Topic: NEWS

Mining Uranium: Saskatchewan Cameco Sets the Standard

The Athabasca Basin hosts the world’s richest high grade uranium deposits. Saskatchewan produces 30% of the world’s uranium, and one main player in this Canadian mining success story is Cameco. The company was formed in 1988, and for over a quarter century, the company has been safely and reliably producing uranium and nuclear fuel products. Cameco currently has three active mines in northern Saskatchewan: Rabbit Lake, McArthur River and Cigar Lake.

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Last year, Cameco successfully commenced production at their new Cigar Lake mine in northern Saskatchewan. This year, their main focus is to safely ramp up production at the mine. They expect to produce 6 to 8 million pounds in 2015, which would make Cigar Lake the third largest mine in the world by production. By 2018, Cameco expect’s to produce 18 million pounds(100% basis) of uranium concentrate annually. The ore mined at Cigar Lake is transported by truck to the Mclean Lake Mill operated by Areva Resource Canada Inc, where it is processed to Unranium concentrate. Mclean Lake Mill is located approximately 70 kilometres northeast of the mine site. Mining at Cigar Lake began in March 2014 and the first Uranium concentrate was packaged at Mclean Lake in October 2014.

The company has developed strong ties with aboriginal people, with an emphasis on partnerships, Metis Sean Wiilly has spent a career in mining and is very sensitive to Aboriginal relations stated that  “ Our goal is to develop and maintain long-term relationships between First Nations and Metis communities near where we operate. We have signed collaboration agreements with the Meits community of Pinerhouse (2012) and the English River First Nation (2013). We also have a participation agreement with the community of Southend (2014) and an impact management agreement with the Dene communities of the Athabasca Basin. We expect that agreements will be how we share the benefits of uranium mining into the future.”

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In 2014, Cameco employed 1,250 aboriginal people at their four northern Saskatchewan work sites (660 employees and 590 contractors), which represents approximately 45% of the northern workforce. This makes Cameco the largest industrial employer of aboriginal people in Canada.·   Their relationships with First Nations and Metis communities in northern Saskatchewan span over 25 years and involve a number of initiatives. Last year Cameco spent $333 million in services provided by northern Saskatchewan vendors. Most of the vendors are aboriginal owned businesses and organizations. The agreements signed with Pinehouse and English River are worth about $800 Million and strenghtens the longstanding relationship with the two communities and better define the benefits flowing through employment, business development and community investment.

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What does the future hold for Cameco? In the short to medium term, they expect to see continued market uncertainty as there is excess material currently available, primarily due to the idle reactors in Japan. Once these reactors begin to come back on line, they expect to see a return to long-term contracting by utilities and an improvement in the price of uranium. Over the long term, demand for uranium is increasing (by about 4% annually), driven by new reactor growth in countries like China, India, Russia and South Korea. Cameco is well positioned to meet the increasing global uranium demand and can bring on new production when market conditions improve. The long-term fundamentals of the mining industry remain strong and Cameco are optimistic about the future growth of their company and the urianiu mining industry. Today in China, there are 26 new reactors under construction with plans to build more than 100 more over the next two decades. Additional reactors will generate an increased demand for uranium.

The relationship between Cameco and their Aboriginal partners will continue, Marie Black from the English River First Nations commenting on the agreement signed with Cameco. “It’s a business deal that  we’ve been working on for a number of years in a effort to collaborate more with industry. We believe we are setting a precedent in our work with other industries for the future. We are moving forward.” t

 

Fire Prevention On-Reserve: FSIN Plans Technical Safety Committee

The issue of fire prevention on First Nations reserve lands across Canada continues to dominate the collective consciousness of Aboriginal Canada after two more toddlers were lost to a house fire on the Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nation in northern Saskatchewan due to a dispute over unpaid bills with a nearby non-Aboriginal community.

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Haley and Harley Cheenanow died in a housefire February 17th on the Makwa Sahgaihcan First Nation in northern Saskatchewan.

On Tuesday, February 17th, a two-year old boy and a one-year old girl died in an early morning blaze at the First Nation west of Meadow Lake. RCMP said officers were dispatched around 1:30 a.m. to the Maka Sahgaiehcan reserve where they found the house engulfed in flames. They said a man, who had gone to the home and found it on fire, came out carrying two small children. Two year-old Harley Cheenanow and his 18-month-old sister Haley had been home with their grandmother when the fire started. The grandmother managed to get out of the house, and although the children’s father arrived in time to carry them out, it was too late, and the children didn’t survive.

The First Nation has had a working fire truck for several years but has never used it. The truck isn’t properly equipped, and no crew had ever been trained to use it. Makwa Sahgaiehcan Chief Richard Ben said the First Nation usually depends on volunteer firefighters from the nearby village of Loon Lake, which is generally responsible for emergency services in the area. However, a dispute over unpaid bills (nearly $3,400) led to a decision not to send firefighters.

Volunteer fire chief Larry Heon of Loon Lake said they got an automated call about the fire Tuesday morning, but his crew did not attend the scene. Heon said the First Nation had sent a letter cancelling a contract with the village for fire services last year. The First Nation, however, said there was previously a dispute over how much the band owed the village over firefighting services. Laurie Lehoux, who has worked as the village administrator since 2012, said the issue of unpaid bills has been ongoing for at least a year. Between March and May 2014, the Loon Lake fire department attended calls to the First Nation for brush and structure fires. By September, Lehoux said the village hadn’t received its fees, despite calls and notes to the First Nation.

