As we enter a new future of dancing with and within the commodities markets, selling diamonds and gold left and right, a rare mineral here and there, what comes to mind is that we’ve come a long way from just reinvesting debentures and bonds and occasionally cashing in on mega-projects, now the future is really under ground.
Many years back, during the JBNQA, the lands and underground resources were available to just about anyone as we – a young Cree nation at that time – had the rights only for the first metre of the surface. So what happened is that lands that were left exposed during previous developments were accessible and were already considered as a metre below our “land and surface” rights. Heck, anyone with a shovel and some sweat could break that immediate barrier, but what lays just beneath or deep underground, are the minerals that drive our present-day economy.
So, whilst we remain attached to the basic and sometimes bare roots of the land, we still have to dig deeper in our backyard to make a buck or two. This is a good thing, because it beats digging for nothing but a backslap or two. I imagined that the world was waiting for us to jump out of the bushes with gold in our hands the size of PEI potatoes (don’t ask me why, but PEI is the standard of measurement in Canada when it comes to calculating land masses) and lay claim to the vast riches underground. But that was a little slow in the making, as we won’t say if there’s gold in them thar hills without a really good Impact Benefit Agreement to juice up the deals.
Back in the day, prospectors used to go out on the land and be picked up months later, all haggard and smelly, with rabid tales of veins of gold and vowing to die with secret maps hidden in their cabin-fevered minds. And many died without ever telling anyone where the gold was. If you think this is a fairytale, then so be it, and don’t believe a word I say when it comes to hidden lodes of gold.
Today, with GPS, helicopters and the worldwide web, one can prospect with the best of them. Just make sure you have enough money to work the claim as it is quite easy to lose a few billion dollars in this volatile market era. If you have any secret sites for your latest gold claim, then cash in when the price is right, which is about now – making this a dance of commodities.
Canada owns the rights. The Queen owns our lands we live on. The whole area is reserved for future development. According to nearly everyone, the future is now, so development is just around the corner. Better to cash in soon than lose out on lost cost opportunities, one could say. There are even gold-bar dispensers in place of the chocolate-bar vending machines. If you can bite the gold and your teeth don’t break, then you’ve got the real thing. Times are changing so fast, that soon, going to the bank will mean carrying lodes and lodes of gold dust, which means heavy-duty purses and double-sticked pockets. The possibilities are endless, until the world economy collapsed in a pile of gold dust. Die rich and happy and undervalued in one shift.
As for me, I’m picking up a metal detector and going to look for anything that will set off alarms.
