Aboriginal affairs may move quickly up Clark's agenda
ROBERT MATAS
Vancouver- Globe and Mail Update
Published Tuesday, Mar. 01, 2011 12:34AM EST
Last updated Tuesday, Mar. 01, 2011 12:36AM EST
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/bc-politics/aborig\
inal-affairs-may-move-quickly-up-clarks-agenda/article1924544/

Aboriginal affairs may quickly rise to the top of the agenda for British
Columbia's next premier.

The Daily News in Kamloops raises the prospect of a long hot summer of native
blockades. The Skeetchestn Band intends to "ramp things up with what they're
calling service disruptions, beginning Mar. 7," the newspapers reports. The
disruptions may interfere with access of roadways, railways and the Trans Canada
Highway.

The contentious issue is that West Fraser Timber, Teck Resources, BC Hydro, CN,
CP, Spectra Energy, Pembina Pipeline and International Forest Products are
operating on band land and traditional territory.

"We'd like them [the corporations] to come to the community, sit down and talk
with us about impacts and benefit agreements," Mike Anderson, the band's natural
resources manager, told The Daily News.

...................................................................

Further North, Tsilhqot'in National Government tribal chair and Anaham Chief Joe
Alphonse had the same message for businesses that plans to operate on their
territory.

"If you're coming into the Chilcotin, you're going to work with us. If you
choose to work against us, I guarantee you're not going to get anything
approved.," Chief Alphonse told the Williams Lake Tribune.

He did not show much interest in Taseko's new proposal for development of the
Prosperity Mine. "The attitude hadn't changed from previous attempts Taseko's
made in the past, and we felt it didn't warrant us to sit down and meet with
them," he said.

Conservative MP Dick Harris, who represents the riding of Cariboo Prince George,
offered to help resolve outstanding issues between the company and the first
nation, the newspaper reported. Although the Conservative government in Ottawa
stopped the project, he expressed support for the revised plan and its benefits
for the region.

....................................................................

A raise in B.C.'s $8-dollar minimum wage could also be near the top of the
agenda for Christy Clark. In anticipation of a change of BC Liberal leadership,
the South Cariboo Chamber of Commerce conducted an online survey of its members
to gauge opinions on whether the minimum wage should be increased, reported the
Free Press in 100 House. The response was to be passed on to the BC Chamber of
Commerce.

With 34 responses, the survey found 23 per cent did not want any change in the
minimum wage, 35 per cent supported a one-time increase and 42 per cent favoured
annual increases based on a clear and predictable formula. The results also
showed an increase to $9-an-hour was supported by 32 per cent of respondents and
$10 an hour had the support of 29 per cent.

...................................................................

A few days before the Liberals picked the next premier, columnist Diana French,
a former editor of the Williams Lake Tribune looked at the issues facing the
winner and wondered why anyone would want the job. She thought it would be
easier to be in opposition and criticize. She also drew attention to the lack of
big ideas by any of the Liberal leadership contenders. But she decided it
probably does not matter. Premier Gordon Campbell had plenty of big ideas but
does anyone remember them, she wrote in the Tribune. And look at what is
noticed: The sale of B.C. Rail and the HST. Neither of those issues were part of
his stated plans, but he was elected three times, she wrote.

....................................................................

As the Liberal race ends, the NDP contest is beginning to heat up. NDP
leadership contender Mike Farnworth has proposed marketing rural B.C. to those
who cannot afford the price of real estate in the Lower Mainland.

"You can have a very nice life in small-town B.C. and you don't have to spend,
in the case of the Lower Mainland, I think the average price for a house is over
$600,000," he told the Castlegar News, adding that the price of housing is
higher in Burnaby and East Vancouver.

"That's just not affordable for people. And it's like, you know what? There are
lots of parts of B.C. which are wonderful places to live and raise a family,
which are very affordable," he said. He acknowledged that low real estate prices
may not be enough to lure people from the Lower Mainland. Rural B.C. must
provide jobs and adequate health services, he said. "I think that's an issue the
province has got to address," he told the newspaper.

...................................................................

Meanwhile in federal politics:

Conservative cabinet minister Lynne Velich came into the NDP riding of
Skeena-Bulkley Valley to announce $593,000 in federal funding for new projects
and did not tell the local NDP MP Nathan Cullen.

The money will go for improvements to the North Pacific Cannery Buildings, a
10-kilometre hiking trail between Metlakatla and Slippery Rock near Lax
Kw'alaams, a saltwater aquarium and interpretive garden for Queen Charlotte's
Visitors Centre, and an expansion to the boat launch in Bella Coola, reported
The Northern View of Prince Rupert.

Mr. Cullen was not invited to, or notified of the funding announcement by Ms.
Yelich or her staff, the newspaper reported. Nevertheless, Mr. Cullen did not
appear to be offended. He applauded the announcement, saying he has been
lobbying for years for funding for those projects, the newspaper reported.


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Municipalities wary of First Nations talks
Regional planning, servicing costs at issue, Metchosin mayor warns

By Bill Cleverley, Times Colonist
March 1, 2011
http://www.timescolonist.com/news/Municipalities+wary+First+Nations+talks/436427\
5/story.html

Metchosin Mayor John Ranns worries federal legislation governing First Nations
lands could lead to pockets of residential and commercial development that are
drawing municipal services but paying no taxes.
And regional planning could be thrown out the window if reforms governing First
Nations lands become a reality, Ranns said.

"I think we should be looking to the [Capital Regional District] to act as an
advocate for all municipalities in this region," Ranns said.

At Ranns's urging, the CRD planning and transportation committee is recommending
the district board seek membership on the Te'mexw treaty advisory committee so
it can more closely monitor treaty progress.

"There's pretty serious implications here," Ranns said.

Ranns cited the situation on the Lower Mainland, where the Squamish First Nation
is planning to build 12,000 condos on undeveloped reserve lands in Vancouver and
West Vancouver.

His concerns echo those expressed by the Lower Mainland Treaty Advisory
Committee, which has released a draft discussion paper on the potential impacts
of the federal First Nations Commercial and Industrial Development Act and
related legislation.

The provisions now being implemented in B.C. are designed to make it easier for
bands to expand their populations of nonaboriginal tenants.

Ranns said First Nations can apply under the additions-to-reserve process to
convey reserve status to property they buy on the open market.

The provision is intended only for expansions to house and serve band members,
but the Lower Mainland Treaty Advisory Committee says there's nothing to stop a
band from developing market housing for non-aboriginals on a property after it
has been converted to reserve status.

One of the problems with that, Ranns said, is that while municipalities are
expected to service those developments, neither the residents nor businesses
established there would be required to pay municipal development fees or taxes.

Instead, non-aboriginals likely would pay taxes to the bands.

"It leaves every municipality in this region open to having purchases of land
within their municipal boundaries that they have no control over but which we'll
be expected to provide servicing for," Ranns said.

Esquimalt Mayor Barb Desjardins said the changes could void the regional
sustainability strategy.

Esquimalt Juan de Fuca MP Keith Martin said local politicians have good reason
to be concerned. He said he has written to the federal government asking it to
ensure municipal governments are aware of and involved in negotiations
surrounding land claims.

Desjardins said the three parties at the treaty table are the federal
government, the province and the First Nations. Municipalities have a
representative but are essentially observers, she said.

The Te'mexw table includes the Beecher Bay, Songhees, Malahat and T'Sou-ke
bands, the province and the federal government.

"We have been granted the ability to sit at the table and provide input to the
negotiators as they feel appropriate, but we really haven't been able to
influence the process significantly," Desjardins said.

bcleverley@...


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March 1, 2011: First Nations, Health, November-December 2010

Why First Nations struggle with some of the country's dirtiest water
By Ashly Dyck

http://this.org/magazine/2011/03/01/first-nations-water/


A Canadian Auto Workers volunteer helps install a new wellhead in Little Salmon
Carmacks in 2007. Photo courtesy CAW.

If you were to turn on a tap in the First Nation of Little Salmon Carmacks,
Yukon, your cup might run over with gasoline, fecal matter, and worse (yes,
there's worse). It's been this way for years, at least going as far back as
1991-the first year of comprehensive water testing.

The problems in Little Salmon Carmacks are emblematic of water problems in many
First Nation communities across Canada. Drinking water not fit for human
consumption has been, and continues to be, endemic in First Nation communities.
For northern First Nations problems are made worse by systemic issues rooted
deeply in the structure of our government; caught in a jurisdictional
no-man's-land between Indian and Northern Affairs, the territorial governments,
and other government departments charged with funding infrastructure and
assisting First Nations, their cases get shuffled from one department to another
until they are finally dropped.

The Little Salmon Carmacks First Nation is situated next to the non-First Nation
municipality of Carmacks, approximately 180 kilometres north of Whitehorse. The
self-governing community, home to 400 people, once had two large wells serving
the entire community but, as standards were updated, one was declared too
dangerous to use and closed. The remaining well serves 96 people; everyone else
has to rely on their own, individual wells, each of which provides water to an
average of three people.


The village has been on the same boil water advisory since January 2006, though
temporary advisories have been issued to certain areas of the town since 2001,
and some individual wells have been reporting E. coli and coliform contamination
since 1991.

Even though the federal government has spent nearly $1 million on studies, and
improvements to well water testing, treatment infrastructure, and operator
training, the problems in Little Salmon Carmacks are not clearing up. Government
solutions have not dealt with the central causes of contamination, and have
proved to be no more than expensive Band-Aids. Disregarding the results of
numerous studies it has funded to investigate the root causes of the community's
water problems, the government seems willing to only fund short-term solutions,
such as treating the contaminated water with chlorine.

One government funded study notes that "of particular concern are the positive
[bacteriological] results for wells which have had their well boxes upgraded and
cleaned and wells shock chlorinated." In particular, it says that from 1991
until the study was conducted in 2004, "positive bacteriological contamination
has been reported for 36% of residential wells over the period of record, with
22% reporting contamination within the last year." Studies have been clear as to
why contamination keeps coming back: poorly constructed individual wells are
easy to contaminate and hard to maintain. According to a 2008 report, most of
the wells in Little Salmon Carmacks are too shallow, too close to septic tanks,
and are drilled in sandy, permeable soil. The well heads are also located
underground, in pits that let in surface water, which then stagnates and causes
bacterial contamination.

Rodent feces, animal remains, and fuel spills also become trapped in the well
pits, and when water levels rise, either from rain or spring run-off, the toxic
cocktail overflows first into wells and then out of taps. These same wells were
built by Indian and Northern Affairs Canada-some of them as recently as the
'90s-who now refuses to maintain them. Neither the federal nor the territorial
government will fund repairs or upgrades to wells serving fewer than five
people; both levels of government say that this is the responsibility of
homeowners. The case continues to circulate INAC internally in a game of
bureaucratic hot potato that has left the community in purgatory. Even more
frustrating is the fact that the solution, pointed to even by government funded
studies, is completely clear: a single pipe system-one big well, with a pipeline
servicing most homes in the village-is described as the best and most
cost-effective long-term solution to the village's water problems. But no
government department or funding program has accepted the community's proposals
to construct one.

An INAC spokesperson said that the single pipe system is "not considered cost
effective to construct and maintain over the long term." But this directly
contradicts an INAC funded study conducted just one year earlier, which
concluded that a single pipe system would produce cleaner, safer water-since the
water can be treated and monitored from a single, central location-and would
incur lower long-term maintenance costs.

Even the ministry's own statistics are suspect. INAC keeps a database of water
quality in First Nation communities, rating water as being at high, medium, or
low risk for contamination. After a 2002 study of communities across Canada,
Little Salmon Carmacks's water was rated "high risk." In 2006, INAC officials
downgraded it to "medium risk," citing new evaluations from 2003 and 2004, which
Chief Skookum says never took place. One former INAC employee, who helped
develop the database, stated that officials modified the Little Salmon Carmacks
rating "without stepping foot" in the community.

In 2007, INAC proudly announced that "in the past 12 months the number of high
risk water systems in First Nations communities has been reduced from 193 to
97." That number has since been reduced to 49. The problem is not simply that
the ministry appears to be moving the goalposts for the sake of public
relations; a "high-risk" rating automatically obliges the federal government to
evaluate water systems and fund repairs. Downgrade the rating, and that
financial commitment vanishes, though the problem does not.

In Little Salmon Carmacks, the government's lack of serious action proved nearly
fatal. In a December 2005 community meeting at which government and First Nation
representatives were present, the then Yukon Chief Medical Officer of Health-a
territorial government official charged with issuing boil water orders-said, "I
am confident that the water is not going to cause immediate health problems . I
am convinced that the level of anxiety regarding the wells is too high." Less
than four weeks later, Elder Johnny Sam was airlifted to a Vancouver hospital
for treatment of a bacterial infection so severe he had to remain there for four
and a half months. His doctors linked his illness to his water consumption, and
the First Nation issued its own boil water advisory on January 9, 2006.

"Someone just about died," said Chief Skookum, who issued the 2006 advisory.
"The government has got to show more effort in showing that they can step in and
help with the cause and communicate- there's not much of that at all."

Chief Skookum isn't the only one thinking that. A 2005 report by the
Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development (CESD) cited lack of
government responsibility as a systemic problem directly related to the quality
and safety of drinking water for First Nation communities. The CESD recommended
that a new regulatory body be created to address the crisis. The government has
acknowledged the problem but the steps it is taking have not won the support of
Indigenous groups.

On May 26, 2010 the government introduced Bill S-11 in the federal Senate. The
proposed legislation would set up a regulatory framework with jurisdictional
clarity responsible for setting appropriate standards for the treatment and
disposal of water. In its current incarnation, however, it applies only to
reservations and not to self-governing nations (like Little Salmon Carmacks),
although communities could opt in.

Critics argue that without a corresponding financial commitment, many First
Nation communities will lack the resources to meet these guidelines, and fear
they could be penalized for it. Irving Leblanc, the acting director of housing
and infrastructure for the Assembly of First Nations (AFN), says that "by
pushing this legislation forward, the government is setting up First Nations for
failure." He adds, "There's been no consultation done on this bill." Though the
government has made some effort to discuss the bill with First Nations, many
feel that their views and opinions were not heard, much less incorporated into
the legislation.

In the meantime, private volunteers have proved to be more effective than the
ministry that's actually responsible for ensuring water quality in First Nation
communities. In 2007 Little Salmon Carmacks got in touch with the AFN which, in
turn, proposed a well revitalization project to the Canadian Autoworkers union.
In May of 2008 CAW members arrived for their first of two summers helping the
community upgrade and repair its water infrastructure.

