Saskatchewan protesters defy court-ordered eviction

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Protesters at a year-old road block in northwest Saskatchwan are refusing to leave their camp site, even in the face of a court-ordered eviction.

Court of Queen's Bench Justice J. Wimmer ruled May 12 that the Protectors of Mother Earth Society must vacate their Wiggins Bay Road Turnoff campsite within 15 days, if an appeal was not launched or face an eviction.

But society members decided not to appeal.

In a press release issued May 23, the Sakaw Aski Elders said they decided to hold their ground in a stand against clear-cutting in northern Saskatchewan even if it meant being arrested.

"The Elders made the decision to stay because they felt that the (judge's) decision threatened their rights," society spokesperson Sylvia Iron said.

Wimmer ruled he could not find any reason to deny the province's application to have the protesters vacate their 67-by 45- yard campsite just west of the turnoff.

Although the province admits it has no use for the land, Wimmer was unable to find a basis to refuse the eviction application.

Wimmer also ruled his judicial review, to examine whether forestry activities are considered a "development" under provincial environment legislation, will not continue until society members leave their camp.

If logging and related activities of NorSask Forest Products are considered a development, then the environmental impact study requested by the society would have to be done.

The Elders also disobeyed the eviction order for fear of losing the rights to hunt, fish and trap in other regions, Iron said.

"The judge had said that they were unable to hunt and fish in that area," she said. "So the Elders felt that if they were not able to hunt and trap on that land, the court should take away their right to hunt on other lands."

Wimmer said he could not find any "tenable connection between occupation of the land and the direct exercise of any right to hunt, trap or fish."

The Sakaw Aski Elders, from the Canoe Lake band in northern Saskatchewan, established the blockade on provincial highway 903 May 13, 1992, to protest clear-cutting around the Meadow Lake Tribal Council's and member communities. Their demands included a halt to clear-cutting, especially with mechanical harvesters and greater control over resource management.

"We don't want no clear-cutting," said society member Bernice Opikokew. "We don't want the machinery up there. And the thing is they have said that they are willing to meet our demands but will clear-cut in small patches. That's not meeting our demands."

The group also wanted technical and financial assistance to start up other forestry-related businesses and compensation for the damage done by clear-cutting.

On June 30 of last year, at around midnight, the camp was stormed by move than 80 RCMP officers equipped with riot gear. Some 30 people, many of them Elders, were arrested and charged with illegally blocking a highway. They were released the next morning and began returning to the blockade.

The charges were later dropped.

RCMP have not yet shown up at the camp to evict the squatters from the Treaty 10 land, society member Ruth Iron said.

"The government is not at this time going to enforce the order."

The stand-off between the province and the Elders will probably be resolved through more negotiations, she said.