An agreement between the village and the First Nation was reached in January 2013 that outlined the costs for attending fires. On January 30, 2015, the fire department sent a letter to the First Nation saying it was over three months behind on payments. In that letter, the fire department said it would no longer respond to any fires until its account was paid.

But Chief Ben said he doesn’t recall signing any contract and said the First Nation always pays the fire department after the call was finished. “It was more or less, they come and we pay them and that was it,” he said. RCMP were they only first responders to attend the scene. “It’s a big big tragedy for us, especially the two children,” said Ben in a CBC interview. “In a way, those kids are like our kids, and I couldn’t help but cry.”

The decision not to attend the fire has fueled tension between the two communities and created a debate in Ottawa over the issue of fire prevention funding to First Nations’ reserves. Federal Aboriginal Affairs Minister Bernard Valcourt said Makwa Sahgaiehcan, like all First Nations, gets sufficient funding for fire services, but it’s up to band officials to decide how the money is spent. Saskachewan’s child advocate Bob Pringle said too many children have died in fires on reserves lately, and Aboriginal and government leaders need to get their act together and address the problem. “The issues have to be addressed, or there’ll be a next time and a next time and a next time,” said Pringle in a Canadian Press interview. “Adults, figure it out; it’s not rocket science.” Five children died in house fires on Saskachewan First Nations’ reserves last year, and a ten-year-old boy and his adult sister perished in a burning home on the English River First Nation last month. Pringle said he is writing a letter to provincial, federal, and Aboriginal leaders to meet and work on solutions.

Aboriginal leaders and critics have pointed to poverty, outdated and crowded housing and lack of fire prevention measures as causes for widespread house fires on reserves. Eric Sylvestre, head of the Meadow Lake Tribal Council representing First Nations of the area, has ordered an inventory of fire services on the reserves of his group. It’s time for action, Sylvestre says, not “to argue about funding and placing blame.”

The Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN) plans to establish a new co-operative to oversee technical and emergency services on all of the province’s First Nations. Interim FSIN leader Chief Kimberly Johnathan made the announcement at a news conference in Prince Albert. “The co-operative will enable First Nations, through their tribal councils, to benefit from best practices and experience in technical service program delivery,” she said. The co-operative would be responsible for dealing with the provincial government on matters relating to technical and emergency services. “Once the tribal council’s technical services co-op is established, the federal and provincial governments will have an entity to work with on a government to government basis,” she added.

Jonathan said the co-operative would be managed by member First Nations and tribal councils and would oversee areas such as fire protection, water quality, housing codes, community standards, and emergency management. Jonathan said the proposal will be presented to Saskatchewan chiefs at the FSIN’s general assembly in May. They hope to have the specifics ready by June and have the co-op fully functional by next spring.

Jonathan noted the FSIN was recently informed that the federal Aboriginal Affairs and Saskatchewan have negotiated a bilateral agreement for emergency management on reserves, without the participation of Saskatchewan First Nations. She called for those discussions to end until First Nations are included, and for any money given to the province to be transferred to the FSIN instead, to be used for the proposed co-op. “The FSIN executive council is demanding that the government of Saskatchewan and the government of Canada cease and desist all discussions that would see $10 million of Indian money transferred to the province, and redirect those resources to the development and implementation of a tribal council technical services co-operative,” said Jonathan.

 

Commander of the Canadian Army: Lt. Gen. Marquis Hainse

Commander of the Canadian Army, Lieutenant-General Marquis Hainse’s desire to join the military took its roots during his Air Cadets years in his hometown of Thetford Mines, Quebec. Following in his older bother’s footsteps, he joined the Cadets, and the military way of life became appealing to him in his teenage years. Hainse joined the Royal Military College in St-Jean, Quebec, where he had developed his knowledge of the Canadian Armed Forces, particularly the Army. “Thirty-eight years later, I am still serving and still enjoying every minute of it,” he says.

Annual spending on the military, compared to 2011, has been slated to shrink by a total of $2.7-billion this year, according to a briefing note from the Department of National Defence. That is almost $300 million more than internal estimates and roughly $600 million higher than the figure defence officials acknowledged last fall when they rolled out the department’s renewal plan. “There is no doubt that the fiscal situation has changed over the past few years, and that the Army’s budget is less than it has been,” Hainse acknowledged. “So, we will adjust our priorities to reflect the resources available to us; but at the same time, certain tasks are non-negotiable. I will preserve Army core capabilities by ensuring combined arms live fire training. We will find efficiencies through the Defence Renewal Process, shed some costs through older infrastructure and equipment divestments, and make sure our force is well balanced, meaning that we will ensure we have the right people doing the right jobs in the right locations. At the end of the day, I remain confident that the Army will be postured to complete its missions with the resources available.”

One of the Lieutenant-General’s early domestic deployments was as a Company Commander the Oka Crisis of 1990. “I will say up front that during that period, both the Canadian Armed Forces and Canada’s Aboriginal Peoples faced a very tense and uncomfortable moment, but more importantly, we both learned from that historic event,” said Lt. Gen. Hainse. “With regard to the lasting effects of that event, I believe that the intervening period has enabled a better understanding of the values guiding both communities; it has also triggered a significant increase in the development of Aboriginal programs within Defence. The development of this mutual comprehension continues today, and with my role as Aboriginal Champion for the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces, I hope to maintain this trend.”