The volunteers-skilled tradespeople, most from Ontario-extended the wells a
metre above ground and put caps on them so only well water could enter. This
altered the structure of the wells more drastically than previous repairs,
elevating and sealing off the once festering, below ground well heads and well
boxes. The volunteers also installed heater cables to prevent pipes from
freezing in the winter and controllers to maximize energy efficiency. The
project was initially supposed to take only one summer. However, at the end of
their six weeks of work, only half of the intended 57 wells had been repaired.
The union decided to extend the project and volunteers returned to the Yukon the
following summer to finish what they started.

Mark McGregor, a millwright who works in Brampton, Ontario, and one of the
volunteers during the second summer, says seeing the community and their
infrastructure made him realize that "people up North are forgotten about." He
compared Little Salmon Carmacks's situation to that of Walkerton, Ontario's in
2000, saying the water was so dirty, "we wouldn't even shower in it," and that
"sometimes it was brown coming out of the taps."

The volunteers may have been able to improve the state of the village's water
infrastructure, but the deeper systemic problems remain.

Most critically, there is a shortage of qualified people to operate and repair
the wells. A government report notes that there is "a severe shortage . of
certified water-treatment systems operators in First Nations communities." Yukon
College offers courses that provide water operators with the knowledge they need
to pass the Environmental Operators Certification Program, and the federal
government does have funding available to cover the course fees of potential
operators from Indigenous communities, but the mathematical requirements seem to
be a barrier for many individuals.

"You have to be able to drive a truck and do the math," Jordan Mullett, Little
Salmon Carmacks' only certified water technician, says. "Most people who are
truck drivers are older guys, and they don't really have their math or their
algebra."

Accordingly, Yukon College has set up a crash-course math course. "You can do it
by video conference," Mullett explains, "five half days in a row." But despite
these efforts, INAC representatives estimate that, for First Nation operators in
the Yukon, "the pass rate over the past two years . is approximately 50
percent."

"We've sent lots of people," Mullett says, "but they always fail. We've sent
everyone that we possibly can, and some people twice, three times, and they
still don't pass. And even though it's no cost to us, there's no point in
sending someone for their third or fourth time."

That leaves Mullett as the only certified operator in the village, one man
monitoring dozens of wells-a dangerous ratio. And the story is repeated in
communities across the North.

Despite mountains of evidence, much of it accumulated by its own branches,
departments, and agents, the federal government has not acted strongly enough to
improve water treatment in First Nation communities. No matter how many times
the relationship between water quality and other quality of life issues
(education, depression, general health, etc.) is spelled out, often by their own
employees, politicians and senior bureaucrats have not taken the necessary steps
to improve the quality of water in First Nation communities.

To aboriginal leaders, however, the link between water and overall quality of
life is clear. The United Nations backed them up in July when the General
Assembly passed a resolution affirming water and sanitation as human rights.

"This resolution establishes new international standards," said Assembly of
First Nations National Chief Shawn Atleo shortly after the vote (from which
Canada abstained). It "compels Canada to work with First Nations to ensure our
people enjoy the same quality of water and sanitation as the rest of Canada." So
far Atleo's call has little attention from the federal government, leaving
Little Salmon Carmacks, and many communities like it, to rely not on the
ministry, but on the kindness of strangers.




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

----- Original Message -----
From: CNW Portfolio System
To: Portfolio E-Mail
Sent: Tuesday, March 01, 2011 7:24 PM
Subject: Nisga'a Lisims Government Negotiates Northwest Transmission Line
Benefits Agreement with BC Hydro



CNW Group Portfolio E-Mail





NISGA'A LISIMS GOVERNMENT


Transmitted by CNW Group on : March 1, 2011 22:23


Nisga'a Lisims Government Negotiates Northwest Transmission Line Benefits
Agreement with BC Hydro
GITLAXT'AAMIKS, BC, March 1 /CNW/ - Today, the Nisga'a Nation entered into a
benefits agreement with BC Hydro for the construction of the western alignment
of the Northwest Transmission Line, according to Nisga'a Lisims Government
President Mitchell Stevens.

According to the terms of the benefits agreement, the Nisga'a Lisims Government
Executive endorses proposed rights of way through Nisga'a Lands and the
establishment of a corridor through Nisga'a Memorial Lava Bed Park.

"Our Executive is recommending that the Nisga'a legislature, Wilp Si'ayuukhl
Nisga'a, give its consent and approval to the proposed rights of way and the
proposed corridor through the Park," Stevens explained.

"Our Executive is satisfied the benefits and obligations of this agreement will
mitigate the potential adverse effects the NTL's western route may have on
Nisga'a interests," Stevens added. "The agreement is only for the western route
through Nisga'a Lands and it provides for financial benefits, as well as other
contracting and economic opportunities to the Nisga'a Nation. It also provides
for a process of continuing consultation between the Nisga'a Nation and BC Hydro
for the duration of the construction and operation of the Northwest Transmission
Line."

"We must be involved in all major developments in the Nass Area," Stevens
emphasized. "The rights and jurisdiction of the Nisga'a Nation have been
perfected under our unique Treaty. This is the first major benefits agreement we
have entered into since the Nisga'a Treaty was finalized in May 2000, and we see
many more coming in the years ahead. Our Treaty affords us real opportunities
for participation in development and we have every intention of maximizing those
opportunities."


For further information:
Eric Grandison
Communications Coordinator
Nisga'a Lisims Government
Tel.: 250-633-3000
Email:ericg@...




                   NISGA'A LISIMS GOVERNMENT - More on this organization



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John Ivison: A small step toward First Nations accountability
John Ivison  March 2, 2011 - 8:28 pm

http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2011/03/02/john-ivison-a-small-step-toward-f\
irst-nations-accountability/


Paul Darrow for National Post

Glooscap, N.S.

Conservatives on Parliament Hill pronounced themselves "stunned" after the
surprise passage of a private members' bill that is seeking to improve
accountability on First Nations reserves.

"Every indication was that the bill was going down in flames," said one Tory in
the Prime Minister's Office.

The government originally had high hopes for the private members' bill by
Saskatchewan MP, Kelly Block, but expectations were lowered after it became
clear that the Liberal leadership opposed the bill and would urge Grit MPs to
vote against it. But private members' bills are free votes and so it only
required a handful of Liberals to support the Conservatives - and overrule the
NDP and Bloc who voted against it unanimously - to send it into committee and
then on to third reading.

The bill would force all First Nations bands to make public the salaries of
chiefs and councillors, many of whom don't tell their band members how much they
earn.

It was introduced after the Canadian Taxpayers' Federation claimed that scores
of chiefs and council members earn more than the Prime Minister. One tiny
reserve in rural Nova Scotia called Glooscap was revealed to be home to three of
the highest paid politicians in Canada, with one band councillor earning almost
$1-million tax-free.

The Liberals had suggested its MPs vote against the bill on the basis that it
was imposed on First Nations without consultation - a rubric the Assembly of
First Nations falls back on whenever it is faced with something it doesn't like,
which is always.

In language apparently purloined from AFN talking points, Liberal MP Anita
Neville said the bill brands all First Nations chiefs and councillors as
corrupt. "It is making an insinuation about the nature of First Nations'
leadership and governance. It perpetuates myths and stereotypes that communities
right across this country have been working hard to overcome," she said.

Yet the CTF's ReserveTransparency website lists a large number of complaints
from First Nation band members about chiefs who refuse to disclose how much they
and their supporters are earning.

The AFN claims that the media has sensationalized the story by focusing on the
exceptions rather than the rule. It claims the average salary for First Nations
elected officials is $36,845. If this is the case, it is hard to see why the
chiefs object to sharing the information, as every other public official in
Canada is obliged to do.

The Block bill now goes to committee for further consideration and still
requires a third reading. Regardless of what happens, the Conservatives are
determined to take action in this area and are considering their options, which
could include government legislation. In the Senate, Senator Patrick Brazeau is
holding an inquiry into aboriginal accountability and says he is prepared to
introduce his own private members' bill to keep the issue alive.

The Conservatives should build on their success and introduce even broader
reforms. This is an issue that has been an irritant for successive Canadian
governments. In 2002, Liberal Indian Affairs Minister Robert Nault attempted to
reform the Indian Act and introduce a First Nations Governance Act that would
have created a framework for financial management and administration. Mr.
Nault's goal was to make native reserves more accountable and democratic - what
he called an "interim step toward self-government". However, the proposed
legislation was opposed by the AFN because - surprise, surprise - it said Mr.
Nault had failed to consult with the chiefs. The bill was killed by Paul Martin,
in order to secure the AFN's support for his leadership.

Then, as now, the AFN said it was not opposed to transparency but resented that
the ultimate decision making rested with the federal government in Ottawa.
National Chief Shawn Atleo says he wants First Nations move beyond the Indian
Act within five years, which would require much broader reforms than simply
registering chiefs' salaries on a web site. Mr. Atleo has called on the
Conservatives to resurrect a series of moves suggested by First Nations aimed at
bringing greater accountability to reserves, such as the creation of a First
Nations auditor-general, and new fiscal transfer arrangements.

He has called for transformative change in the relationship between Canada's
natives and its federal government. Ottawa should give it to him - while
retaining the right to insist that taxpayers' money is spent wisely.

National Post
jivison@...


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B.C. may face unprecedented native unrest if rights ignored
By Tex Enemark, Vancouver Sun
March 3, 2011 3:06 AM
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/face+unprecedented+native+unrest+rights+ignored\
/4376377/story.html

In an article in The Sun Feb. 14, ("The Skeetchestn say enough already"), Rich
Deneault, the Skeetchestn Band chief served notice that the way business and
governments ride roughshod over native rights in British Columbia has to come to
an end, or face the consequences, which may not be pretty.
He says, very bluntly, "In the days ahead, those companies and agencies that
have not acted honourably will be receiving letters from us, advising them to
tell their customers to expect possible service interruptions regarding their
operations in our traditional lands. We're writing to the six Liberal leadership
candidates to advise them as well ... [to ask if] ... a first nations community
should be shredded for the betterment of forest companies, or railway companies,
or energy companies, or tax revenues."

One might have thought that such a threatened disruption of B.C.'s economy might
have stirred some debate among the Liberal leadership candidates, but none was
noticeable. And that is too bad because I expect that Chief Deneault's
impatience might signal broader direct action in the native community over the
next few years.

Why, most B.C. people might ask, has it come to this? Is there not a Treaty
Commission charged with getting modern treaties arranged with B.C.'s natives? Is
not a lot of money being spent on this by the B.C. and federal governments? Are
there not a lot of negotiators working to resolve matters?

The answer is, of course the machinery is in place, but it is all jammed up for
lack of political mandates to actually operate, to see progress come out of the
end of the spaghetti machine. One does not have to sit around a negotiating
table for long to realize the elaborate charade taking place. Able government
negotiators stall, fiddle, obfuscate, redirect discussion, and come up with more
questions requiring answers than you could believe existed all in the name of
delay, delay, delay.

The game is, a day of delay is another day the governments do not have to pay
for anything more than airfare and hotel rooms for negotiators, another day of
the native groups going further into debt to stay in the game, another day of
hopelessness for most on-reserve Indians and another day B.C. and Canada avoid
actually choosing to make difficult choices. Frankly, what is taking place these
days falls far short of meeting any test of sincerity by either government,
protestations to the contrary.

The negotiators have honed their skills in being helpfully not helpful for, now,
a generation since B.C. consented to being brought into the modern treaty-making
process after 150 years of shameful behaviour toward its native population.

Can you imagine how frustrating and angry one becomes, sitting around a
"negotiating table," literally for 20 and more years and achieving, well,
nothing? All the while, you see members of your community, whom the Supreme
Court of Canada have ruled have aboriginal title to the lands and resources,
suffer Third World levels of unemployment and health outcomes, the country's
highest suicide, crime, and substance abuse rates? You see those who take forest
and mineral wealth from lands in which you hold rights being exploited with
scant regard for your welfare; sometimes a penny or two is dropped to claim
"accommodation," but there is no plan and no commitment to actually address and
improve native conditions by either government.

This is not to deny that some progress has been made by the Campbell government,
because it has shown a change of attitude and a willingness to at least begin.
But for lack of clear, strong direction from the top to the whole government
that this was a priority, and a regular rotation of ministers, little real
progress was made.

The province's native communities are very likely not going to be able to
restrain those who would be much more militant in the near future and it will be
up to the new premier to face this reality.

Through the regulatory processes we have seen native obstruction doom the .
Kemess For all large format and applications Prosperity mining proj-(newspaper
boxes, tents, etc.) ects over the past six years. We see the . Enbridge Crop off
tag line pipeline if it is too small facing to the same sort be read, or too
small to print of opposition. Any number of governproperly. ment and
private-sector projects over the past few years much less newsworthy have been
ground to a halt as well.

As Chief Deneault has said, it's going to get worse, much worse, because r
Height"between 20 the years logo and of other almost graphic elements. no
prog-ensure ress it's on placement most is land appropriate claims to its
relative is becoming importance. an issue around which to rally for a more
militant next generation that will look to recent events in Cairo and Benghazi
for examples of how to make change.

For premier-designate Christy Clark, this should indeed be a top of the
"in-basket" issue. It simply has to be. That it was not addressed by any
leadership candidate is a shame. But maybe Clark will recognize this and make
addressing it a lead item in a first Throne Speech, and very clear new marching
orders will be given to officials in the aboriginal affairs, education,
attorney-general and finance ministries. Or maybe the expectations of the coming
political change that now abound in the native community will be dashed. And if
Clark is smart, she will re-assign George Abbott to the portfolio because he has
shown evidence of understanding the issues and wanting them resolved. Sorry,
George. And Premier Clark will have to tell Ottawa that it, too, had better get
serious.

But if real progress on the native file is not a Clark priority, the result
could well be what Chief Deneault predicts.

And what Deneault foresees is more than a few days of inconvenience. It could
well be provincewide. It could be a signal to all sorts of putative investment
in B.C. that maybe somewhere else is better. This is particularly true of the
mining industry, which has not been as engaged in the issues as it should have
been. If B.C. and Canada do not take seriously the warnings of Chief Deneault
and others, the damage done to our recovering economy could be serious, and our
reputation as a fair and progressive society very much harmed.

