Windspeaker News Briefs - October

THE TK’EML/PS AND SKEETCHESTN INDIAN
Bands want the S/upreme Court of British Columbia to provide an injunction to prevent International Forest Products Ltd. and West Fraser Mills Ltd. from logging in four sensitive watersheds within their traditional territory. The companies hold licenses and permits to cut within the Jamieson Creek, Criss Creek, Heller Creek and Tranquille River watersheds.”These watersheds are crucial to the people,” said Skeetchestn Chief Rick Deneault. “The cutting International Forest Products and West Fraser Mills are approved to do in these watersheds threaten our culture, our way of life and our constitutionally protected rights. We must take steps to protect and manage our remaining intact forests.” The forests in the key watersheds provide habitat for animals traditionally hunted by the Secwepemc people, contain important streams and rivers for fish, and support plants that are significant for cultural and medicinal purposes. Tk’eml˙ps Chief Shane Gottfriedson blamed the current situation on decades of forest mismanagement. “The province of BC and the forestry industry have created this mess,” he said. “Now our territory is a patchwork of roads, clearcuts and sick pine plantations. Industrial forestry and silviculture practices have fundamentally changed the composition of the forest and made it susceptible to mountain pine beetle epidemics. These watersheds are a snapshot of what is going on all over our territory and across the BC interior and we worry there are only a few more years of logging left. It must be sustainable. Said Chief Deneult “We are the rightful stewards of the forests in our territory. We have the knowledge and capacity to sustainably manage forestry activities in our territory. Our bands have tried repeatedly to get the provincial government and various forestry companies to the table to work out a plan for co-management. But we’ve reached a tipping point. We simply cannot wait any longer.”

THE NEW CHIEF OF BEARDY’S AND
Okemasis First Nation in Saskatchewan says her community is deep in debt and though she’s cutting programs and services, Raymonda Gardipy says it’s going to take time to dig the community out of a $9-million hole. It’s been reported that the band has not been paying its bills in months and power and other services may be cut. Staff payroll funds are even being used to fund operations and make interest payments. “(Beardy’s) is in serious financial difficulty with virtually no payments being made to suppliers,” an Aug. 10 letter from accounting firm MNP said. The letter was released by chief and council to the media. “The Nation continues to overspend without implementing the necessary changes to drastically cut spending in all areas.” Banks won’t lend to the band and the federal government has said they will not bail the community out of its problems.

THE NATIVE COURTWORKER AND
Counselling Association of B.C. took an unusual step and issued a letter urging those people with a record and eligible for a pardon to apply for one as soon as possible. Pardons allow people with criminal convictions to have their criminal records kept aside from other peoples’ criminal records provided they meet certain conditions. NOW IS THE TIME TO DO IT, they wrote, because the federal government has given notice that it will raise the fees to apply for a Pardon from $150 to $631 per application. That fee increase may come into effect very shortly. Secondly, the federal government also tabled legislation on Sept. 20 which will limit the people who can apply for Pardons. Pardons will no longer be available for certain types of offences. The Native Courtworkers are concerned that the new fees and the legislative changes will mean that some Aboriginal people will no longer qualify for Pardons and also that very few Aboriginal people will be able to afford to apply for a Pardon. To see if you meet the conditions, you can visit the Parole Board of Canada Web site at http://www.pbc-clcc.gc.ca/prdons/servic-eng.shtml.

THE DIVERSION OF “MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF
water” into Lake Manitoba and restrictions on the Fairford dam resulted in the flooding of reserve lands and sacred ceremonial sites that was unnecessary, says Peguis First Nation and Ebb and Flow First Nation in lawsuits. The two nations are suing the provincial and federal governments and Manitoba Hydro saying they mismanaged water resources resulting in the flooding of their reserves. “The defendants have treated the province of Manitoba and the lakes and rivers as a giant province-wide flood diversion or hydro-electrical project, manipulating water flows on an ongoing basis... to the direct detriment of and damage to the plaintiff(s),” say the lawsuits, which target all “works, facilities, developments and projects... that increase or decrease lake levels, restrict or increase the flow of rivers and other water bodies... for any alleged flood control and prevention or water diversion purposes for the alleged benefit of other communities in Manitoba.”