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ALOY Completion Ceremony June 20th, 2014 at the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario.

Hainse is very proud that the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) has a wide variety of programs related to Aboriginal peoples. “Taken together, they serve to recognize and celebrate their many contributions throughout Canada’s history. They allow Aboriginal people to take advantage of the education and training opportunities that the Armed Forces have to offer, like subsidized college and university programs,” said Hainse. He notes that these programs also serve to inform and educate the defence institution so that when the CAF enrols Aboriginal peoples, they join an organization knowledgeable about them and responsive to their unique contributions and cultures. “We work hard with communities and leaders to make this successful. The long and proud history of Aboriginal people in Canada’s military is an important element in these programs.”

The Lt. Gen. described the programs: “We have Summer Training Programs such as Bold Eagle, Raven, and Black Bear; we have the Aboriginal Leadership Opportunity Year at the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario. Also, our Canadian Rangers Program—not exclusive to Aboriginal youth but very much targeted that way—is another important program. As well, the Aboriginal Entry Program is a three week program for Aboriginal people considering a career in the military. Lastly, the Defence Aboriginal Advisory Group exists to advise senior leaders on a whole range of issues within the department.”

The Defence Aboriginal Advisory Group (DAAG) is celebrating its 20th anniversary in March, 2015. The DAAG offers valuable guidance to the senior leadership of the CAF to promote and create fair, equitable, and inclusive working environments for all Aboriginal members of the Defence Team, both military and civilian. The members of the DAAG support the chain of command in its mandate to foster awareness of Aboriginal issues, recruiting and retention issues, and also provide a forum within the organization for Aboriginal peoples to gather and support one another as they exercise their unique cultural, spiritual, and traditional identities. Since its creation twenty years ago, the DAAG has influenced many positive initiatives, including a change in dress regulations that allows Aboriginal members to wear their hair in a traditional manner. The DAAG laid the groundwork for all the Aboriginal programs.

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R. Donald Maracle, Chief of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte, and Lt. Gen. Hainse seated on the dais during the ALOY Completion Ceremony at the Royal Military College in Kingston Ontario, June 20th, 2014.

Lt. Gen. Hainse describes his role as the Aboriginal Champion for the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces as “first and foremost one of advocacy. I am an advocate for all things Aboriginal in the Army, as well as in the other services and within the defence institution as a whole. Practically speaking, I promote Aboriginal programs in my speeches and presentations. I encourage Aboriginal considerations in Defence business planning and decision making. I help foster an equitable and welcoming workplace through awareness of Aboriginal issues. Overall, I think that the mere fact that we have a Champion in the department demonstrates our commitment to furthering the role and presence of Aboriginal people in the military.”

When asked why he, the Army Commander, is the Aboriginal Champion versus his Commander colleagues at the Royal Canadian Air Force and Royal Canadian Navy, Hainse said, “perhaps because I asked for it! Both my predecessors acted as Champion, and when I was appointed Army Commander, I requested to carry on in that role. Practically speaking, it is a good fit. The Army is the largest of the three services, and so naturally we employ more people in a broader range of trades. We also have the Canadian Rangers, which is not an Aboriginal organization per se, but over 60% of Canadian Rangers are Aboriginal. But in reality, any one of our senior leaders would be well positioned to play this role; I am just happy that for now, the honour is mine.”

Hainse says, “The face of Aboriginal people in the Forces is a mirror image of the face of Canada. Now more than ever, Canada is a cultural, ethnic, religious and racial mosaic. It is an extraordinarily diverse and accepting country. As a result, our military must strive every day to be a diverse and accepting military. I am proud to see Aboriginal soldiers wearing traditional braids, working alongside turbaned Sikh comrades and female infantry soldiers, and so on. So, to complete my answer to your question, the face of Aboriginal people in the Armed Forces is that of a skilled, dedicated, professional soldier, sailor, airman or airwoman, bringing diversity to the profession of arms.”

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ALOY Cadets march past during the ALOY Completion Ceremony held at RMC.

Many of the young Aboriginals who join the armed forces are moving from small and isolated communities to larger urban centres. When asked how the CAF facilitates their transition, Hainse said, “I’m not sure that transition is the best term because it implies an end state. Rather, we see it as a continuous process where Aboriginal applicants are adapting to and ultimately adopting life in the military and the ‘big city’. But clearly, we do understand the challenges and that is one of the reasons why all the programs I mentioned earlier seek to lessen the culture shock. These programs provide mentoring, promote Aboriginal teachings, traditions and spirituality, but even more important, they are developed in close coordination with elders. In addition, the military is also an extended family; we work and play together. It is within this military family that participants receive the support they need to become a soldier in the big city, while at the same time honouring and preserving their Aboriginal heritage.”

“I am certainly very proud to have been entrusted with this responsibility and grateful at the same time, as I have learned so much about Aboriginal heritage, culture and history in this job,” Hainse explains. “Creating and nurturing diversity in an historic institution like National Defence is not an easy task; it is a long term project and to be honest I’m not sure it ever really ends, but, rather continues to mature and improve. We have made enormous progress in my time in the military, and I believe that progress will continue. We have the institutional will and the moral obligation to make it so, and that will guide us in the future.”

“Speaking for the Army in particular, I can say without hesitation that the contributions that Aboriginal soldiers bring to the table will continue to improve the Canadian Army and will ensure we remain Strong, Proud and Ready to serve Canada and Canadians.”