The ball is now in the hands of soonto-be-premier Clark. Every person in B.C.
that would like to see generations of wrongs done to B.C.'s first nations will
be watching. It will be a real test of "change."

Tex Enemark is a public policy consultant, a former president of the Mining
Association of BC and an adviser to the Gitxsan Treaty Society.


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

----- Original Message -----
From: CNW Portfolio System
To: Portfolio E-Mail
Sent: Thursday, March 03, 2011 7:22 AM
Subject: Parliament Under Pressure to Stop Genetically Modified Fish: Motion in
the House of Commons requests transparency



CNW Group Portfolio E-Mail





COUNCIL OF CANADIANS


Transmitted by CNW Group on : March 3, 2011 10:20


Parliament Under Pressure to Stop Genetically Modified Fish: Motion in the House
of Commons requests transparency
OTTAWA, March 3 /CNW/ - Today in the House of Commons, New Democratic Party
Fisheries and Oceans Critic Fin Donnelly tabled a motion asking for transparency
and more study before genetically modified (GM) Atlantic salmon are approved for
human consumption.

US company AquaBounty has genetically modified a faster growing Atlantic salmon
by inserting a growth hormone gene from Chinook salmon and genetic material from
ocean pout.

AquaBounty has asked the US Food and Drug Administration to approve the GM
Atlantic salmon for human consumption but the status of any requests for
approvals from the company to the Canadian government are unknown because our
federal departments refuse to disclose this information.

"Why won't the government tell us if they are doing a risk assessment?" asked
Leo Broderick of PEI and Vice-Chair of the Council of Canadians, "AquaBounty
wants to supply the market with genetically modified salmon eggs from PEI but
Canadians have no clue if the company has asked for approval here."

AquaBounty is not planning to produce GM salmon in the US but is instead
proposing to produce all the GM salmon eggs on Prince Edward Island and then
ship the eggs for grow out and processing in Panama, for selling into the US
consumer market.

Today's motion asks the government to explain its regulations and to set up a
system to notify Canadians about any requests for approval and approval
decisions. The motion also asks the government to "prevent the introduction of
genetically modified salmon destined for human consumption into the Canadian
food system until further scientific studies are concluded by the relevant
departments to determine the impact of genetically modified salmon on human
health and on the health of marine species, ecosystems and habitats."

"We call on all Members of Parliament to support the motion. It is a request for
basic transparency," said Lucy Sharratt of the Canadian Biotechnology Action
Network. "This cloak of secrecy is unjustifiable and, frankly, ridiculous."

"DFO's own scientists have acknowledged that genetically modified salmon pose a
real risk to our wild fish stocks," said Catherine Stewart of Living Oceans
Society in B.C.  "Any debate on this issue, any scientific research informing
the debate, must be made available to all concerned citizens." Sixty fisheries
and oceans conservation, environmental and social justice groups released a
joint statement in December 6, 2010, opposing GM fish.


For further information:
Lucy Sharratt, Canadian Biotechnology Action Network, Cell 613 263 9511; Leo
Broderick, Council of Canadians, 902 894 4874; Catherine Stewart, Living Oceans
Society: 604-916-6722; www.cban.ca/fish




                   COUNCIL OF CANADIANS - More on this organization



                   News Releases
                   (83)



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Oppal seeks to expand scope of missing-women inquiry
ROBERT MATAS
VANCOUVER- Globe and Mail Update
Published Thursday, Mar. 03, 2011 12:48PM EST
Last updated Thursday, Mar. 03, 2011 10:45PM EST
The B.C. Missing Women Commission will be treading water for at least the next
few weeks, waiting for a response to a request to expand its mandate to allow
informal hearings with marginalized individuals, aboriginal groups and families
of women who went missing along the highway of tears.

Commissioner Wally Oppal has asked the provincial government to reshape the
inquiry into a "study and hearing commission" to enable him to hold additional
meetings outside the formal hearing process. "Ultimately, the commission's
process would be more inclusive and participants could speak directly to me
without the formalities of the adversarial process," Mr. Oppal stated in his
report.

Attorney-General Barry Penner said on Thursday he wants to find out whether Mr.
Oppal's proposal would require more time and more money.

The cabinet appointed the commission to receive answers to specific questions by
Dec. 31, Mr. Penner said in an interview.

"The reason we asked for this inquiry was because there is belief that some
things were not done as well as they could have been in the investigation [of
serial killer Robert Pickton]," he said. "I would like any information and
recommendations as soon as possible."

Mr. Penner said he does not anticipate a quick response to Mr. Oppal's request.
A cabinet order is needed to change the terms of reference of the commission, he
said, and he did not know when the next cabinet meeting will be held.

The Liberal party last weekend picked radio talk show host Christy Clark to
replace Premier Gordon Campbell. The government has not yet announced when she
will be sworn in as premier. Mr. Oppal's request will go to the new cabinet once
it meets, Mr. Penner said.

Earlier Thursday, Mr. Oppal, who was appointed last fall as head of the
commission, said he was going to defer his decision on who has standing at the
commission's hearings until he receives a response from the government to his
request to expand his mandate. He heard applications for standing from 18 groups
and individuals on Jan. 31.

Commission staff will continue to prepare for public hearings while waiting for
a government response, he said.

The commission was appointed to consider police investigations between Jan. 23,
1997, and Feb. 5, 2002, into the disappearances of women from Vancouver's
Downtown Eastside, and to review a decision in January, 1998, to stay charges
against Mr. Pickton of assaulting a woman who worked as a prostitute in the
area. Mr. Pickton was convicted of killing six women. Police allege he killed
several more women after the charges were stayed in 1998.

In a 15-page status report released on Thursday, Mr. Oppal recommended that the
commission be reshaped into a "study and hearing commission" similar to the
Braidwood Commission into the death of Robert Dziekanski, which included both a
review of police use of tasers and an investigation into the fatal tasering of
the Polish immigrant.

Mr. Oppal's request for a new mandate came after months of harsh criticism from
women's groups and aboriginal communities who objected to his appointment and to
the mandate of the commission. Vice Tribal Chief Terry Teegee of the Carrier
Sekani Tribal Council said Thursday from Prince George his group continues to
press for a separate commission of inquiry into the disappearances of 18 women
along a northern road dubbed the highway of tears.

Expanding the commission to allow for study of the issues is not comparable to a
full inquiry, he said. "Those cases are not solved," he said. "It is difficult
to figure out why that is the case."

Chief Teegee said the aboriginal group will work with Mr. Oppal if the
commission is the only venue acting on behalf of the missing and murdered women
of the North. "We'll see what [Mr. Oppal] comes to the table with and how he
wants to work with us and with the people of the Downtown Eastside," he said.

Kathy Corrigan, the NDP critic for women's issues, urged Ms. Clark to place Mr.
Oppal's request at the top of the agenda of the first cabinet meeting. The
commission should look at broader societal issues such as the legal status of
women who worked as prostitutes, as well as addiction and how to deal with
addiction, she said. "If you want to truly address what issues . and prevent
what happened in the Pickton case from ever happening again, we have to look at
all the circumstances," Ms. Corrigan said.

More related to this story
   a.. B.C. missing women inquiry to hear applications from 21 groups
   b.. Chiefs file complaint over Oppal's role in missing women inquiry
   c.. Pickton inquiry seeks aboriginal co-operation


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

From: Karen Campbell [mailto:kcampbell@...]
Sent: Friday, March 04, 2011 1:26 PM
Subject: AFN Weekly Parliamentary Wrap-up: February 28 - March 4, 2011
Importance: High

Hello all.  Please find below an informal update and summary on Parliamentary
activities of interest to First Nations for the week of February 28 - March 4,
2011.  Please note the federal budget is scheduled to be delivered on March
22nd, 2011.

Please share among your contacts. The next update will be available on Friday,
March 11, 2011.

Do not hesitate to let me know if you have any questions in the meantime.

Karen



Parliamentary Wrap-up ~ Week of February 28 - March 4, 2011

Updates on Key Legislation pertaining to First Nations:

C-3:  Gender Equity in Indian Registration Act
-   Was proclaimed into force on Monday, January 31, 2011.
-   Information on registration and related forms can be found here:
http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/br/is/bll/rpb/index-eng.asp

S-4: Matrimonial Real Property Act
-  Passed through 3 readings in the senate - introduced in House of Commons on
September 22, 2010.  Has been identified for review by the House Standing
Committee on Aboriginal Peoples and Northern Development once it goes through
2nd reading in the House.
-  Bill subjects First Nations law-making in this area to ratification by an
external appointed verification officer - fundamentally infringes inherent
jurisdiction.
-  Relies on provincial courts for remedy - but does not provide for access to
justice due to financial barriers or remoteness.
-  Does not encompass extra-legislative supports necessary - such as housing and
domestic violence prevention.

S-11: Safe Drinking Water for First Nations Act
-  Introduced in the Senate on May 26, 2010.
-  Creates regulations regarding FN drinking water, but not capacity to comply
-  Displaces First Nation jurisdiction and is inconsistent with section 35
Constitution Act
-   S-11 has been referred to Senate Committee on Aboriginal Affairs for study
at 2nd reading.
-   The committee began hearing witnesses on February 2, 2011 (more information
below under Committee Business).
-  National Chief Atleo presented to the committee on February 8, 2011.

Private Members Bills:

C-249: An Act to ensure that appropriate health care services are provided to
First Nations children in a timely manner
-  Was introduced in the previous session of Parliament and was deemed to have
been considered and approved at all stages completed at the time of prorogation
of the Second Session. The number of the bill remains unchanged
-   Implements Jordan's principle to provide that health care services that have
been provided to a First Nations child whose ordinary residence is on a reserve,
will be provided in a  timely manner

C-304: An Act to ensure secure, adequate, accessible and affordable housing for
Canadians
-  Was introduced in the previous session of Parliament and was deemed to have
been considered and approved at all stages completed at the time of prorogation
of the Second Session. The number of the bill remains unchanged.
-  Bill requires the Minister responsible for the CMHC to consult with PT
ministers responsible for municipal affairs and housing and with representatives
of municipalities, Aboriginal communities, non-profit and private sector housing
providers and civil society organizations in order to establish a national
affordable housing strategy.
-  Bill was reviewed by the Human Resources committee and reported back to
parliament on March 24, 2010.
-  Debates on this Bill at the report stage and began third reading on October
20, 2010.
-          On November 24, 2010 the Bill was referred back to committee for
consideration of an amendment.

C-358: An Act to provide a compensation plan for First Nations veterans
comparable to the one offered to other war veterans
-  Was introduced in the previous session of Parliament and was deemed to have
been considered and approved at all stages completed at the time of prorogation
of the Second Session. The number of the bill remains unchanged
-  Bill requires the preparation and presentation to Parliament of a
compensation plan to give First Nations veterans equitable treatment and
recognition - to include the offer of a land grant equivalent to that given to
other veterans, compensation for the delay in providing equal treatment, the
foundation of a scholarship in honour of First Nations veterans and a formal
apology from the Government of Canada to First Nations people.
-  Also requires an appropriate war memorial on or near Parliament Hill.

C-465: An Act respecting a National Hunting, Trapping and Fishing Heritage Day
-  Introduced on March 3, 2010 - has just completed committee review
-  Would designate the 23rd day of September in each and every year as "National
Hunting, Trapping and Fishing Heritage Day".
-  Reviewed by the House Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage and reported
back to Parliament with amendments on October 20, 2010.
-  Main amendment of interest is "Whereas the Aboriginal peoples of Canada have
practiced and been sustained by traditional hunting, trapping and fishing
activities for food and for ceremonial and commercial purposes since time
immemorial;"

C-503: Act to amend the Department of Justice Act and make consequential
amendments to another Act (aboriginal or treaty rights)
-  Introduced on March 29, 2010 - has not progressed past first reading
-  Would amend the Department of Justice Act and the Statutory Instruments Act
to require that bills and regulations be examined to determine whether they
abrogate or derogate from existing aboriginal or treaty rights as recognized in
section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982.

C-568: An Act to amend the Statistics Act (mandatory long-form census)
-  Introduced on September 30, 2010
-  Would make a mandatory long-form required by legislation
-  Would remove jail-time penalties associated with not complying

C-575: First Nations Financial Transparency Act
-  Introduced on October 1, 2010
-  Would require that salary, travel, honoraria and all expenses paid to First
Nations chiefs and councilors through Federal funds to be published.  In such
event that these amounts are not disclosed, the Act would empower the Minister
of Indian and Northern Affairs to provide this information.
-  AFN is working to counter underlying myths associated with this Bill and
support the development of true reciprocal accountability mechanisms.
-  National Chief Atleo has spoke with MP Kelly Block and suggested that a
working group be established to ensure informed dialogue with First Nations on
accountability.  There has not been any follow-up on this to-date.
-   Bill was debated for its second hour of debates at second reading on
February, 2011.  Transcripts are attached.
-   The bill passed second reading by a vote of 151-128 on March 2, 2011 and was
referred to the House Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern
Development (AANO) for review.
-   AANO will be hearing from MP Kelly Block - the Bill's sponsor - at its
meeting on March 8, 2011.

C-580: An Act to amend the Criminal Code, the Firearms Act and the
Contraventions Act (long guns)
-  Introduced on October 8, 2010
-  The Bill would amend the Criminal Code to remove the first time offence of
possession of a firearm other than a prohibited firearm or a restricted firearm
without having registered that firearm under the Criminal Code. It clarifies
that firearm possession proceedings under that Act do not abrogate or derogate
from any existing rights of the aboriginal peoples of Canada.
-  Also, the Bill would designate use of a Status card, when accompanied by a
firearms licence, as sufficient identification for a registration certificate.

C-593: An Act respecting a National Strategy for Suicide Prevention
-  Introduced November 5, 2010
-  The Bill requires Canada to develop a national strategy for suicide
prevention in consultation with Ministers responsible for the delivery of health
services in each province and territory and national representative
organizations of the First Nations, Inuit and M�tis people.

C-599: First Nations Education Funding Plan Act
-  Introduced November 30, 2010
-  Requires the creation of a Funding for First Nations education, developed in
consultation with First Nations, to include the following elements:

  1.  the measures to be taken to ensure predictable, adequate and long-term
funding of First Nations primary and secondary education;
  2.  the measures needed to facilitate universal access to post-secondary
education for First Nations students;
  3.  the measures to be taken to ensure that educational infrastructures meet
provincial construction standards for educational establishments, including with
respect to the facilities and space required;
  4.  the objectives to be met in terms of First Nations enrolment rates; and
  5.  the terms and conditions for allocating funding to the First Nations.

