First Nations, Government And Industry Huddle To Talk Mining

Thursday, April 17, 2008 04:57 AM

SMITHERS, B.C - Over 80 people attended a round table session in Smithers yesterday to deal with the ever increasing exploration for minerals in Northern BC.

David deWit, (at right) Natural Resources Manager in the office of the Wec’suwet’em says the Aboriginal populations want economic benefits from any mine that is being developed. "This could include, education, jobs, and economic benefits to the people who occupy the land under the treaty."

deWit says First Nations are aware of the economic challenges facing the province "The Mountain Pine beetle is having a serious impact on the economy of the region and mining, if it fits our standards, could help the region."

"We believe that there is an opportunity in revenue sharing of some sort."

deWit says he was only speaking on behalf of five bands in the region and they themselves would have to decide on any individual project.

deWit says consultation and communication are critical "In the past when it came to exploration we have had to go the government to find out what is going on and that cannot be the way of the future. We need to engage everyone involved in the process."

Daryl Hanson of Mining B.C. (in photo at right) says much progress has been made on explaining to everyone involved just what the project will involve. "In exploration there is no way of knowing what we will find and we cannot enter into meaningful negotiations until we know that." But he said he wanted the mining industry to take part in the discussions because they need to know that something was missing, namely consultation.

The province said Loren Kelly, Regional Director of Mines and Energy has received $417 million dollars in exploration permits in 2007 , of that number $170 million of them are for exploration in the North West Region of the province.

Hanson says that you can’t say what a foot print will be from a mine establishing in a region. "In some cases it makes a very small foot print in others like Endako it is very large."

Whatever the footprint, deWit says First Nations considerations have to be part of the process "We have areas that are culturally and environmentally sensitive, these are areas that need to be treated with respect."

Hansen says the way of doing business is changing for the mining industry,"There are some companies who think consultation is the sole responsibility of the government, This is an industry that is very adaptive, we have adapted in the past. We’re up to the challenge, and I think we can do it well."

The trio spoke at the opening sessions of the Minerals North Conference in Smithers.

Today at the conference, Mining 101, and reaction to the study on electrification of the Highway 37 corridor. Opinion 250 is in Smithers and will provide updates throughout the day.

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Posted on Thursday, April 17, 2008 04:57 AM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: giterdun on April 17 2008 7:59 AM

THEY WANT...THEY WANT...THEY WANT. Whine,whine,whine. When will it stop. Natives already get far more handouts from the government than any whitey has ever gotten. We should give them the whole province,quit our jobs and go ask them for everything. I am one pissed off whitey. Three generations in Canada and being treated like I don't belong. One country,one citizen,one taxpayer,everybody equal...Wouldn't that be nice. I lay the blame entirely on the polititions.Natives are only taking advantage of what has been offered them.

Posted by: metalman on April 17 2008 8:11 AM

The first nations say they want economic benefits, such as education, jobs, etc.
We have been on this merry go round before. The first nations have been given a lot of money and services for many years, and for some, conditions have just not improved. What could be the solution? Give them more? for surely that will solve the problem, throw more money at it. Wrong. The problem is in how the money is distributed, and always has been. As for education, are there not already opportunities galore? Are we not already implementing special schools for the poor aboriginal, that they might attain the lofty goal of......grade twelve? The attempts to assimilate this culture have failed in the past, future attempts are also doomed to fail. Why? because they do not want to assimilate, they want to be special, have their own laws, and to be self sufficient except for that the rest of Canada has to support them in their ideals. All because some humans lived on this land before the europeans discovered the fur business. The time has come for this to change. I am all about equality and freedom, but One Country, One People,
One Law, please. Think about it kids, do you realize what we could achieve here in our fine country if we all pulled together? All of us, against the great unwashed (government)
metalman.

Posted by: northman on April 17 2008 8:34 AM

Good post metalman!

Posted by: Andyfreeze on April 17 2008 9:01 AM

The thing to keep in mind is that first nations people do not want to "assimilate".
They hate that word.
It implies that they should become like everyone else.
They want to retain their culture and their traditions and still have all the benefits that everybody else does.
I don't think anyone begrudges them anything, but unfortunately we don't have the money to support that kind of thinking as the native population increases. across Canada.
The costs just keep increasing.
I would like to see them change their thinking and their leaderships attitude and start getting the money where it needs to go.
To the little guys and families and to economic development.
Too much wasted on politics and fighting.
I just don't know of a situation where everyone got all the marbles.
There has to be some give and take.
And to further your cause,you need support from where ever you can get it.
The attitude now alienates everyone on both sides, and everybody loses in the long run.
What a monster!