Native Women Demand An Inquiry

February 14th is Saint Valentine’s day, a celebration of love between couples of the bond that keeps them together. It is ironic that it is the same day women across Canada stage public marches to remind everyone of the missing and murdered Aboriginal women. In Vancouver, the 25th Downtown Eastside Memorial March attracted more than 5000 protesters. Some of the women held signs with messages inscribed “You Are Not Forgotten” or “Am I Next.” Relatives of the victims held the pictures of their lost daughters, cousins, sisters. They filled the streets on Hastings and Main all united in one sentiment: stop the violence against Aboriginal women.

Betsy Buyers has been attending the march for a decade, and she is skeptical about what has really been accomplished by all the marches. “It just doesn’t stop, and it looks like it’s getting worse, ” She told CTV News. “The situation, the crisis, the invisible war against indigenous women.”

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More than 5000 protestors filled the downtown Eastside streets of Vancouver on Saturday, February 14th, united in one sentiment: stop the violence against Aboriginal women.

When Willie Pickton was sent to jail in 2007, at that time 500 women were reported missing and many were presumed dead. In a 2012 RCMP report, the figure had more than doubled: 1211 Aboriginal women are now missing in Canada and most of them are cold cases that police have closed. Pickton was proof that Aboriginal women are targeted by psychopaths, but little was ever done by government or police after his trial to make sure such crimes would never be repeated. There have been exceptions. Saskatoon and Vancouver police have taken the problem more seriously than most police departments. Yet there is still no emergence on a national scale to end the violence against indigenous women. “I’d like people to educate themselves, especially men, and I’d like women to find their power, their voice,” Betsy Buyers said. “Let’s all work together and put an end to this.”

Marches were also held in Edmonton, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Montreal, Ottawa, and in Toronto marchers stood before the police headquarters, all echoing the demand for an inquiry which has been dismissed by Stephen Harper. “I’m not going to comment on the police investigation,” Harper told the CBC. “But as the RCMP has said in it’s own study, the vast majority of these cases are addressed and are solved through police investigations, and we’ll leave it in their hands.” Unfortunately this statement is a little short on credibility. There have been few cases solved. The Highway of Tears has had an RCMP task force investigating for years, and they have not solved one case. Harper’s lack of empathy seems to reflect a basic ignorance of the issue.

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Hundreds more gather at the University of Winnipeg adding to the momentum that swept across Canada on St. Valentine’s Day 2015.

Claudette Dumont-Smith executive director of Native Women Association of Canada questioned Harper’s rejection of an inquiry. “Why are there so many Aboriginal women that are murdered compared to other women? Doesn’t he think that racism and sexism and colonialism play a part in all that?”

What is the true importance of an inquiry, and would it provide a solution? I don’t think so; there is no one solution to the problem. Beyond elevating awareness of the problem, an inquiry could consolidate police forces in implementing changes on a national level. Budgets are being cut all the time, but if the federal government made stopping violence against Native women a priority, it would offer at least a possibility of a solution. Harper is not going to change his mind unless violence against Native women becomes an issue in an election year. In the meantime, the pressure on government must not come only from women’s organizations but from everyone who can let Stephen Harper know that if his government can afford to send soldiers to Afghanistan and drop bombs on Syria, surely protecting the lives of Aboriginal women in Canada deserves equal attention.

 

Hobiyee Truly An Inspiring Event Celebrating Nisga’a New Year

Walking into the PNE Forum on a rainy Saturday afternoon in East Vancouver, it was wonderful to hear the drums and songs of the Git Susit’aam’a Dancers at the 2015 Ho Biyee Nisga’a New Year annual celebrations.

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Singing in the new year. Photo credit:  Wameesh G. Hamilton.

The month of February marks the beginning of the Nisga’a First Nation’s New Year, and each year Hobiyee (Ho-be-yeh) the Nisga’a’ of Ts’amiks, hosts this celebration and invites dance groups from other Nations to celebrate with them the strength, beauty, and diversity of indigenous cultures. Hobiyee is a celebration of the waxing crescent moon during the latter part of winter each year. The Nisga’a’ People of the northwestern British Columbia, watch for the positioning of the moon and the stars as a prediction of the coming harvest. Hobiyee is celebrated wherever Nisga’a people live. Like many communities, they celebrate the New Year with family, friends, and community. The Nisga’a New Year is also celebrated annually in one of the four respected Nisga’a communities in the beautiful Nass Valley; this year the Gingolx will host the celebrations.

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Huge crowds enjoy two days of traditional sounds, dance, food, and exhibits. Photo by Kelly Many Guns

Through research, The Nisga’a Nation’s oral tradition says that, “the Simgigat – Nisga’a Chieftains – in past centuries studied the celestial heavens. They were knowledgeable in the behaviours of the stars in proximity to the moon, which forecasted the weather patterns. They studied astrology, not from textbooks, but by years of observing the heavens.”

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Git Hayetsk Dancers brought the crowd to spontaneous cheers and dancing. Photo by Kelly Many Guns.

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Eleven dance groups participate in 2015 Hobiyee. Photo by Kelly Many Guns.

The Halayt-Simgigat (spiritual leader) studied the Buxw-laks moon, the moon of February, and they made note of the different shapes leading up to the full moon. Over time, they observed that whenever the first crescent moon (thin shaped) is in the shape of the hoobix (the bowl of the Nisga’a wooden spoon with the ends pointing upward) this meant abundant resources in the harvesting seasons to follow in K’alii-Aksims (the Nass Valley). The oolichans would be plentiful, as would the salmon, berries and various other resources important to the Nisga’a. All in all, 2015 is predicted to be bountiful.