C-611: Haida Gwaii Income Tax Zoning Act
-   Introduced December 15, 2010
-   Requires the Governor in Council to amend section 7303.1 of the Income Tax
Regulations to include Haida Gwaii as a prescribed northern zone so that
residents of those islands are eligible for the northern residents deductions.

Please note: LEGISinfo, a website maintained by the Library of Parliament,
provides up-to-date and comprehensive information on all legislation:
http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Sites/LOP/LEGISINFO/index.asp?Language=E&list=com

Committee Business and Appearances

The House of Commons Standing Committee on Aboriginal Peoples and Northern
Development (AANO) met twice this week and began its study of Specific Claims
over $150M.  The Committee heard from the following witnesses:

March 1:
-   Colleen Swords, Associate Deputy Minister, Department of Indian Affairs and
Northern Development
-   Anik Dupont, Director General, Specific Claims Branch, INAC
-   Pamela McCurry, Assistant Deputy Attorney General, Aboriginal Affairs
Portfolio, Department of Justice
-   Deborah Friedman, General Counsel and Director, Specific Claims Section,
Aboriginal Affairs Portfolio, Department of Justice

March 3:
-   Harry Slade, Chairperson, Specific Claims Tribunal Canada
-   Alisa Lombard, Law Clerk
-   Edward Ratushny, Legal Counsel

Also, at its March 3 meeting the committee released its report: From Food Mail
to Nutrition North Canada (attached).

Recommendations of the Committee are as follows:
-   That Indian and Northern Affairs Canada consider amending the parameters of
community eligibility under the Nutrition North Canada program, including the
definition of "isolated northern community" as it relates to the condition that
these communities "must have availed themselves of the Food Mail Program and
ordered at least 100 kg of food mail shipments in 2009-2010."
-   That Indian and Northern Affairs Canada consider a mechanism to amend the
subsidy rates under the Nutrition North Canada program so that the External
Advisory Board would have the ability to make recommendations based on the real
costs (e.g. distance, geography etc.) rather than the historical usage under the
Food Mail program.
-   That the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development
conduct a comprehensive review of the Nutrition North Canada Program after three
years.
-   That Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, upon full implementation of the
Nutrition North Canada program, establish tracking and evaluation tools to
assess the impact of the program on food security and nutritional status.
-   That Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, as part of its tracking and
evaluation tools, conduct a survey of the quality and cost of nutritious
perishable foods derived under the Nutrition North Canada program one year after
its full implementation, compare the findings of that survey to quality and cost
derived under the Food Mail program, and that said comparison be reported back
to the Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development.
-   That Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, Health Canada, and regional health
authorities work collaboratively to ensure that the benefits of the program are
effectively communicated.
-   That Aboriginal organizations, the External Advisory Board, and the
Inter-Departmental Oversight Committee communicate effectively and regularly on
the maintenance and development of the Nutrition North Canada program.
-   That Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, through the External Advisory
Board, be flexible in the delivery of the Nutrition North Canada program,
including the determination of community and food eligibility lists, to allow
for special circumstances.
-   That Indian and Northern Affairs Canada focus any surplus funding derived
through the transition to the Nutrition North Canada program on maximizing the
subsidy for nutritional perishable foods.
-   That Indian and Northern Affairs Canada assess and address the additional
storage costs that may be required from the changes made on October 3, 2010.
-   That Indian and Northern Affairs Canada develop and implement transparent
monitoring mechanisms for retailers and transporters to ensure consumers 
receive the full benefits of the Nutrition North Canada program.
-   That Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, in conjunction with the External
Advisory Board, review the country food component of the program to consider
options to expand and support the sharing networks and harvesters making up
traditional, non-commercial Aboriginal food systems.
-   That the Nutrition North Canada food subsidy program include an exemption
for the community of Old Crow, Yukon, and that it have flexibility to maintain
the personal shipping transportation subsidy from Whitehorse to Old Crow, Yukon,
for nutritious perishable food, non-food items, non-perishable foods, and
essential non-food items.

Transcripts of these meetings are attached.

Updates on activities of the committee can be found here:
http://www2.parl.gc.ca/CommitteeBusiness/CommitteeHome.aspx?Cmte=AANO&Language=E\
&Mode=1&Parl=40&Ses=3

The House of Commons Standing Committee on the Status of Women is continuing its
study on Violence Against Aboriginal Women.  This week, had appearances on March
1 from:
-   Hon. Rona Ambrose, Minister for Status of Women
-   Hon. Rob Nicholson, Minister of Justice

Next week the committee will start consideration of its draft report.

The Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples continued its study of Bill S-11:
Safe Drinking Water for First Nations Act with two meetings this week.

On March 1, 2011, the committee heard from:
-   Grand Chief Stan Louttit, Mushkegowuk Council
-   Steve Hrudey, Professor Emeritus, University of Alberta
-  Vice-Chief Lyle Whitefish, Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations
-   Grand Chief Mike Mitchell, Mohawk Council of Akwesasne
-   Jay Benedict, Director, Department of Technical Services, Mohawk Council of
Akwesasne
-   Bob Howsam, Executive Director, Ontario First Nations Technical Services
Corporation
-  Jason Henry, Senior Circuit Rider Trainer, Ontario First Nations Technical
Services Corporation
   ,
On February 2, 2011, the committee heard from:
-   Merrell-Ann Phare, Executive Director and Legal Counsel Centre for
Indigenous Environmental Resources
-   Nancy Goucher, Program Coordinator Forum for Leadership on Water
-   Jim Bruce, Forum for Leadership on Water
-   Vaughn Paul, Chief Executive Officer, First Nations of Alberta Technical
Services Advisory Group
-   Clayton Leornard, Legal Counsel, First Nations of Alberta Technical Services
Advisory Group
-   Verna Polson, Algonquin Nation Director, Quebec Native Women Inc.
-  Chef Bill Montour, Six Nations of the Grand River Territory
-   Dayle W. Bomberry, Senior Administrative Officer, Six Nations of the Grand
River Territory
-  Joseph Jobin, Director of Livelihood, Treaty 8 First Nations of Alberta
-  Bill Erasmus, Dene Nation National Chief

Please note - committee presentations are webcast, and can be accessed through:
http://senparlvu.parl.gc.ca/Guide.aspx

More information on the Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples can be found
here:
http://www.parl.gc.ca/common/Committee_SenHome.asp?Language=E&Parl=40&Ses=3&comm\
_id=1

The Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology heard from
witnesses focused on urban issues this week as part of its study on current
social issues pertaining to Canada's largest cities. On March 2, 2011 AFN Nova
Scotia & Newfoundland Regional Chief Rick Simon presented to the committee.  His
presentation is attached.



Karen Campbell
Assembly of First Nations

ph:  (613) 241-6789 x. 263
fax: (613) 241-5808

Toll-free: 1-866-869-6789

473 Albert Street, Suite 810
Ottawa, ON   K1R 5B4




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

----- Original Message -----
From: Marketwire
Sent: Friday, March 04, 2011 2:32 PM
Subject: First Nations Leadership Agrees with Expansion of Commission





NEWS RELEASE TRANSMITTED BY Marketwire


FOR: First Nations Leadership Council


March 4, 2011

First Nations Leadership Agrees with Expansion of Commission

Missing Womens Commission of Inquiry recommends BC grant the Commission powers
of "joint study and hearing commission"

Attention: Assignment Editor, City Editor, Environment Editor, News Editor,
Government/Political Affairs Editor

VANCOUVER, BC, NEWS RELEASE--(Marketwire - March 4, 2011) - OPEN LETTER

March 4, 2011

Honourable Barry Penner
Ministry of Attorney General
PO Box 9044 STN PROV GOVT
Victoria, BC  V8W 9E2
Telephone: 250 387-1866
Fax: 250 387-6411

Dear Honourable Minister Penner:

The Missing Womens Commission of Inquiry ("Commission") has recommended that,
based on community feedback and concerns heard at two pre-hearing conferences
in January and through media reports and community organized forums, the
Lieutenant Governor in Council grant the Commission the powers of "joint study
and hearing commission".

The Commission is of the view that this expanded power to also be a study
commission would:

* Allow the Commission to address the concerns of the community by giving the
Commission increased flexibility over its process, including the ability to
engage directly with the public outside of the formal hearing process,

* Permit the Commission to fashion different forms of participation to
participants' interests, abilities and expertise (applicants who may not
strictly meet the test for standing in a hearing commission could still be
involved in the study portion of its work),

* Allow a more inclusive process and participants could speak to the Commission
directly without the formalities of the adversarial process, and

* Enable the Commission to craft a more focused but still thorough, and fair,
hearing process.

We share the Commission's interest and goal of accommodating important
community concerns through an expanded mandate, in particular:

* The need for an accessible and community-driven process,

* Ensuring vulnerable and marginalized individuals are not discouraged or be
made to feel excluded by an overly formal process,

* Ensuring the emotional needs of the victims' families are respected and
supported,

* Involving Aboriginal groups in a manner that is culturally sensitive, and

* Giving northern communities affected by the ongoing missing and murdered
women investigations from the Highway of Tears an opportunity to participate
meaningfully without compromising those investigations.

Our organizations commend and support the Commission's effort to be responsive
to the important input of community members.  We agree that a flexible and
inclusive process will improve the Commission's ultimate recommendations by
ensuring the process is:

* Appropriately contextualized,

* Culturally sensitive, and

* Suitable for northern communities affected by the missing and murdered women
along the Highway of Tears.

This is a positive development as the Commission is trying to ensure all
relevant voices are heard including, most importantly, the victims' families,
in an appropriate and respectful manner.

We look forward to the Government of British Columbia's positive response to
the Commission's recommendation.

Sincerely,

FIRST NATIONS LEADERSHIP COUNCIL

On behalf of the FIRST NATIONS SUMMIT:

Grand Chief Edward John
Dan Smith
Chief Douglas White III Kwulasultun

On behalf of the UNION OF BC INDIAN CHIEFS

Grand Chief Stewart Phillip
Chief Bob Chamberlin
Chief Marilyn Baptiste

On behalf of the BC ASSEMBLY OF FIRST NATIONS:

Regional Chief Jody Wilson-Raybould

cc:
National Chief Shawn A-in-chut Atleo, Assembly of First Nations
Wally Oppal, Missing Women Commission of Inquiry
Hugh Braker, President, Native Courtworker and Counselling Association of BC
BC First Nations

/For further information: Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, Union of BC Indian
Chiefs (604) 684-0231; Grand Chief Ed John, First Nations Summit (604)
926-9903; Regional Chief Jody Wilson-Raybould, BC Assembly of First Nations
(604) 922-7733/







[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

----- Original Message -----
From: Intellectual Property Watch
Sent: Friday, March 04, 2011 12:22 PM
Subject: IP-Watch: WIPO Draft Treaty Text On Genetic Resources Joins Folklore,
Traditional Knowledge



********************************************************************************\
************************

March 04, 2011. WIPO Draft Treaty Text On Genetic Resources Joins Folklore,
Traditional Knowledge

Country experts this week took up the challenge of doing the groundwork for
negotiations towards a treaty on the protection of genetic resources at the
World Intellectual Property Organization. Breaking uncharacteristically early on
the final day today, the experts’ work delivered a set of options reflecting
all points of views for negotiators to work from.

Link to the article:
http://www.ip-watch.org/weblog/?p=14691&utm_source=post&utm_medium=email&utm_cam\
paign=alerts

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
--------------

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Taseko's revised Prosperity Mine project would save Fish Lake but destroy Little
Fish Lake

Matthew Burrows
An earlier proposal by Taseko Mines prompted protests by environmentalists.
Taseko Mines news release failed to mention smaller fish-bearing body of water


By Martin Dunphy, March 5, 2011
http://www.straight.com/article-378583/vancouver/revised-prosperity-mine-project\
-will-save-fish-lake-destroy-little-fish-lake

A revised application for the rejected $800-million Prosperity Mine still calls
for the destruction of one of the two fish-bearing mountain lakes originally
scheduled for eradication, the Georgia Straight has learned.
A February 21 news release by proponent Taseko Mines Limited stated that its new
plan for the controversial B.C. gold and copper project, which was blocked by a
federal review panel last year, "greatly reduces environmental impacts, [and]
preserves Fish Lake and its aquatics".

The release did not mention Little Fish Lake.

The February 21 bulletin quoted Taseko president and CEO Russell Hallbauer as
saying: "Our initiative to preserve Fish Lake and accommodate the concerns of
the Federal Government and First Nations communities is a major commitment and
undertaking by Taseko."

Taseko did not release details of the revised application. The company stated in
its release that the new plan was made possible because "new longer-term price
projections emerged which indicated both copper and gold prices would be much
higher" than when the mine was originally proposed.

Extra costs related to the preservation of Fish Lake would add $300 million to
the original estimate, the company said.

However, a spokesperson for Taseko, Brian Battison, told the Straight that
unlike the larger Fish Lake, Little Fish Lake would not be spared if the new
proposal got a green light from Ottawa. "It is part of the tailings facility, as
in the original project," he said of the smaller lake in a March 4 phone
interview.

Battison reiterated that saving Fish Lake originally "was not a viable option
because it was not economic at the time of the review". He said he was confident
that increased gold and copper values will "sustain themselves above the prices
that this project is not economic".

He also said: "This proposal addresses the concerns that the First Nations had
about the project."

Representatives of the Tsilhqot'in National Government were not immediately
available for comment on the fate of Little Fish Lake, which, like Fish Lake,
contains rainbow trout but in fewer numbers.

George Heyman, executive director of Sierra Club B.C., told the Straight by
phone that he knew nothing of the new Taseko plan other than it did not involve
draining the larger lake. Of the decision to destroy Little Fish Lake, he said:
"That's news to me. That's the first detail I've had of the new proposal."

The national campaign director for the Wilderness Committee, Joe Foy, said
Taseko has shown it cannot be trusted.

"They say that the prices for copper and gold have gone up.therefore the company
can spend more money on environmental mitigation," Foy told the Straight.
"Therefore they don't have to use Fish Lake as a dump..It tells me they had a
[alternative] project in their back pocket [from the start]. Now, what does that
do to trust?"