Posted by: metalman on April 17 2008 9:03 AM

Insurrection!
metalman.

Posted by: Yoshi on April 17 2008 10:18 AM

For over 100 years in British Coumbia, in particular, the federal and provincial governments worked to destroy aboriginal people and their culture. For example, In the rest of the country, 160 acres per family were set aside on reserves. In BC it was 10 acres (and much of that was stolen back as cut offs after World War II). The law of the land (from 1763)was to take over land by treaty. In BC, aboriginal title was ignored until the early 1990s. At every turn, when aboriginal peoples tried to use the existing laws to protect themselves, the laws were either ignored or changed. Take a few minutes to examine the Indian Act, or the problems of residential schools.
Today, Aboriginal people are asking to be treated equally and fairly under existing laws. So when I read some of these posts, I am shocked by some of the ignorance I see in them. The native people of BC are asking for the due that should have been given them over 150 years ago. Instead, they have been legislated into abject poverty, with no means of escape, for well over a century. And now, when they finally have a voice, people are complaining that they wish to be treated "differently". When their lands were stolen and their rights ignored, it was fine that they were treated differently.

Posted by: diplomat on April 17 2008 10:29 AM

"They want to retain their culture and their traditions and still have all the benefits that everybody else does."

The *benefits* that everyone else has are generated by the industrial, commercial and scientific efforts typical of our modern society. Instead of walking to town or to work we take a bus, a taxi or drive a vehicle. And so forth.

If the natives can find a way to cling to their traditions and culture and make it generate the same kind of benefits others enjoy I don't see why there would have to be a conflict or a problem.

How would MRI's, cellphones, automobiles, kidney transplants, electricity, airplane travel, satellite TV....etc have evolved from a native society that is/was based entirely and exclusively on an ancient traditional way of life and ancient cultural traditions?

Is there a way? Let me know if there is.

Cultures and traditions change and evolve constantly, everywhere. That doesn't mean that the very foundations of culture and historical traditions need to be abandoned just because one is a modern human being, educated, with a 9-5 job, a BMW and credit cards, eating healthy food and going to the gym.

One chooses how one wishes to live. Hunting , trapping and fishing are a traditional way of living. One can survive doing that.

Others choose to live differently, with different obligations, benefits and results.

That's the way she goes. Live and let live.

Posted by: ammonra on April 17 2008 10:30 AM

The article and comments made by First Nations people in it were about payments by mining companies to First Nations for removing minerals from land owned or controlled by First Nations. The revenue sharing referred to was from the profits generated by removing those minerals from the ground owned by First Nations. The owners are fully entitled to that.

What on earth has that to do with assimilation of an ethnic group who are in the process of rejuvenating their culture. Even if it were advisable, which I contend it is not, which non-aboriginal Canadian culture should they be assimilated into. Perhaps they should all become Punjabi, or Chinese, or Italian, or Lebanese, or they could all join our Celtic Clubs, and so on for a hundred or more ethic groups.

Posted by: diplomat on April 17 2008 10:37 AM

Far out, ammonra. Of course they are free to choose to rejuvenate their culture and whose goal is it to interfere with that? The choice is theirs.

How much money would be needed to do that? I say let's come up with a figure and let's get it over with.

Posted by: northman on April 17 2008 10:46 AM

"The native people of BC are asking for the due that should have been given them over 150 years ago."
-Its that kind of thinking that is holding back the sucess of any person(s). When you are born no one owes you anything reglardles if it was 150 years ago or yesterday. You have to work your ass off to get what you want in this life and if you have had it given or inherited to you then you have to work your ass off to keep it.

Posted by: ammonra on April 17 2008 11:45 AM

Amen to that, Diplomat.

To Northman, aren't First Nations people in the process of working their asses off to keep what they now have and to get what is their due?

Posted by: northman on April 17 2008 11:59 AM

You tottaly lost the point of my post..It wasnt directed at any target group.

Posted by: metalman on April 17 2008 4:45 PM

For Pete's sake! I think most everyone agrees the Indians are owed for past transgressions by the white man, so to speak. The other thing that we all agree on
(don't we?) is that it is time to get it over with, damnit. Enough is enough, bring this whole issue to a grande finale, and we will all move forward as equals.
The preceding naive statements flowed from the keyboard of;
metalman.

Posted by: YamaDooPolCat on April 17 2008 5:06 PM

"We believe that there is an opportunity in revenue sharing of some sort."

Heehee! Good one. We used to shoot hostage takers, now we are supposed to pay them ff?

Posted by: Harbinger on April 17 2008 8:03 PM

We gave them the wheel, and this is the thanks we get?