During the two-day celebrations at the PNE Forum, nine Nisga’a dance groups performed their traditional celebration songs to large appreciative crowds. It was my first Hobiyee that I attended, and for it’s beautiful songs, drums, and awesome dancers, everyone should mark this wonderful event on their calendar each February!

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A dancer from the Dhahka Khwaan Dance Group from Whitehorse, Yukon performs on day one at Hobiyee 2015 in Vancouver. Photo credit: Wameesh G Hamilton.

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The Nisga’a of Ts’amiks host this celebration and invite dance groups from other nations to celebrate with them the strength, beauty, and diversity of indigenous cultures. Photo by Kelly Many Guns.

 

UNESCO Bid Submitted By Anishinaabe For Manitoba-Ontario Boreal Forest

Still determined to save their land and culture, the Pimachiowin Aki Corporation hand-delivered a revised nomination for the proposed Pimachiowin Aki World Heritage Site to the headquarters of UNESCO in Paris, France at the end of January for review by a team of international experts. The submission has been refined after UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee (WHC) deferred making any decision on inscribing the 33,400 square kilometres of Anishinaabe cultural landscape and boreal forest in 2013. Since then, the WHC’s expert advisors have worked with the Pimachiowin Aki Corporation, sending missions from the WHC to the area to help strengthen the submission and improve its own evaluation processes for unique projects like Pimachiowin Aki.

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Canada’s boreal forest is considered to be the largest intact forest on earth.

The revised 4,000 page submission is a joint effort between the Manitoba and Ontario governments and the five Anishnaabe First Nations of Poplar River, Pikangikum, Little Grand Rapids, Pauingassi, and Bloodvein River. “UNESCO told us in 2013 that they didn’t adequately recognize the bonds that exist in some places between culture and nature,” said William Young of the Bloodvein First Nation, spokesperson for the for the Pimachiowin Aki. “We appreciated the opportunity to explain to them even more clearly the special relationship our people have with the land for generations in this deeper nomination. Our belief is that a World Heritage Site can help protect the boreal forest and our culture is as strong as ever.”

Pimachiowin Aki’s submission contends that the area is both a powerful Aboriginal cultural landscape and a great natural wonder. Of the 1,007 World Heritage Sites recognized by UNESCO, only three percent carry the dual designation of being both a natural and cultural heritage site, making them more complex proposals for the WHC to assess. Pimachiowin Aki, which is Ojibway for the “land that gives life” would be the first of its kind in Canada.

Manitoba premier Greg Selinger described the area as “a rare combination of ecological integrity and cultural continuity in the largest protected area of its kind in the world,” noting that the UNESCO committee sent missions to the area to help re-draft the proposal, “which indicates that they believe it has merit.” “I’m confident UNESCO will look favourably upon this application,” said the premier. The Manitoba and Ontario governments have poured millions of dollars into the bid, with Manitoba putting up the lion’s share of $8 million in funding, spending $320,000 to rework the bid following its rejection in 2013.

Selinger said the money is worth it, as the special designation will give the area worldwide recognition, encourage ecotourism, and protect the land from development. The land, on the east side of lake Winnipeg extending into northwestern Ontario is a relatively untouched stretch of remote boreal forest that is home to the five First Nations whose people continue to practice traditional land use. “It’s an investment for all time, for the citizens of the world and, in particular, an investment in our partners, the First Nations on the east side that are looking after the land and have for generations,” said the premier.

 

First Nation Sets Up Blockade In Path Of Bipole III

A northern Manitoba First Nation has set up a blockade in the path of hydro workers clear-cutting trees to make way for a hydroelectric transmission line planned to cross their ancestral lands. On Saturday, January 24th, the Sapotaweyak Cree Nation set up what they call “a peaceful occupation that includes a sacred fire” in the path of Manitoba Hydro’s planned Bipole III transmission line.

Bipolle III

The Sapotaweyak Cree Nation wants work halted at Manitoba Hydro’s Bipolle III until the provincial government consults with them. Photo credit: Winnipeg Free Press.

The Sapotaweyak Cree Nation released a statement saying they want work halted on clearing a path for Manitoba Hydro’s Bipole III until the provincial government consults with them as required by legal precedents. The First Nation, located north of Swan River, applied for an injunction to delay work on the line in December, but a judge denied their request earlier this month.“I have exhausted the diplomatic and legal routes to voice our concerns against this project, and regrettably, the responsible Manitoba ministers and Manitoba Hydro bigwigs did not take our concerns seriously,” said Chief Nelson Genaille in a statement.

The planned transmission line crosses the First Nation’s ancestral lands between The Pas and Swan River. According to the First Nation, the land being cleared includes burial sites and other sacred places. Manitoba Hydro said in a statement that it considers the action a blockade. “At this time we are evaluating the potential impact of the protest on our work in the area. Clearing work will continue where possible,” said Hydro spokesman Scott Powell. “Manitoba Hydro is reaching out to both the protesters and community leadership to resolve the issue as quickly as possible,” he added.

Hydro will continue to evaluate its options and assess the situation, said the spokesman, noting the legal options are firmly in Hydro’s favour. “The community recently went to court to request an injunction to stop work on project, but the courts denied the request,” Powell said.