Heyman expressed similar thoughts: "I don't think you develop an alternative
plan.in a couple of months [after the initial rejection]. What it says to me is
that if they could have gotten approval for the first plan, they would have
taken it and pocketed the profits."

Andrew Gage, staff counsel for West Coast Environmental Law, wasn't taken aback
at the news that Little Fish Lake will be wiped out if the new proposal goes
ahead. "It would have been surprising if they didn't [destroy it]," he said from
Victoria.

"There was nothing in that [February 21 Taseko] statement that said they would
save Little Fish Lake. It's not a complete surprise. They viewed Fish Lake as
the big problem."

Gage said it will be interesting to finally see details of the application. "I
still want to see how this is different from the other proposals. Will Fish Lake
be destroyed down the road?"

The federal government acknowledged receipt of Taseko's new project description
in a February 22 statement that noted, in part: "As we have said in the past, if
the proponent is interested in proceeding in a way that would respect the
environmental concerns that were raised by the assessment, then we are open to
assessing that proposal."

In a February 25 letter from the Tsilhqot'in National Government to the federal
ministers of environment, fisheries and oceans, natural resources, transport,
and Indian and northern affairs, as well as to the Canadian Environmental
Assessment Agency, Native representatives demanded consultation from Ottawa
about Taseko's revised application and all details therein.

Battison said the particulars of the plan will be revealed by the government.
"It will be posted publicly by CEAA once it is deemed complete in terms of its
content. They are going to review it.There is no time frame around that"

The February 25 TNG letter also stated: "It is disingenuous of Taseko to present
this as a 'quick fix' solution to the myriad problems with its rejected project.
Even if Taseko were to preserve Fish Lake (and the viability of this proposal
remains uncertain), it still would not address the host of significant
environmental impacts identified by the [review] Panel in its report, including
impacts on Aboriginal use of lands and resources for traditional purposes, on
cultural heritage, on Aboriginal rights and title, and on threatened grizzly
bear populations. Fisheries issues would almost certainly persist."

Taseko's proposed project, an open-pit mine to be sited about 125 kilometres
west of Williams Lake, gained approval through the B.C. government's
environmental-assessment process in January 2010.

The provincial certificate was awarded despite widespread opposition from First
Nations and environmental groups and Taseko's acknowledged intent to drain Fish
Lake and destroy Little Fish Lake through its use as a toxic tailings reservoir.

On November 2, 2010, a federally appointed review panel with the Canadian
Environmental Assessment Agency turned down the Prosperity application, citing
"significant adverse environmental effects". Of particular concern were fish and
fish habitats, future grizzly-bear populations, and established and potential
aboriginal rights and title.



More on Fish Lake


Vancouver protesters slam Taseko's proposed Prosperity gold mine near Williams
Lake (September 2, 2010)

Business leaders ask Conservative cabinet to approve Prosperity Mine (July 2,
2010)

Former chief Ervin Charleyboy says Fish Lake will be drained "over his dead
body" (April 4, 2010)

Fish Lake destruction should prompt action (September 3, 2009)

Fight looms over Fish Lake (August 27, 2009)


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

----- Original Message -----
From: CNW Portfolio System
To: Portfolio E-Mail
Sent: Friday, March 04, 2011 11:55 AM
Subject: AFN to Host National Forum on Strengthening Governance and Moving Away
from the Indian Act: Accountability, Citizenship, Economic Development and...



CNW Group Portfolio E-Mail


       ASSEMBLY OF FIRST NATIONS




Transmitted by CNW Group on : March 4, 2011 14:54


AFN to Host National Forum on Strengthening Governance and Moving Away from the
Indian Act: Accountability, Citizenship, Economic Development and Energy Among
Key Topics
OTTAWA, March 4 /CNW/ - The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) will host a national
Planning and Dialogue Forum in Vancouver, BC on March 7 and 8. Planning and
dialogue forums are part of the work to implement National Chief Shawn Atleo's
call for First Nations to move beyond the Indian Act. First Nation leaders,
citizens and technicians as well as experts across a wide range of disciplines
will discuss best practices, experiences and practical approaches in areas
important to First Nations governance, including accountability, citizenship,
building safe and secure communities and resource development and energy.

The theme of the AFN Spring Planning and Dialogue Forum is "Strengthening our
Nations: Advancing Capacity for First Nation Governments and Economies". The
keynote address on the morning of the first day will be delivered by Dr. Stephen
Cornell, one of the authors of the landmark "Harvard Study" by the Harvard
Project on American Indian Development which examined why some First Nations are
economically successful and others are not, and the connection between
self-government and economic success.

Media can register onsite and there is no fee for media to attend. A full agenda
with names of speakers and panel participants is available at:
http://www.afn.ca/index.php/en/news-media/events/2011-planning-and-dialogue-foru\
m

The Assembly of First Nations is the national organization representing First
Nation citizens in Canada.


For further information:
Don Kelly, AFN A/Communications Director (613) 292-2787 or dkelly@...

Jenna Young, AFN Communications Officer (613) 314-8157 or jyoung@...




                   ASSEMBLY OF FIRST NATIONS - More on this organization



                   News Releases
                   (421)



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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

----- Original Message -----
From: CNW Portfolio System
To: Portfolio E-Mail
Sent: Thursday, March 03, 2011 7:58 AM
Subject: AFN Announces Release of BC Regional Report of First Nations Food,
Nutrition and Environment Study



CNW Group Portfolio E-Mail


       ASSEMBLY OF FIRST NATIONS




Transmitted by CNW Group on : March 3, 2011 10:57


AFN Announces Release of BC Regional Report of First Nations Food, Nutrition and
Environment Study
VANCOUVER, March 3 /CNW/ - The Assembly of First Nations (AFN) is pleased to
announce the release of the B.C. regional report from the First Nations Food,
Nutrition and Environment Study (FNFNES).

Media are invited to attend the official release of the FNFNES B.C. Regional
Report at the First Nations Summit at:

3:00 pm March 3rd 2011
Chief Joe Mathias Centre, 100 Capilano Rd, North Vancouver, B.C.

FNFNES is a ten-year Health Canada funded partnership between AFN, Universit� de
Montr�al and University of Northern British Colombia in collaboration with 21
randomly selected First Nations communities in B.C.

The B.C. Regional report is the first regional report to be released from this
groundbreaking national study.  It contains information on B.C. First Nations'
diet and nutritional quality, contaminants in traditional foods and medicines,
trace metals in household water, pharmaceuticals in source water and mercury in
hair.  First Nations communities were randomly chosen and sampled according to
ecozone so that the results released in this report will be statistically
representative for B.C. First Nations communities located in those ecozones.

This study finds that traditional foods support good health; that diet is
greatly improved when wild game, fish and locally harvested fruits, berries and
vegetables are eaten by First Nations people in B.C.  However, First Nations in
B.C. continue to experience problems with obesity, face food security issues and
have identified a number of barriers that inhibit access to traditional foods.

In this study, chemical contamination of traditional foods and medicines by
environmental contaminants were not found to be of overall concern.  Trace
metals in drinking water and pharmaceuticals in surface water were not of
overall concern although close monitoring is recommended.

Community participatory research has guided FNFNES from the start and all
participant First Nations in FNFNES were treated as full partners in the study.
Analysis is currently being done for data gathered in Manitoba, and Ontario is
about to begin implementation.  Please join the Principal Investigators of the
project on March 3rd 2011 to learn more about the FNFNES project and BC results.

For more information, please visit www.fnfnes.ca

The Assembly of First Nations is the national organization representing First
Nations citizens in Canada.


For further information:
Don Kelly, Assembly of First Nations A/Communications Director
613-241-6789 ext. 334 or cell: 613-292-2787 or e-mail dkelly@...

Jenna Young, Assembly of First Nations Communications Officer
613-241-6789, ext 401 or cell: 613-314-8157 or e-mail jyoung@...

Alain Garon, Assembly of First Nations Bilingual Communications Officer
613-241-6789, ext 382 or cell: 613 292-0857 or agaron@...




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                   (420)



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----- Original Message -----
From: CNW Portfolio System
To: Portfolio E-Mail
Sent: Friday, March 04, 2011 8:05 AM
Subject: Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk Highway Project Release of a Final Agreement and
Availability of Participant Funding



CNW Group Portfolio E-Mail


       Government of Canada




Transmitted by CNW Group on : March 4, 2011 11:00


Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk Highway Project Release of a Final Agreement and
Availability of Participant Funding
OTTAWA, March 4 /CNW/ - The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (the
Agency) and the Inuvialuit Environmental Impact Review Board (the Board) today
released an agreement to establish a substituted review panel process for the
environmental assessment of the proposed Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk Highway project
located in the Northwest Territories.

The agreement outlines the full terms and conditions of this environmental
assessment which will be conducted by the Board under the substitution
provisions of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act.

The Agency also announced the availability of $300,000 in participant funding,
which is being made available to assist groups and individuals to participate in
this environmental assessment. Applications received by the Agency by April 8,
2011 will be considered.

The Hamlet of Tuktoyaktuk, the Town of Inuvik, and the Government of the
Northwest Territories are proposing to construct, operate and maintain a 140
kilometer all-weather highway from the Town of Inuvik to the Hamlet of
Tuktoyaktuk.

On September 27, 2010, the Agency announced that the project had been referred
to an environmental assessment by a review panel and that the federal review
panel process will be substituted by the Board's process.

The agreement (Canadian Environmental Assessment Registry's reference number
10-08-58081) and information on participant funding, including the Participant
Funding Program Guide, is available at www.ceaa-acee.gc.ca . Information on the
project is available on the Board's registry site at www.eirb.ca .

For Broadcasters

The Government of Canada released an agreement to establish a substituted review
panel for the proposed Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk Highway project located in the
Northwest Territories. $300,000 is also available to assist groups and
individuals to participate in this environmental assessment. For more
information, please visit ceaa.gc.ca or eirb.ca.

About the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency

The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency administers the federal
environmental assessment process, which identifies the environmental effects of
proposed projects and measures to address those effects, in support of
sustainable development.

About the Inuvialuit Environmental Impact Review Board

On behalf of the Inuvialuit, other residents of the North, and ultimately all
Canadians, the Board carries out detailed assessments and conducts public
reviews of development projects referred by the Environmental Impact Screening
Committee. The Board fulfills this role in consultation with affected
communities, developers, governments, and non government organizations.


For further information:

Media may contact

Isabelle Perrault
Senior Communications Advisor
Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency
Tel.: 613-960-0290
Isabelle.Perrault@...

Eli Nasogaluak
Environmental Assessment Coordinator
Environmental Impact Review Board
Tel.: 867-777-2828
eirb@...




Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency


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organization



                   News Releases
                   (182)



Government of Canada


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Respect, dignity and the First Nations
By Iain Hunter, Times Colonist
March 6, 2011
http://www.timescolonist.com/news/Respect+dignity+First+Nations/4391770/story.ht\
ml

Premier Gordon Campbell said on leaving office that his greatest regret is that
his plan to legislate "recognition and reconciliation" between First Nations and
the rest of us has come to nought.
The law that he proposed to recognize aboriginal title and set rules for a
sharing of resources was meant to represent a "seismic shift."

The resource industries almost immediately, and aboriginal communities, once
they'd had a chance to look at it, were, indeed, shaken. But they weren't
stirred to make it work.

And today there are signs that recnciliation is further off than ever.

Governments say that it's possible but seem to thwart it at every turn.

There are too many laws and regulations, expectations and entitlements of alien
European origin which governments are expected to uphold.

Resource extractors have to be reminded by the courts that they must respect the
consequences of aboriginal rights -not only must they consult with First Nations
but they must accommodate the concerns of peoples whose way of life, culture and
spirit they're brutalizing.

Now, fed up with talk that goes nowhere while their lands are cut up and run
over by resource and transportation companies, Chief Rick Deneault of the
Skeetchestn Indian Band near Savona has warned the government and corporations
to prepare for "ongoing peaceful service disruptions" starting "on or about"
tomorrow.

He has appealed to other B.C. chiefs and council members to join the Skeetchestn
launch or begin their own disruptions against corporations who've being
benefitting from the use of their lands without real consultation.

On the aboriginal side of treaty negotiations there seems little haste to get
things settled so that all can benefit from the accommodations that must be made
and the assurances that must be given to those in whose hands prosperity for all
lies.

Governments or corporations proposing "action plans" and speedy recovery of
investments are probably taken aback by those who speak not only for existing
communities but their ancestors and traditions, all of whom, all of which, are
unique.

Yet Campbell, who started his premiership by whipping up resentment against
aboriginals through referendum, seems to have assumed that talks with selected
chiefs could bring all First Nations on side. He seemed to believe that
legislating aboriginal title was an advance over what the courts have decreed.

His resource-sharing concept was bold, indeed, but, like the HST, was not
explained particularly well.

Tex Enemark, who has served corporations well and advises the Gitxsan Treaty
Society now, deplored last week in the Vancouver Sun the lack of the provincial
and federal governments' sincerity in making treaties. He said native issues
should be at the top of new premier Christy Clark's "in-basket."

Yes, and she, if given the chance, will blame the intransigence of Stephen
Harper's government in Ottawa which continues to show, on occasion, an abysmal
appreciation of aboriginal feelings.

One such is the current proposal to make First Nations chiefs disclose what
they're paid. Yes, it's taxpayers' money, and how it's used should be public.

But it's a bit rich for folks in the parliament of a separate nation, who are so
reluctant to disclose how they use their entitlements, to demand from chiefs of
other nations the accountability of public servants.

Yet, when a bill arrives in the Canadian Senate to set water-quality standards
on reserves, the Chiefs of Ontario object to legislation "that disrespects our
Constitutional and treaty rights and is unilaterally imposed on us."

The social and health problems affecting First Nations, especially children, cry
out for more than "action plans." But is there no room for what we Canadians
call respect and dignity?

Those problems, like the lingering scandal of residential schools, are Canadian
problems. We all -citizens, corporations and governments -need to feel more
neighbourly. Everything can't depend on national chiefs and first ministers.

We need to accept that "recognition" means more than assigning a place to
peoples who have become a burden too expensive to put down.

We need to accept that "reconciliation" means more than biding time and staving
off crises.

Campbell must have thought of this as he watched aboriginal youth jumping
through hoops at the 2010 Fun and Games.

cruachan@...


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

How the Coho returned to the Tsolum River
Vancouver- Globe and Mail Update
Published Sunday, Mar. 06, 2011 10:38PM EST
Last updated Sunday, Mar. 06, 2011 10:46PM EST
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/how-the-coho-retur\
ned-to-the-tsolum-river/article1931877/

To restore the river they first had to go to the top of the mountain.

