Japanese firm moves in Lubicon land

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A Japanese forest products giant, Daishowa, will not harvest trees on lands earmarked by the province and the federal government for the Lubicon band, said Forestry Minister LeRoy Fjordbotten in an Edmonton Journal report.

The minister could not be reached for comment but executive assistant Peter Kinnear echoed Fjordbotten's comments saying, "The government has gone ahead and said that whatever the land claim area is, that area is protected or kept from (the) Daishowa Forest Management agreement.

But Lubicon Chief Bernard Ominayak disputes the province's claim. "It (harvest area) covers our entire traditional area. I just saw the maps this evening. Apparently the leases have been granted and as far as we're concerned nobody is going to start cutting our trees down."

The land claim issue, which has been unresolved for 48 years, has been hit by one controversy after another.

"We're fed up with these guys," says Ominayak. "The federal and provincial government has used oil development to undermine our rights and our way of life, now they're going to come in for the kill . . . using foreign people."

Both governments will kick in infrastructure grants for the $500-million pulp mill which Daishowa plans to work on this spring, north of Peace River.

According to Kinnear, the pulp mill is not anywhere near Lubicon Lake.

The Forestry minister's statement that the Lubicons are asking for 10 per cent of the province in their land claim was strongly refuted by Gregg Smith, president of the Indian Association of Alberta, during a Feb. 9 public forum on the Lubicon situation.

"Rest assured if the Lubicons were asking for 10 per cent of the province they'd have a lot of Indians down their backs."

Shocked by the announcement of the pulp mill which will create 630 permanent jobs, New Democrat Native Affairs critic Leo Piquette said, "I could not believe the provincial government could actually be so stupid to use that kind of approach because it's like throwing gasoline on the fire."

The Lubicons were not consulted during the Japanese-Alberta negotiations to finalize the forestry management agreement.

Although he could not say when, Bernard Ominayak says his community will assert jurisdiction on Lubicon land.

"We're going to try and be as peaceful as possible and if that doesn't work and they keep pushing (then) we're going to have to push back."