Genaille said he hopes crews will respect the occupation and not try to skirt the teepees in an effort to resume work. “They’d be making more access points and destroying more land,” he said. Genaille said community leaders from a second First Nation in the area, Wuskwi Sipihk First Nation at Indian Birch, set up a teepee Sunday at another location on the hydro line in a gesture of solidarity. About 20 people are at the Indian Birch site. “Northern and southern communities are getting wind of this, and they could possibly come here also. I’ve spoken to private landowners, local communities, and farmers, and I’ve told them we all stand as one here,” Genaille said.

Manitoba highway workers dropped off road signs for Sapotaweyak to alert passing traffic of the occupation, and RCMP visited the main site of the occupation Saturday, the chief said. Sapotaweyak is located 400 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg.

 

Six Nations Chief Vows To Fight Contraband Tobacco Bill

A national coalition to encourage the public to report incidents of trafficking contraband tobacco products was formally launched on October 29th by a group of 18 of the nation’s largest retailer associations and tobacco companies, much to the chagrin of tobacco-producing First Nation groups. The National Coalition Against Contraband Tobacco (NCACT) is a Canadian advocacy group concerned about the dangers of contraband tobacco and criminal activity. NCACT is composed of groups such as the Canadian Convenience Stores Association, the Canadian Tobacco Manufacturers Council, the National Convenience Stores Distributors Association, the Retail Council of Canada, and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.

Contraband Tobacco Chief

Elected Chief of the Six Nations of the Grand River, Ava Hill opposes Bill C-10.

The initiative comes as police are set to get new powers of arrest under Bill C-10, an omnibus crime bill that passed third reading in the Senate in mid-October and is set to become law. The controversial bill will make trafficking in contraband tobacco a criminal offense, a move heavily criticized by First Nations.

The Six Nations Council of the Grand River says that Bill C-10 is a direct attack on their economy. They argue that the Native tax-free tobacco trade has been well established for over 30 years, and their producer, the Haudenosaunee Trade Collective (HTC), reports that Six Nations territory has over 2,000 jobs linked directly or indirectly to the tobacco industry that could be at risk. The HTC says that some smoke shops have already shut down in fear of the bill’s implications.

Jacqueline Bradley, executive director of NCACT, said contraband tobacco makes money for organized crime and gangs and is part of the same trafficking network that moves drugs and guns. Bradley claims there are at least 50 illegal manufacturing plants and some 300 illegal smoke shops on reserves in Canada. “As soon as it leaves the reserve, it’s contraband,” said Bradley in an interview with the Hamilton Spectator.

The NCACT says that contraband tobacco is a serious problem that is getting worse each day. They are cheap, easily bought, and lack any government inspection, control, or taxation. They say that it greatly contributes to young people’s addiction to cigarettes because cheap prices, easy access, and no age checks means that youth are having no trouble getting tobacco through the contraband market. From 2007-2009, the Canadian Convenience Stores Association conducted a major study into the proliferation of contraband tobacco at high schools in Ontario and Quebec. After surveying hundreds of sites, the study found that nearly one-third of the cigarettes found at Ontario high schools and 40% at Quebec high schools were contraband.

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Gary Grant (retired police officer with the Toronto Police Service) is the National Spokesperson for the National Coalition against Contraband Tobacco (NCACT).

In late September, the NCACT called on the government of Ontario to finally take the contraband problem seriously, in light of new information about the trade of illegal cigarettes in the province that confirms 42% of cigarettes purchased in the province in July were contraband. “We’ve long known that Ontario has the worst contraband tobacco problem in Canada, but now we know just how extreme the challenge is,” said Gary Grant, a 39-year veteran of the Toronto Police Service and national spokesman for the NCACT. “This challenge is created by low price and easy availability of illegal cigarettes, with a baggie of 200 cigarettes costing as little as $8.”

Organized crime groups are using the trade in contraband tobacco to finance other more serious criminal activities. As of 2011, the RCMP has identified over 175 organized crime groups involved in the trafficking of contraband cigarettes. The NCACT also says that contraband cigarettes are killing small businesses and threatening the livelihoods of thousands of convenience store owners. These contraband cigarettes, which are being smuggled throughout Canada in record numbers, now represent one out of every three cigarettes sold. This means that legitimate retailers are losing tens of thousands of dollars in sales each year, but its not just First Nations cigarettes. The NCACT says most of these contraband cigarettes are being illegally imported from places like China or illegally sold—tens of thousands of cartons each day. This all happens with no government inspection, testing, oversight or taxation. CTV’s investigative news program W5, reported in 2011 that contraband tobacco is robbing the federal government of as much as $2 billion in taxes each year.

On September 22nd, Six Nations Chief Ava Hill made a presentation about the impact of Bill C-10 on the community of the Six Nations of the Grand River. Chief Hill said the bill will have a devastating effect on their economy and the local non-Aboriginal economies like Branford and Hagersville and criminalizes an inherent right to a traditional trade activity. Hill said the bill is not about crime but about lost tax revenues. “This connection to crime is a red herring and part of a fear mongering strategy used by this government to scare legislators into passing this bill,” said Hill. Hill said Six Nations acknowledges that there may be a criminal element in many sectors of business and society, but they do not support or condone any connection with criminal activity relating to the tobacco industry. Hill added that federal scare tactics that claim First Nations cigarettes contain dangerous or unhealthy additives. She said many manufacturers grow their own tobacco to be used in the final product. As such, there is more quality control, and First Nations cigarettes are often a more pure product than those produced by multibillion dollar manufacturers.