It was a long, exhausting journey that involved countless planning meetings, but
in the end the Tsolum River Restoration Society succeeded in winning provincial
government support for a $4.5-million project to seal an old mine on Mount
Washington that was generating acid rock drainage.

Now the river is springing back to life.

The Mt. Washington Copper Mining Co. only operated from 1964 through 1966,
excavating copper ore on a small 13 hectare site, near Courtenay, on Vancouver
Island. But when the bankrupt company abandoned the mine, it left behind 940,000
tonnes of waste rock - and a toxic legacy that for the next 44 years brewed
sulphuric acid, which in turn leached copper and other heavy metals from the
slag. The pollution went into Pyrrhotite and Murex Creeks, and from there into
the Tsolum River.

Salmon runs were already depressed by the mid-1960s because of logging damage.
The acid rock drainage kept them from recovering, by impairing the development
of young salmon and by forcing adult salmon to turn away from the river when
they returned to spawn.

"The fish would come into the river but then they would back out . . .they would
avoid the system," says Jack Minard, executive director of the Tsolum River
Restoration Society.

By 1985, the once productive salmon river had become vacant of life. Instead of
200,000 pink salmon, 11,000 chum and 15,000 Coho, the river was down to a
handful of fish. Some years no salmon came at all. And a run of 3,500 steelhead,
which had reached sizes of 10 kilograms, became so rare they were thought
extinct.

"It was this lonely, dead river," Mr. Minard said.

Dead but not forgotten.

Starting in the 1980s, local volunteers, led initially by Father Charles Brandt,
began to work at restoring the river with the help of the federal Department of
Fisheries and Oceans. At first it was thought hatcheries could restock the
system. But the runs never recovered, no matter how many young salmon were
introduced. One year 2.5 million pink salmon were released in the river. None
came back. In 1985, a study identified the problem of acid rock drainage. The
river looked beautiful, but the water was toxic.

In an effort to stop the old mine from leaching poison into the river, the waste
rock was gathered into a gigantic pile, mixed with lime to neutralize the acid,
and covered with gravel and clay. Water quality improved, and salmon did better,
but copper concentrations remained too high for fish to flourish.

Searching for solutions, the Tsolum River Partnership (a coalition that involved
provincial and federal government agencies, TimberWest, the Mining Association
of B.C., and the Tsolum River Restoration Society) discussed possibly flooding
the mine site to seal the acid-generating ore underwater; capping the mine with
concrete; digging trenches to funnel water away from the site; or collecting the
runoff and sending it through a pipeline to a treatment plant. But most options
offered only partial solutions or weren't practical. The treatment plant, for
example, would have needed to operate for centuries.

"Acid mines last a long time," Mr. Minard said. "The Romans mined on the Thames
River and that site is still generating acid rock drainage, 3,000 years later."

In 2008, the provincial government, inspired in part by a personal donation of
$50,000 from Bob Hager, approved a plan to cap the Mt. Washington site with a
waterproof seal, made of polyester impregnated with bitumen. The material is
rolled out like a giant carpet. It locks out water and oxygen, which generates
sulphuric acid when it contacts sulphide bearing ore.

The seal went on in 2009-2010 with immediate and stunning results.

"We have not exceeded our target of 11 parts per billion for dissolved copper in
the river since the membrane was installed," Mr. Minard said. "We have seen a
substantial change. The best way to say it is now water quality is not an
issue."

For more than 40 years the Tsolum was toxic. Now clouds of aquatic insects, long
vanished from the river, can be seen dancing over the water while schools of
salmon fry dart below.

Last year 1,000 adult Coho returned to spawn.

"That is amazing. We haven't had those numbers since 1959," Mr. Minard said.

Steelhead, thought to be extinct, are in the river again. Chum and pink salmon
runs haven't rebounded yet, but young fish are thriving. Much work to repair
logging damage still needs to be done, and a way to provide adequate flows in
summer has to be found, but Mr. Minard is ecstatic.

"It's working," he said. "The river is coming back."



More related to this story
   a.. Starving eagles 'falling out of the sky'
   b.. Sea lice not cause of wild salmon collapse, researchers say
   c.. Salmon farms ordered to produce more data


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

British Columbians primed to act on poverty, poll finds
By Douglas Todd, Vancouver Sun
March 7, 2011 6:36 AM
http://www.vancouversun.com/business/British+Columbians+primed+poverty+poll+find\
s/4394144/story.html



Long time volunteer and former recipient, Rose Zamora, 62, at the Food Bank,
where she has be helping out for years. She separates loads from donors into the
different kinds of donations. Ian Smith/Vancouver Sun
Photograph by: Ian Smith, Vancouver Sun file
British Columbians are more inclined than most Canadians to be sympathetic to
the poor and to believe governments should support those on low incomes.

An Angus Reid poll conducted for the Salvation Army suggests British Columbians
are eager to address the plight of the lower classes, with one pollster saying
it's because poverty, especially homelessness, is "in-your-face" in this
province.

Angus Reid official Mario Canseco says B.C. has the lowest percentage of people
in Canada -17 per cent -who believe that all the poor have to do to improve
their lives is "pull themselves up by their own bootstraps."

That compares to 36 per cent of those in the rest of Western Canada.

B.C. premier-designate Christy Clark seems to be aware of West Coast residents'
concerns for the economically disadvantaged, said Vancouver-based Canseco, since
she emphasized poverty and unemployment in her B.C. Liberal Party leadership
acceptance speech.

It would be smart for the B.C. Liberal Party to strive to overcome its harsh,
uncaring image, said Canseco, given that the province has the country's lowest
minimum wage, one of the lowest welfare rates and the highest incidence of child
poverty.

The B.C. Liberals consistently trail the province's New Democratic Party on
poverty issues, Canseco said. Previous Angus Reid polls have shown the B.C.
government was ranked last among the provincial governments for "caring about
the disadvantaged."

Given almost a decade of Gordon Campbell as premier, Canseco said the new leader
of the B.C. Liberals appears to be "trying to move the party to the left with
some common-sense ideas that people who are not necessarily into politics will
support, such as raising the minimum wage."

The national Angus Reid poll surveyed 1,026 Canadians, including 132 B.C.
residents. Although the number of British Columbians questioned was relatively
low, the polling company says these new findings are consistent with previous
surveys about British Columbians' attitudes to widening income gaps.

The Angus Reid poll divided Canadians into four categories in regards to their
attitudes toward the poor -the "bootstrappers," the "sympathizers," the "jaded"
and those who emphasize "personal responsibility."

British Columbians were the least likely in Canada to be found among the
"bootstrappers," the group of people whom Canseco and colleague Andrew
Grenville, of Toronto, say tend to blame the poor for their own poverty.

Only 17 per cent of British Columbians, compared to 33 per cent of other Western
Canadians, believe the poor "have it pretty good" or are mired in low incomes
because they are "lazy," which are attitudes displayed by bootstrappers.

Meanwhile, 45 per cent of British Columbians fell into the "personal
responsibility" camp, which means they believe "people in poverty need a helping
hand" and "poor people have hard lives because government benefits don't go far
enough." That compares to only 29 per cent of Albertans, and 32 per cent of all
Canadians.

In addition, only five per cent of British Columbians were placed in the "jaded"
category, compared to 21 per cent of Albertans. The "jaded" are those who
believe the poor have "lower moral values" and there is nothing they can do to
help them.

Finally, 34 per cent of British Columbians ended up in the pollsters'
"sympathetic" cohort, compared to 10 per cent of Albertans. The "sympathetic"
are passionate about society doing something to end poverty.

On a related note, British Columbians were also the least inclined to associate
poverty with immigrants, with only 11 per cent thinking "new Canadians" were
poorer, compared to 23 per cent of all Canadians.

The polling results on immigrants may reflect how B.C. welcomes a relatively
high percentage of educated and wealthy "economic class" newcomers, particularly
from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

All in all, as Canseco and Grenville remark, the Angus Reid poll results are
significant. They suggest British Columbians are ready to put their money where
their heart is on this issue, which they don't want to ignore.

If the results are accurate, British Columbians appear primed to support leaders
who can prove they will be serious about combating poverty and homelessness.

dtodd@...


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Detour Gold and Moose Cree First Nation Commemorate Agreement and Establish
Educational Fund
----- Original Message -----
From: Marketwire
Sent: Monday, March 07, 2011 2:50 PM
Subject: Detour Gold and Moose Cree First Nation Commemorate Agreement and
Establish Educational Fund







                                 Detour Gold Corporation
                                 TSX: DGC

                                 Other Recent News





                                 Moose Cree First Nation


                                 Other Recent News




                         March 7, 2011
                         Detour Gold and Moose Cree First Nation Commemorate
Agreement and Establish Educational Fund
                         TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - March 7, 2011) - Detour
Gold Corporation (TSX:DGC) ("Detour Gold" or the "Company") and Moose Cree First
Nation ("MCFN") commemorated today, at the Prospectors and Developers
Association of Canada convention, the executed Agreement between the parties
signed on January 21, 2011 for the Detour Lake project. Detour Gold and MCFN
also announced the establishment of a Detour Gold-MCFN Educational Fund as part
of the Agreement.

                         Detour Gold will contribute $1 million as an endowment
to the Detour Gold-MCFN Educational Fund, which will be used to increase
educational opportunities for the membership of the Moose Cree First Nation.

                         "The main objective of having agreements with
corporations working within our Homeland is to establish a partnership that
contributes to our business, employment and educational opportunities. Education
of our youth is the basis for our future success as a First Nation," said Chief
Norm Hardisty Jr.

                         Gerald Panneton, President and CEO of Detour Gold said,
"One of the sustainable benefits of the Detour Lake project will be real
opportunities for aboriginal youth to reach higher levels of education, which is
a community goal for the MCFN. Through education and training, it will be
possible for young aboriginal people to develop careers, both at the Detour Lake
project and throughout the economy of northern Ontario."

                         About Detour Gold

                         Detour Gold is a Canadian gold exploration and
development company whose primary focus is to advance the development of its
flagship Detour Lake gold project located in northeastern Ontario towards
production. Detour Gold's shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the
trading symbol DGC.

                         Forward-Looking Information

                         This press release contains certain forward-looking
information as defined in applicable securities laws (referred to herein as
"forward-looking statements"). Specifically, this press release contains
forward-looking statements regarding the future use of the Detour Gold-MCFN
Educational Fund. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks,
uncertainties and other factors which are beyond Detour Gold's ability to
predict or control and may cause actual results, performance or achievements to
be materially different from any of future results, performance or achievements
expressed or implied by forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties
and other factors include, but are not limited to, gold price volatility,
changes in debt and equity markets, the uncertainties involved in interpreting
geological data, increases in costs, environmental compliance and changes in
environmental legislation and regulation, interest rate and exchange rate
fluctuations, general economic conditions and other risks involved in the gold
exploration and development industry, as well as those risk factors discussed in
the section entitled "Description of Business - Risk Factors" in Detour Gold's
2009 annual information form. Such forward-looking statements are also based on
a number of assumptions which may prove to be incorrect, including, but not
limited to, assumptions about the following: the availability of financing for
exploration and development activities; the estimated timeline for the
development of the Detour Lake gold project; the supply and demand for, and the
level and volatility of the price of, gold; the accuracy of reserve and resource
estimates and the assumptions on which the reserve and resource estimates are
based; the receipt of necessary permits; market competition; ongoing relations
with employees and impacted communities; and general business and economic
conditions. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on
forward-looking statements. Detour Gold undertakes no obligation to update
publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking statements contained herein
whether as a result of new information or future events or otherwise, except as
may be required by law.



                         CONTACT INFORMATION:
                         Detour Gold Corporation
                         Gerald Panneton
                         President and CEO
                         (416) 304.0800

                         or

                         Detour Gold Corporation
                         Derek Teevan
                         VP Government and Aboriginal Affairs
                         (416) 304.0800

                         or

                         Detour Gold Corporation
                         Royal Bank Plaza
                         South Tower, 200 Bay Street,
                         Suite 2200, Toronto, Ontario M5J 2J1

                         or

                         Moose Cree First Nation
                         Norm Hardisty Jr.
                         Chief
                         (705) 658.4619

                         or

                         Moose Cree First Nation
                         Ernest W. Rickard
                         Lead Negotiator
                         (705) 658.2847



                         INDUSTRY: Manufacturing and Production - Mining and
Metals









[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

----- Original Message -----
From: CNW Portfolio System
To: Portfolio E-Mail
Sent: Monday, March 07, 2011 12:02 PM
Subject: Assembly of First Nations Convenes Second Online "Virtual Summit" for
First Nation Students on Post-secondary Education



CNW Group Portfolio E-Mail


       ASSEMBLY OF FIRST NATIONS




Transmitted by CNW Group on : March 7, 2011 15:00


Assembly of First Nations Convenes Second Online "Virtual Summit" for First
Nation Students on Post-secondary Education
OTTAWA, March 7 /CNW/ - Assembly of First Nations National Chief Shawn A-in-chut
Atleo, along with First Nation students and education leaders of several
Indigenous Institutes of Higher Learning (IIHL), will participate in an online
"Virtual Summit" to explore issues and solutions to support success for First
Nation post-secondary education students.

National Chief Atleo is inviting First Nation students and education leaders to
participate in this online discussion to discuss post-secondary experiences and
provide recommendations on how to enhance opportunities for the success of
students and institutions. The online discussion will be hosted by First Nations
University of Canada. The discussion will inform the AFN work on post-secondary
education with the overall goal of increasing First Nation PSE graduation rates.


       DATE:     Thursday, March 10, 2011
       TIME:     11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. (Central Standard Time)
       LOCATION:    www.firstnationsuniversity.ca

This is the AFN's second Virtual Summit on PSE. On January 27th, 2011, AFN and
Vancouver Island University hosted a successful two hour dialogue on
post-secondary education with First Nations students across the country. More
than 1500 people joined the conversation and 20 post-secondary institutions
participated across Canada. At this Virtual Summit, the AFN is working with IIHL
to create opportunities for First Nation students and education leaders to
participate.

Assembly of First Nations has released the report of the first Virtual Summit
held at Vancouver Island University; you can view it at www.afn.ca.

More information about the Virtual Summit can also be found on the AFN website
at www.afn.ca.

