Anvil, Ross River Dena sign $1.4 million deal

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Mining company to pay compensation for affected trappers

Heather Hueston, Reprinted with permission from The Yukon News

To "Grandpa" Art John, the signing of a $1.4 million accord between the Ross River Dena and the new owners of Faro mine is a good thing.

Anvil Range Mining Corp. will pay him and other trappers affected by the mine re-opening $1,800 a year in compensation.

"It'll help," said John. "It takes a lot of money to live up here."

He won't retire, although, once again, he's seen the mine workings about 65 kilometres away scare off the small animals and the ones that feed on them.

"I tried retiring one year, that was all I could stand," said John. "The doctors asked what was wrong with me but as soon as I started trapping again, I felt OK."

Instead, John will move his business to Sheldon Lake, about 120 kilometres north.

He received his first supplement cheque Tuesday, at a deal-signing ceremony held at the Ross River Community Centre.

One of the chief negotiators of the deal, Ross River Dena Development Corporation manager Mike Rawlings, said "Grandpa Art" never got anything out of Faro when it was owned by Curragh Inc.

The Elders who used that traditional land will at least get something while land claims negotiations go on, he said.

"All that area (of the Vangorda Plain) where the haul road is now, was considered like a bread basket because they had salmon in the rivers, moose and caribou and sheep, said Rawlings.

Promises by Curragh and previous owner Cyprus-Anvil to hire Ross River people were never acted upon, Rawlings told about 50 people in the hall.

"Money is not the important thing," he said. "The important thing is to have an agreement that the Ross River Dene negotiated themselves."

In the early 1980s, Ottawa arranged to have Cyprus-Anvil hire 25 per cent of its workers from Ross River.

"Everyone knows we were lucky if we got one percent," said Rawlings.

This time, there are 14 Ross River band members working for Anvil, 10 more than were employed by Curragh.

Anvil chairman Bob Granger told the crowd he hoped the bad feelings left by previous owners could be put aside and the new operation given a chance.

And, with the price of zinc edging towards 55 cents per pound, Anvil should soon be able to kick off its unique fund that will cover the estimated $100-million cost of clearing up a tailings pond left behind by Curragh, he said.

"Faro hasn't always been a good news story," conceded Granger.

"This arrangement won't be a panacea but it's a sensible set of arrangements.

It's good for you and good for us, too."

Apart from annual payment to the band, totalling $1 million over the estimated

10-year life of the mine, there are also other business and educational plums in the social-economic package.

Those other aspects total $400,000 said Rawlings.

- The band is supplying one million litres of fuel to Faro a month. next month,. the Dena corporation expects its venture partner, Northern Petroleum, to have set up gas pumps at the general stores. It will sell fuel for 62 cents a litre - just above Whitehorse prices.

- A freight-hauling contract began Jan. 30 between Faro and Whitehorse. Operated by the band and joint-venture partner Pacific Northwest Freight Systems,

it has the exclusive contract to haul mine supplies five days a week to Faro. The band

is discussing whether band members will buy their own rig instead of using a Pacific Northwest truck.

- Anvil has promised training for Ross River residents in mine operations.

- Half of the apprenticeships will go to Ross River. The total number of apprentice positions is not known, but may number six or eight, said Anvil officials.

- Half of the summer jobs are promised to the band.

- There will be an Aboriginal liaison manager working for Anvil to oversee the implementation of the accord.

- Anvil will set aside $35,000 per year for a scholarship. The Dena corporation will also contribute money.

- Anvil paid half the cst of buying 25 mobile homes from Faro. They were left empty after two-thirds of the population left following the April 1993, mine closure. Anvil's share came to $350,000.

The band "walked away" from a contract to maintain the haul road between Faro and Ross River because it couldn't reach a deal with Anvil, said Rawlings.