In her presentation, Hill asked the government to withdraw its bill or make First Nations exempt from the law. She also asked the government to refer it to the Supreme Court of Canada as a violation of section 35 of the Constitution, the Canadian Human Rights Act and the duty to consult. Hill said this is a jurisdictional issue, as the Six Nations have pre-confederation treaties with the Crown that are recognized and protected by Canada’s Constitution of 1982 and now form part of the rule of law in Canada. She said she will be talking to other Iroquois First Nations, the HDC, and other allies to work on a strategy to fight the implementation of the bill. Hill commented in an interview with the Branford Expositor, “We’re not just going to accept it. We’re looking at options to fight this.” The bill has yet to receive royal assent that will create minimum sentences for various crimes relating to the sale of contraband tobacco.

 

New AFN National Chief Perry Bellegarde Faces Many Challenges

The new National Chief of the AFN Perry Bellegarde has already had some success in his administration’s first couple of months. His election signaled Prime Minister Stephen Harper to back away from the controversial First Nations Education Bill. In an unusual move, the prime minister changed his mind on the bill and has made efforts to publicize it. In a one on one meeting with the prime minister, the national chief was told the government was not going to move forward with the bill. That doesn’t mean Bellegarde does not have his work cut out for him on this issue. The Harper government has delayed its promised first Conservative balanced budget since it has been in government, due to tanking oil prices. Obviously, Finance Minister Joe Oliver will be looking to make cuts, and he is surely looking at the $1.9 billion that was set aside for First Nations education with the controversial bill.

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New AFN Chief Perry Bellegarde says he warned the Prime Minister of the message it would send to First Nations if the government decides to re-profile First Nations education money.

In an interview with the Canadian press, Perry Bellegarde said he asked Harper during the one on one meeting not to use funds set aside for First Nations education in last year’s budget for another purpose, such as paying down the deficit to balance the books in an election year. The new national chief did not leave his meeting with the Prime Minister with any sense of optimism about the education money. “I can’t say yes or no. I didn’t get a warm, fuzzy feeling in terms of the request,” Bellegarde said. “So it’s a work in progress. But we’re not going to quit our efforts. We’re going to continue our lobby efforts. It’s just too important.”

Bellegarde says he warned the Prime Minister of the message it would send to First Nations if the government decides to re-profile the education money. “It would signal that they’re not in touch with communities, not in touch with the needs, and basically putting First Nations issues to the side when it comes to education, which is a travesty,” he said.

When it comes to First Nations education there is a 40% funding gap. On-reserve schools get $6500 per student for tuition, versus the $10,500 per student off-reserve. “That has to be addressed,” Bellegarde said in an interview with Eagle Feather News. “That is the issue. We need to look at the equitable funding, not equal, but equitable. We are not going to jeopardize First Nation jurisdiction.” Under the new national chief’s administration, the chiefs in the assembly passed a resolution that calls for a national fiscal framework respecting regional differences and approaches.

The Liberals called on the Conservatives to make the money tied to the education bill available now. “It’s time for the prime minister to stop playing politics with the futures of First Nations children by holding back essential funding for their education,” Liberal Aboriginal affairs critic Carolyn Bennett said in a statement. “The additional funding for First Nations education announced last year should flow immediately.”

Bellegarde also raised the need for a national inquiry into the missing and murdered Aboriginal women and girls in the meeting with the prime minister. Harper said that an inquiry wasn’t high on their radar. This is an issue that is one of the biggest black marks on Canadians. Close to 1200 Aboriginal women have been murdered or have gone missing. Bellegarde says two things are happening. In February, there is a round table that will give an action plan for a coordinated approach to end violence against Aboriginal women and girls. “But we are not going to quit on the push for this national inquiry,” Bellegarde told Eagle Feather News. “You’ve got to keep pushing hard. There is a federal election coming up and we have to make sure this is front and centre in all the federal parties’ platforms.”

Bellegarde believes that we need to get to the root causes of the violence. He believes an inquiry will educate everyone about the importance of the issue and change people’s attitudes. “Education leads to awareness, leads to understanding, and that leads to action. We are not going to stop our efforts to push for that,” said Bellegarde.

The national chief is also challenged with the relevance of the AFN, including the future of the political lobby group representing 639 First Nations across Canada. He must deal with severe funding cuts, pressures for the AFN to be more inclusive, and alternatives proposed by treaty organizations, issues big enough to threaten the organization’s existence.

In an interview with Grassroots News, Bellegarde says he is confidant in the future of the AFN. Speaking about the deep federal funding cuts that Aboriginal and First Nations organizations have faced, he states that the he and the chiefs know they need to develop new sources of financing so organizations are not so dependent on government funding and can withstand budget cuts. “We need to have an independent voice,” says Bellegarde. “Funding from the federal government can mean you can’t bite the hand that feeds you. In Saskatchewan,where I am from, we have the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Association,which provides $2.5 million a year to the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations. TheAFN has formed a team to develop independent sources of funding including the development of business enterprises, foundations, membership fees and other ideas. Self-determination does not happen without economic self-determination. It is vital to have an organization like AFN to undertake the legal work and policy analysis during these times when the Harper Government is passing omnibus legislation which is making it easier to destroy the environment and violate our Treaty Rights.”

