Eleventh hour talks stall Sechelt threat

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What's two weeks more when you've been waiting 20 years?

That's the question facing many Sechelt Nation residents after an eleventh hour agreement with provincial government officials concerning the Sechelt's threats to cut the water supply to the town of Sechelt and neighboring communities, was reached.

The band threatened to remove Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) water pipes off their land by Feb. 14 unless the British Columbia government opened land claim discussions with them.

After waiting until two days before the Sechelt's ultimatum, Aboriginal affairs assistant deputy minister Randy Brant met with band officials Feb. 13 in Sechelt and asked for additional time.

"They asked for additional time and we're willing to give it to them," Chief Garry Feschuk said after the meeting.

The government now has until the end of the month to begin providing the Sechelts with a sign they're willing to negotiate their land claim.

The threatened water pipes run across Sechelt land, a service granted the regional district located across Howe Sound from Vancouver, over 20 years ago in exchange for 25 acres of land elsewhere for the Sechelts. The B.C. government has yet to make good their end of the bargain.

In addition, the Sechelt Band, the first self-governing Native band in Canada, has a comprehensive land claim ready for discussion and the provincial government, up until Feb. 12, was snubbing them.

Sunshine Coast MLA and former provincial Liberal leader Gordon Wilson said he's angered by the provincial government for stalling talks for so long.

"They don't seem to have the sense of urgency as we have on the Coast," he said. "They don't see the threat as real."

Band representatives believe one of the main reasons the government is stalling talks is because they want the Sechelts to take their claim through the Treaty Commission. Because the Sechelt's aren't part of the First Nations, they want to be dealt with separately from the Treaty Commission.

"We don't want to be involved with the Treaty Commission," Feschuk said, explaining the band fears if they did the talks would drag on longer.

Feschuk said Aboriginal Affairs minister John Cashore told him before Christmas that the Sechelt claim would be treated as a priority, something the Sechelts have heard before and now "he's saying we have to line up like any other band with the Treaty Commission.

In an effort to get the province and particularly Premier Mike Harcourt to pay heed, the band spent $21,000 on a Vancouver Sun advertisement in December outlining their land claims, which cover an area of about 113 kilometres by 113 kilometres on the Sunshine Coast. Without any action resulting, the band decided to take more drastic measures.

"All we want is a commitment from the Premier that we're a priority in the settlement of land claims.

"We were hoping it wouldn't come to this," Feschuk said of the threat to remove the water pipes off their utility corridor, which would have cut the water supply off to about 10,000 people, including most band residents.

Deputy minister Brant told the Sechelts, Feb. 12, their claims won't be "tied up for years" and he's promised to find out whether or not the Sechelt land claim will have to go through the Treaty Commission.

Cashore earlier said the Sechelt request to avoid the commission "is within the real of possibility."

In addition, SCRD officials admitted the week before the Feb. 14 deadline that they had no contingency plan.

"We haven't got any plans if they did do it," admitted SCRD board chair Peggy Connor.