The Assembly of First Nation is the national organization representing First
Nation citizens in Canada.


For further information:
Don Kelly, AFN A/Communications Director (613) 241-6789 (334) or dkelly@...
Jenna Young, AFN Communications Officer (613) 241-6789 (401) or jyoung@...




                   ASSEMBLY OF FIRST NATIONS - More on this organization



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                   (423)



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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

----- Original Message -----
From: CNW Portfolio System
To: Portfolio E-Mail
Sent: Tuesday, March 08, 2011 12:17 PM
Subject: Anishinabek honour achievements of women



CNW Group Portfolio E-Mail





ANISHINABEK NATION


Transmitted by CNW Group on : March 8, 2011 15:16


Anishinabek honour achievements of women
UOI OFFICES, ON, March 8 /CNW/ - The Anishinabek Nation celebrates International
Woman's Day by recognizing the achievements of Josephine Mandamin, the
Anishinabek Women's Water Commissioner and Jeannette Corbiere Lavell,
Citizenship Commissioner for the territory.

"We have Josephine Mandamin - a grandmother who has walked around all five Great
Lakes bringing attention to our precious water supply," said Deputy Grand
Council Chief Glen Hare.  "And Jeannette Corbiere Lavell, who had to go to the
courts to fight the Indian Act's discrimination against women, continues to
bring women's rights to the attention of the Canadian Government."

"Josephine and Jeannette are examples of the many talented women in our
communities who are caregivers, teachers, doctors, lawyers - and young girls can
aspire to be like them.  They are role models for our future generations.

Mandamin will begin her next water walk in April - this time starting walks in
different directions.  Water will be carried from the Arctic, Pacific and
Atlantic Oceans as well as the Gulf of Mexico to a point in Minnesota.  She will
fly to all the locations to start the water on its journey.  Other women water
carriers to pray for the water and lift the water spiritually along the walk.

"Water is the Lifeblood of Mother Earth," said Hare.  "Grandmother Josephine is
bringing awareness to the condition of our oceans, lakes and rivers all over
Turtle Island."

Jeannette Corbiere Lavell is a proud mother and grandmother and has previously
distinguished herself by leading a Supreme Court challenge of the federal
government's system of determining Indian Status, and is the first Anishinabek
Nation Commissioner on Citizenship. She is the president of the Native Women's
Association of Canada and the founding member of the Ontario Native Women's
Association Corbiere Lavell has worked as a teacher, consultant, and counselor
and is the co-author of a book.

"Jeannette continues to advance the physical, spiritual, economic and social
status of Aboriginal women of Canada," said Hare.

The Anishinabek Nation established the Union of Ontario Indians as its
secretariat in 1949.  The UOI is a political advocate for 39 member communities
across Ontario, representing approximately 55,000 people.  The Union of Ontario
Indians is the oldest political organization in Ontario and can trace its roots
back to the Confederacy of Three Fires, which existed long before European
contact.


For further information:
Marci Becking
Communications Officer
Union of Ontario Indians
Phone: (705) 497-9127 (ext. 2290)
Cell:  (705) 494-0735
E-mail: becmar@...
Follow AnishNation on Twitter
Join the Anishinabek Nation Facebook Fan Page




ANISHINABEK NATION


                   ANISHINABEK NATION - More on this organization



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                   (132)



UNION OF ONTARIO INDIANS


                   UNION OF ONTARIO INDIANS - More on this organization



                   News Releases
                   (132)



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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private companies, government agencies and non-profit organizations. This free
service lets you select the companies you are most interested in tracking and
delivers their news releases directly to your personal e-mail address.



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

From: Walter Quinlan [mailto:communications@...]
Sent: Monday, March 07, 2011 01:34 PM
To: Walter Quinlan <communications@...>
Subject: Sun Peaks: BC Supreme Court rules Prov breached constitutional duty to
consult Adams Lake IB


Good afternoon,



Please see attached News Release and Backgrounder from Chief Nelson Leon (Adams
Lake Indian Band).



Thanks.



Walter

_____________________



Walter Quinlan

Communications Coordinator

Shuswap Nation Tribal Council

www.shuswapnation.org



NEWS RELEASE





March 7, 2011

For immediate release

Adam Lake Indian Band



B.C. SUPREME COURT RULES THAT THE PROVINCE BREACHED ITS

CONSTITUTIONAL DUTY TO CONSULT ADAMS LAKE I.B. ON SUN PEAKS.



March 7, 2011 -- The Adams Lake Indian Band welcomes the decision of Madam
Justice Bruce concerning the Provincial government’s failure to properly
consult Adams Lake in incorporating the Sun Peaks Mountain Resort Village. 
Justice Bruce found that Adams Lake had established a strong prima facie case
for aboriginal rights and a good prima facie case for Secwepemc aboriginal title
at Sun Peaks.  She also found that the Provincial government had been
unreasonable in the way that it conducted consultation and in its accommodation
of Adams Lake’s interests and had breached its constitutional duties. The
Court has ordered the Provincial government to engage in further consultation on
this and on the larger Sun Peaks Resort issues and has indicated that she will
remain available to supervise the process, if necessary.



Adams Lake hopes that further court intervention will not be necessary and that
the Provincial government will begin the process of seriously consulting about
the development of the Sun Peaks Resort and surrounding territory.  As the court
and the Provincial government recognized, this development has occurred without
meaningful consultation and certainly without the consent of the Secwepmec. 
Adams Lake and the other Secwepemc bands have called for nearly two decades for
the Crown to deal with its claims.  This decision marks a significant milestone
in this process as the courts have now confirmed that the Crown has continued to
breach its basic constitutional duties.  Adams Lake believes that the time has
come for the Province to sit down with the Adams Lake and the other Secwepemc
and seriously negotiate proper mechanisms to recognize and affirm Secwepemc
aboriginal title and rights.



Chief Nelson Leon of the Adams Lake Indian Band said:



“The time has come for the Province to finally deal with the injustice that
has occurred at Sun Peaks and to recognize our rights.  Adams Lake is ready to
sit down to work with British Columbia to find a solution to this situation that
works for all parties.  We hope the Province is ready to work with us also.”



Adams Lake has not yet heard from the Provincial government about this decision.



-30-



Contact:



·         Robert Janes: 250.888.5269 (Lawyer)

·         Chief Nelson Leon: 250.572.5594












[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Lawsuit launched for woman held in solitary 23 hours a day, months on end
Vancouver Sun
March 8, 2011
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Lawsuit+launched+woman+held+solitary+hours+mont\
hs/4400369/story.html
The practice of holding a woman in solitary confinement 23 hours a day for
months on end is inhumane and must be stopped, says the B.C. Civil Liberties
Association.

On Friday, the BCCLA filed a lawsuit on behalf of 24-year-old BobbyLee Worm,
whose world, since she was imprisoned in 2006 for offences including robbery,
has often consisted of a cell measuring 10 by eight feet.

The BCCLA says Worm is suffering cruel and unusual punishment and has launched a
lawsuit in B.C. Supreme Court seeking damages against the Attorney-General of
Canada and the federal corrections service.

Worm is an aboriginal woman originally from Saskatchewan serving a sentence of
six years and four months, the civil liberties association said in a statement
Monday. She is a first-time offender and her sentence is scheduled to expire in
October 2012. She is being held at Fraser Valley Institution, an Abbotsford
prison for women serving federal sentences.

"She suffered extreme physical, emotional and sexual abuse throughout her
childhood and adolescence," the association said. "While in solitary
confinement, BobbyLee was ... deprived of meaningful human contact for up to 23
hours a day, for months at a time. BobbyLee said that every day she counted the
bricks on her wall to stop from going mad.

"During the course of her incarceration, Ms Worm fought with other prisoners"
and was placed in segregation, the association says.

Court records reviewed by The Sun show that Worm was charged in June 2009 with
uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm and was convicted in February of
2010.

Worm has received some counselling and programming "but it has been delayed and
inadequate," the association said, adding that segregation "has had the
additional effect of essentially denying her access to appropriate aboriginal
spiritual services."

The lawsuit was filed Friday. No statement of defence has yet been filed.


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

New talks over Sun Peaks resort ordered
Province did not fulfil duty to consult Adams Lake Indian Band, Supreme Court
judge rules

By Doug Ward, Vancouver Sun
March 8, 2011
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/talks+over+Peaks+resort+ordered/4400367/story.h\
tml



The Adams Lake Band is looking to protect habitat and areas with significant
spiritual meaning on what they argue is their traditional territory at Sun Peaks
resort, the band's lawyer says.
Photograph by: Jason Payne, PNG Files, Vancouver Sun
A B.C. Supreme Court judge has ruled the provincial government did not fulfil
its constitutional duty to consult with the Adams Lake Indian Band over the
incorporation last year of Sun Peaks Mountain Resort as a resort municipality.

Justice Catherine Bruce found the band has a good prima facie claim to
aboriginal title at Sun Peaks -and ordered the province to begin a new
consultation process with the band.

But Bruce rejected the band's request that the court quash the provincial
order-in-council giving incorporation status to the resort 40 kilometres
northeast of Kamloops.

Bruce noted the Sun Peaks Mountain Resort Municipality has been functioning
since June 28 and a decision to quash its incorporation would "invite chaos."

She said the "municipality has expended public monies, engaged staff, and leased
premises. All of these actions would be in jeopardy if the incorporation was
declared a nullity."

Sun Peaks was originally a small ski hill operated under the name of Tod
Mountain. In 1993, the province entered into an agreement with Tod Mountain
Development Ltd. (now Sun Peaks Resort Corp.) for the expansion of the ski hill
and the development of resort facilities.

To further this expansion, the province approved the purchase of Crown lands
within the traditional areas of three local first nations bands, including the
Adams Lake Band.

Local aboriginal activists staged protest and blockades to protest the expansion
of the Sun Peaks resort on what they argued was their traditional territory.

The move to incorporate the resort into a municipality further exacerbated the
tensions over the unresolved aboriginal claims to Sun Peaks, prompting the
lawsuit by the Adams Lake Band against the province.

Bruce found the provincial government, in its consultation process "ignored the
bands' concerns that the incorporation would further entrench the power and
influence of the Sun Peaks Resort Corporation over the new level of
government....

"In my view it was not a reasonable consultation process."

Adams Lake Band Chief Nelson Leon applauded the ruling Monday, saying it
recognized the "inadequacy of the provincial consultation to date and does
clearly state that the province did fail in its duty."

Leon said his band, which is growing, isn't opposed to development at Sun Peaks,
but needs to participate in the resort's future growth, possibly through some
form of revenue-sharing or economic opportunities.

Sun Peaks Mayor Al Raine said he is pleased the incorporated municipality has
been allowed to stand.

"Our primary objective here was to make sure the judge understood that the
action the band was seeking would really cause chaos."

Raine said the band wants the right to co-manage the resort and municipality.
"But it's hard to imagine that happening because if that application made sense
here it would make sense all across the province.

"Some of these things are not very practical."

Raine said he didn't think future agreements stemming from the consultation
process with the Adams Lake Band would adversely affect the municipality or
force its property owners to pay higher taxes.

Adams Lake Band lawyer Robert Janes said the band is not seeking to harm the
resort or the homeowners in the municipality.

"No one is coming for anybody's property."

Jones said the band wants to protect habitat and certain areas with significant
spiritual meaning -and "make sure the first nations aren't bystanders to the
development of their lands."

dward@...


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

----- Original Message -----
From: First Peoples Human Rights Coalition
To: 'First Peoples Human Rights Coalition'
Sent: Wednesday, March 09, 2011 6:03 AM
Subject: UN launches year-long celebration of vital role of world's forests


UN launches year-long celebration of vital role of world's forests
http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/newsletter/2011/march/feature.shtml#fea3


Recognizing the role that forests play in everything from mitigating climate
change to providing wood, medicines and livelihoods for people worldwide, the
United Nations kicked off on 2 February a year-long celebration to raise
awareness of the value of this important resource.

In his speech at the launch ceremony, Sha Zukang, the Under-Secretary-General
for Economic and Social Affairs, noted that political interest in forests has
been rising, and stressed that that interest should be translated into action.
"We have to make sure that the billions of dollars pledged towards forests and
climate change financing is actually released and applied to sustainable forest
management," Mr. Sha said.

Video:
http://www.unmultimedia.org/tv/webcast/2011/02/mr-sha-zukang-forests-2011.html
(5:59 minutes)

Full coverage: http://www.un.org/en/events/iyof2011/videos.shtml

Website: http://www.un.org/en/events/iyof2011/index.shtml

============================

Adoption of forest resolution and launch of Forest 2011
http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/newsletter/2011/march/global.shtml#glo3
9th session of the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF9) was held from 24
January - 4 February in New York

Government delegates, members of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF),
and representatives from intergovernmental organizations and major groups
gathered at the 9th session of the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF9) from
24 January - 4 February in New York. During the High-level Ministerial Segment,
the International Year of Forests (Forests 2011) was launched at the General
Assembly Hall; four Ministerial roundtables were held, as well as a dialogue
with the Collaborative Partnership on Forests.


The main theme of the session was forests for people, livelihoods and poverty
eradication. This included issues of community-based forest management, social
development and indigenous and other local and forest-dependent communities, as
well as social and cultural aspects. The session also assessed progress made on
the implementation of the non-legally binding instrument on all types of forests
and towards the achievement of the four global objectives on forests.

The key outcomes from the session were the adoption of the resolution on Forests
for People, Livelihoods and Poverty Eradication and the Ministerial Declaration.

The resolution captured essential elements to achieving sustainable development,
including recognizing the sustainable management of all types of forests as a
critical means to eradicate poverty, significantly reduce deforestation, halt
the loss of forest biodiversity and land and resource degradation, improve food
security, and access to safe drinking water and affordable energy, including
development of sustainable alternative energy sources and improved energy
efficiency and productive agricultural land. The resolution also called for
particular consideration for local livelihoods.

Ministers considered the International Year of Forests, as a landmark
opportunity to raise awareness and strengthen political commitment and action
worldwide, and agreed to transmit the Declaration to the Rio+20 Conference as
the contribution of the UNFF.

They recognized that forests are crucial for sustainable development and the
achievement of the IADGs including the MDGs, and have significant contribution
in addressing the global challenges related to food security and agriculture,
energy, water, mitigation of and adaptation to climate change, combating
desertification and land degradation, conservation of biodiversity, watershed
protection and disaster risk reduction. They stressed the need to reverse
current deforestation trend that causes 13 million hectares of forest loss each
year.

