The Royal Commission on the Northern Environment (Ontario) was established 13 July 1977 by an Order-in-Council of the Ontario Cabinet. The Commission was established pursuant to The Public Inquiries Act of 1971 and furthering the purpose of The Environmental Assessment Act of 1975 which dealt with the betterment of the people, of the whole or any part of Ontario, by providing for the protection, conservation and wise management in Ontario of the environment. It was created to inquire into any beneficial and adverse effects on the environment for the people of Ontario of any public or private enterprise north of the 50th parallel of north latitude relating to harvesting, supply and use of timber resources, mining, milling, smelting, oil and gas extraction, hydro-electric development, nuclear power development, water use, tourism and recreation, transportation, communications or pipelines. The Commission also inquired into methods that should be used in the future to assess, evaluate and make decisions concerning the effects on the environment of major enterprises and to report and make recommendations to the Minister of the Environment from time to time and to carry out the purpose of the Environmental Assessment Act of 1975. The Commission gathered information by holding informal meetings in communities such as Timmins, Geraldton, Nakina, Moosonee, Moose Factory, Sioux Lookout, Dryden, Red Lake, Ear Falls, Pickle Lake, Osnaburgh, Sandy Lake, Kenora, Whitedog and Toronto. The purpose of these meetings was to gather information about the north, its people, its communities and resources by means of submissions from government departments, northern communities, northern residents and a wide range of organizations and enterprises with experience and knowledge of the north of Ontario. The Commission also heard submissions relating to issues that it needed to address, the roles it should play and the manner in which its inquiries were to be conducted. Submissions ranged from women and health services to trappers and methanol production. There were community and native people historical surveys as well as community and business officials' responses to reports published by the Commission.