and technology to attend court via Zoom," NALSC said in a statement last Tuesday.
The organization, which declined to do an interview, issued a follow-up statement on Thursday, providing more details about the Ministry of the Attorney General's refusal to renew funding for the program.
"Without funding to this critical program, it is anticipated that, alongside ancillary effects, many individuals will be unable to participate in the court process when their respective court is proceeding virtually," NALSC said in Thursday's release.
"A lack of funding for the Starlink-Navigator Program will further strain an already overburdened legal system. Communities should expect to see an increased cost to complete matters, as the inability to facilitate virtual court appearances will delay legal proceedings."
CBC News has reached out to the Ministry of the Attorney General for comment on NALSC's concerns and is awaiting a response.
Daniel Cox is a member of Fort William First Nation and a lecturer at the Bora Laskin Faculty of Law in Thunder Bay. He described the suspension of the Starlink-Navigator Program as a "step backwards."
"This is obviously going to hamper access to justice," said Cox.
Among his concerns are people's constitutional rights to trials within a reasonable timeframe, as well as the limited ability of lawyers to travel to remote communities to provide in-person services.

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