Bellegarde welcomes input from First Nations citizens and organizations like Idle No More. “The Corbier decision gave every First Nations person, both on and off-reserve, the right to vote for Chief and Council,” said Bellegarde. “Their views are at the top of the pile which filters down through Tribal Councils and provincial organizations to the AFN.”

Bellegarde is open to ideas of re-organizing or re-structuring First Nations along Treaty territories rather than provincial boundaries. Some First Nations would rather be grouped as Treaty One Chiefs or unite as Cree or Ojibway. “That is fine, so that we maintain a strong, united, national collective voice,” says Bellegarde. “We must be respectful of the diversity so that we can be relevant and responsive to the needs and issues identified by our people.” In his short time in office, the AFN is developing more outreach programs to hear the opinions of First Nations citizens, including the wisdom of the Elders, women, and youth. They also plan to use social media tools like Facebook and Twitter to get feedback.

Amending the Indian Act is another divisive issue. A private member’s bill, Bill C-438, has been put forward by Aboriginal Conservative MP Rob Clarke to amend the Indian Act. Bellegarde says he is opposed to the bill because, like the controversial First Nations Education bill, First Nations were not consulted. “You can’t tinker with something which has been in place since 1876 on your own, without consent,” Bellegarde told Grassroots News. “We will move beyond the Indian Act, but it is going to take time, and we are going to have to respect the jurisdictions of all the First Nations across Canada. This includes the over 500 First Nations who have treaties with Canada, groups and individual First Nations who have different arrangements like Sioux Valley, the Nisga’a, the James Bay Cree. Every First Nation is different and is going to require a special relationship which meets the needs of the people there.”

Bellegarde’s approach is not “business as usual” when it comes to development on First Nations land. In his victory speech, Bellegarde singled out pipelines and energy development as the front lines in his battle to put First Nations on equal footing with the rest of Canada. “To the people across this great land, I say to you, that the values of fairness and tolerance which Canada exports to the world, are a lie when it comes to our people,” Bellegarde said. “Canada will no longer develop pipelines, no longer develop transmission lines or any infrastructure on our lands as business as usual… That is not on.”

He pledged opposition to any project that deprives First Nations a share of the profits. “We will no longer accept poverty and hopelessness while resource companies and governments grow fat off our lands and territories and resources. If our lands and resources are to be developed, it will be done only with our fair share of the royalties, with our ownership of the resources and jobs for our people. It will be done on our terms and our timeline.” His final remarks drew one of the loudest responses from the crowd. “Canada is Indian land. This is my truth and this is the truth of our peoples.”

Bellegarde understands his position requires a balancing act of listening more than leading because the job is to represent the position of the chiefs on issues rather than dictate or decide what needs to be done. “While mainstream politicians may be elected to study and exercise their judgement on a number of policies and programs, the National Chief is bound by the decisions made by the Chiefs,” Bellegarde told Eagle Feather News. “Whenever I state a position on an issue, I am representing what the Chiefs want.”

 

Hupacasath Falls Short In Canada-China Treaty Court Appeal

The Hupacasath First Nation has lost its bid to derail the Canada-China foreign investment promotion and protection agreement (FIPA).The Canadian Federal Court of Appeal released a 41-page judgment against the Hupacasath First Nation on Jan. 9. The ruling upholds the federal court’s original decision on August 2013.“The Federal Court’s overall conclusions – that the appellant had not established a causal relationship between the effects of the foreign investment promotion and protection agreement upon the appellant and its asserted rights and interests and that any effects upon the appellant were “non-appreciable” and “speculative” – were predominantly factual in nature and deserve deference.

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The Canadian Federal Appeal Court struck down the Hupacasath First Nation’s challenge of the Canada-China FIPPA treaty. A Supreme Court challenge could be in the offing, Hupacasath member Brenda Sayers said.

 

These conclusions were amply supported by the evidentiary record,” Justice Stratus noted in the reasons for judgment. “Accordingly, Canada did not have to consult with the appellant before entering into the foreign investment promotion and protection agreement. Therefore, I would dismiss the appeal with costs.”The tribe’s legal costs are expected to amount to more than $100,000 but it is covered by crowd funding raised through Leadnow.The Hupacasath are a 300-member tribe located on the West Coast of Vancouver Island.The decision isn’t surprising, said Hupacasath tribe member Brenda Sayers, who spearheaded the case.“Stephen Harper ratified FIPPA last September while this case was still before the courts…something like this was to be expected,” Sayers said.

Last year’s Tsilhqot’in decision granted a declaration of aboriginal title to the Tsilhqot’in people in the B.C. Interior. It also posed that governments can’t interfere with the Tsilhqot’in’s use of the lands and resources without their consentBut the case didn’t affect the appeal court’s decision. “I conclude that Tsilhqot’in Nation has not changed the law concerning when Canada’s duty to consult is triggered,” Stratus noted.According to the decision, Hupacasath concerns about potential impacts of FIPPA on their interests were speculative, a point Sayers disagrees with.

If China had an interest in a logging company that wanted to log a Hupacasath site the tribe would oppose it. Under terms of the agreement China could then sue Canada for loss of revenue.Municipal and provincial governments could also be impacted, Sayers said. “The same principle would apply to a municipality that wanted to protect its water source from such a Chinese company that intended to log too closely to it,” she said. “This provision will have a chill effect on government’s crafting new or improved regulatory standards.”Hupacasath lawyers will be analyzing the decision to determine if a Supreme Court challenge is in order.If the case advances, a new crowd funding initiative will be undertaken, Sayers said.