For more information: http://www.un.org/esa/forests/session.html

===========================

Launch of the International Year of Forests (Forests 2011)
The International Year of Forests was officially launched, as part of the High
level Segment, on the morning of 2 February in the General Assembly hall in New
York. The event was extremely well attended, with between 500-600 attendees from
Member States, major groups, Collaborative Partnership on Forests members, and
other major stakeholders.

The ceremony was presided over by H.E. Mr Joseph Deiss, President of the 65th
session of the United Nations General Assembly. High-level speakers were
interspersed with film clips from the winning films of the International Forest
Film festival comprised the ceremony.

A video message from Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon opened the ceremony,
recognizing the importance of the International Year of Forests and the role
that forests play in the environment, the global economy and the well-being of
people all over the world.

Speaking as an official emissary of President Paul Kagame, H.E. Mr. Stanislas
Kamanzi, Minister of Environment and Lands, Rwanda, announced his country's
border-to-border landscape restoration initiative (long term target by 2035,
forest restoration action plan by 2015).

The ceremony also featured the premiere of two films. The first was a short
animated Public Service Announcement, showcasing the importance of forests in
our daily lives. The second film premiered at the ceremony was a short film by
International Filmmaker Yann Arthus-Bertrand, titled "Of Forests and Men,"
narrated by UN Goodwill Ambassador Edward Norton. The films are now available on
the official Forests 2011 website.


The ceremony closed with "Felix & Friends", a Plant-for-the-Planet Children's
Initiative, presented by Plant-for-the-Planet's 13-year-old founder Mr. Felix
Finkbeiner. The initiative called everyone, both children and adults, to commit
to planting 1 trillion trees worldwide, or 150 trees per person. Mr. Finkbeiner
was joined at the podium by H.E. Mr. Deiss at the end to perform the "Stop
Talking, Start Planting" message.

For more information: www.un.org/forests

General Assembly President H. E. Mr. Joseph Deiss: Webcast

Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon: Video message

Short animated Public Service Announcement

International Filmmaker Yann Arthus-Bertrand: Short film

Plant-for-the-Planet Children's Initiative: Felix & Friends

===============================

International Year of Forests Activities
In addition to the launch ceremony, International Year of Forests events took
place throughout the two week session of the ninth session of UNFF9.

In an outreach effort directed to both everyone on the UN grounds and the
greater New York City area, the Forests 2011 logo was projected onto the side of
the Secretariat building on the night of 3 February, the second day of the high
level ministerial segment. The logo was projected throughout the night, visible
even from Queens.

All 11 winners of the International Forest Film Festival were screened at the
North Lawn Building during the second week of UNFF9. Some directors of the
winning films also attended their screenings to introduce their films and
provide a brief question-and-answer session afterwards. Short clips of the
winning films are now available on the Forest Film Festival website.

The ceremony also featured the premiere of two films. The first was a short
animated Public Service Announcement, showcasing the importance of forests in
our daily lives. The second film premiered at the ceremony was a short film by
International Filmmaker Yann Arthus-Bertrand, titled "Of Forests and Men,"
narrated by UN Goodwill Ambassador Edward Norton. The films are now available on
the official Forests 2011 website.


The International Year of Forests team also organized a video message program
for the second day of the High Level ministerial segment. Working in
coordination with the Department of Public Information and UNTV, ministers and
high-level members of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests gave short video
messages on the International Year of Forests. These messages will be edited and
then posted on the Forests 2011 website.

Member states also held their own celebrations for the International Year of
Forests. The United States Forestry Service held a reception at the David
Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center, both Croatia and Turkey held photo
exhibitions.

For more information: www.forestfilmfestival.org


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Island woman on the hook for $600,000 in archeological fees
Judge expresses 'great sympathy' for her plight, but arbitrator's ruling that
province acted in good faith is upheld

By Sandra McCulloch, Postmedia News
March 9, 2011
http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/Island+woman+hook+archeological+fees/4407\
706/story.html



Excavation of this property in 2007 wound up requiring an archeological impact
assessment permit, which cost $600,000.
Photograph by: Bruce Stotesbury, Postmedia News Files, Postmedia News
An Oak Bay woman who built a house on an unregistered aboriginal midden has had
her bid to recoup $600,000 from the provincial Archeology Branch struck down.

Wendi Mackay of 2072 Esplanade had asked B.C. Supreme Court to review arbitrator
John Horn's January 2010 decision that cleared the province of blame.

In a decision made public Monday, Justice Shelley Fitzpatrick agreed with the
arbitrator, but said she has "great sympathy" for Mackay.

"She and her late husband bought this property without any knowledge of its
history and the potential impact of the Heritage Conservation Act on the
property and her rights to develop a home on the property," Fitzpatrick said.

Mackay simply wanted to build a home "and was met not only with having to
satisfy the usual development requirements, but also extensive, lengthy and
expensive requirements under this Act too," she said.

Mackay was unaware that in 1971 the area had been identified as having
archeological significance. It was not deemed a heritage site under the Heritage
Conservation Act.

Mackay bought the property in 2005 from her parents for $750,000. She moved the
original house from the site and planned to build a retirement home there.

The title search came back clear.

But through her architect, Mackay learned she needed an archeological impact
assessment permit and would have to pay the archeologists' salaries.

The law states that Mackay could not "damage, excavate, dig in or alter any
heritage object from a site that has historical or archaeological value unless
that person has a permit," Fitzpatrick said.

Mackay had to hire an archeologist to carry out an inspection and investigation
work before any redevelopment.

In late 2007, Mackay finally received approval to build her home.

She sued the province, alleging the archeology branch didn't have the statutory
authority to require her to get permits and carry out the extra work.

The arbitrator found, and the court agreed, that the province acted honestly and
in good faith.

Mayor Chris Causton couldn't comment on this case specifically, but he did say
that the issue is "of great concern" to both homeowners and municipalities.

"The homeowner becomes wholly responsible for all the costs but has no control
over the expenditures or management of the project," he said.

Oak Bay is facing similar issues with new separate sewers in the Uplands,
meaning residents there would be required to pay to connect that sewer.

"We have no idea what the budget ramifications are from these heritage
regulations," Causton said.

"It means that we're unable to budget. And if we're unable to budget, Oak Bay's
inclination is not to do it."

The municipality ran into the problem in Mackay's neighbourhood, where it wanted
BC Hydro to put overhead wires underground.

The affected homeowners would pay the bill under the Heritage Conservation Act.

"You don't know how much to borrow from the bank," Causton said.

If all the homeowners were required to pony up $500,000 apiece, "that would
bring the whole project to a halt," Causton said.


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

PESTS sour on fracking, want inquiry
Environmental group is concerned about the potential dangers of the gas released
in northern B.C

By Ben Parfitt, Vancouver Sun
March 9, 2011
http://www.vancouversun.com/health/PESTS+sour+fracking+want+inquiry/4407727/stor\
y.html

Early last year, an army of workers at a remote natural gas operation in
northern British Columbia set a world record for hydraulic fracturing or
"fracking," a procedure that is rapidly becoming the norm in the global gas
industry.
They pumped nearly 400 Olympic swimming pools worth of water along with 500,000
kilograms of sand underground to fracture deeply buried shale rock, thereby
releasing its trapped gas.

As fracking becomes more common, people living in natural gas-rich northeast
B.C. are increasingly alarmed over the associated public health and safety
risks.

The pressure at which water, sand and undisclosed chemicals is pumped
below-ground is so intense that it triggers tiny earthquakes. In using such
brute force, unforeseen and unwelcome problems can -and do -surface elsewhere,
problems that may include dangerous releases of gas containing hydrogen
sulphide, also known as sour gas.

Long before fracking arrived on the scene, the health threats posed by chronic
exposure to sour gas with low levels of hydrogen sulphide were well known and
ran the gamut from irritated eyes to miscarriages. But it was the uncontrolled
releases of gas containing 300 parts per million or more of hydrogen sulphide
that filled people living in B.C.'s Peace River region with dread. Such releases
killed or seriously injured industry workers; caused deaths, birth defects or
miscarriages in cattle; forced people to abandon their homes by dead of night;
and led at least one school district to station buses outside an elementary
school in case sour gas escaped from a nearby well site, forcing an emergency
evacuation.

These and other uncomfortable realities of living in the heart of B.C.'s natural
gas development zone, recently prompted a local citizens group -the Peace
Environment and Safety Trustees Society (PESTS) -to call upon the provincial
government to launch a formal inquiry under B.C.'s Health Act to delve into the
health risks associated with sour gas. The justification for such an inquiry was
laid out in chilling detail with the assistance of Calvin Sandborn, at the
University of Victoria's Environmental Law Clinic, and Tim Thielmann, an
environmental lawyer.

The initiative has since snowballed. Letters of support for an inquiry have come
from the Peace River Regional District, public health officers, first nations
and others. A common refrain in the correspondence is that when it comes to key
decisions on oil and gas industry activities -for example, the locating of gas
wells and pipelines that can release toxic gas -public health officials are cut
out of the loop. Yet it is they, and the public they serve, who are forced to
respond when things go wrong.

Things most decidedly did go wrong in November 2009, when failed piping at a gas
well in the Peace region spewed 30,000 cubic metres of gas into the air.
Hydrogen sulphide levels in the escaping gas were six times above lethal levels.
The estimated eight-hour gas leak forced the evacuation of 18 residents living
near the community of Pouce Coupe, killed a horse and resulted in at least one
emergency hospitalization.

B.C.'s Oil and Gas Commission (OGC), which approved the well owned by Encana
Corporation, later concluded that frack sand corroded the pipes and caused the
potentially fatal leak.

Over the past three decades, at least 34 workers in B.C. and Alberta have been
killed in sour-gas related incidents and hundreds more disabled. By sheer luck,
massive uncontrolled sour gas releases in B.C. have often occurred far away from
local communities. In 2003, residents near Gao Qiao, in Chonquing, China,
weren't so lucky. A sour gas leak there forced the evacuation of 64,000
residents and killed 243 people in what became a 25-square-kilometre death zone.

Escalating fracking activities increase the likelihood of such leaks. As a
recent OGC "safety advisory" notes, high-pressure fracking operations have on at
least 18 occasions resulted in what are euphemistically called "communications"
between northern B.C. gas wells.

What this means is that fracking at one well causes unwanted problems at
another. In one such event, the same type of corrosive frack sand linked to the
Pouce Coupe disaster was blown between two gas wells spaced 670 metres apart.

Under the circumstances, members of the Peace Environment and Safety Trustees
Society should be lauded for being "pests." By highlighting the public health
and safety risks associated with sour gas, they may force the provincial
government to do the right thing: Call an inquiry that is clearly in the public
interest, but most particularly in the interests of the women, children and men
who call the Peace River region home.

Ben Parfitt is a resource policy analyst with the B.C. office of the Canadian
Centre for Policy Alternatives and author of Fracture Lines: Will Canada's Water
be Protected in the Rush to Develop Shale Gas?, a report for the Program on
Water Issues at the Munk School of Global Affairs.


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Opinion: Changes are coming for Clark cabinet
Premier-designate has promised fewer chairs, new faces -so someone will have to
go

By Vaughn Palmer, Vancouver Sun
March 9, 2011 6:05 AM
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Opinion+Changes+coming+Clark+cabinet/4407703/st\
ory.html

For her first media scrum in the provincial capital, premier-designate Christy
Clark chose the entranceway to the legislature chamber where, if all goes well,
she plans to take a seat later this spring.
Has she decided when and where to run in a byelection?

"No, there is no option right now, there are no vacant seats that I am aware
of," she replied, playing it cute.

But outgoing Premier Gordon Campbell has offered to vacate his Vancouver-Point
Grey constituency at her convenience, no? "That does seem to be a likely
option," she conceded.

Clark will take the oath of office as premier Monday of next week, by virtue of
being the chosen leader of the party with the majority of seats in the chamber.
A new cabinet lineup will be sworn in along with her.

"You will certainly see some changes," she told reporters. "I think there's a
lot of talent in the backbench, and we're going to certainly make sure that we
draw on some of the folks perhaps that haven't been as busy in the past as they
could be."

She's also mindful of the expectations (demands, really) of party unity. "People
want change but we also want to have some stability in government as well ... so
we'll see a little bit of both."

Plus she twice promised the new cabinet will be "smaller" than Campbell's, the
last of which topped out at 20 fullfledged ministers and three ministers of
state. She'll probably have to drop a half dozen of the current members of
cabinet to make room for new faces in a smaller lineup.

Has she been asking veterans if they plan to run again? "Those are discussions I
have with caucus members and those are private." Translation: "Yes."

The winds of change are blowing for the deputy ministers as well. John Dyble,
already announced as her choice to head up the public service, is "working on
that and thinking about it right now."

She's been gone from the cabinet table for more than six years. How did she
happen to settle on Dyble for the post of deputy minister to the premier?

"He's a guy who makes change in a big way, he's a guy who really delivers big
results ... Getting to know John, seeing his record, really made me very
confident that we'll be able to work together. His record as a public servant in
having made significant change at both ministries of health and transportation
was what played into it."

In both of those earlier postings, Dyble served as deputy minister to Kevin
Falcon, her rival and secondplace finisher in the leadership contest. "Kevin and
the other ministers who've worked with him are delighted he got a promotion,"
agreed Clark. Translation: Dyble comes with the Falcon seal of approval.

Pressed for specifics on several issues, Clark reiterated stands she'd taken
during the leadership campaign.

She would appoint a retired judge to review the sharing of gambling proceeds
with charities and communities. She'd not appoint a retired judge to review the
decision to waive $6 million in legal fees for the two ex-aides who pleaded
guilty to corruption charges in the BC Rail case.

On other matters -first nations, regionalization of child care services, the
mechanics of the referendum on the harmonized sales tax -she begged off "until
I'm sworn in."

On the fiscal front, she talked mainly status quo. "As far as our thinking is
now, we'll be debating the budget that is already tabled in the house. It's a
huge, a herculean task to put together another budget at this stage." Nor is
there much point in doing so until the fate of the harmonized sales tax (and
that $1.6 billion in federal transition funding) is determined in the coming
referendum.

Her No. 1 priority? "To make sure we are pursuing a families-first agenda for
government, and that is making sure every aspect of government is thinking about
families as it formulates its decisions."

Every aspect of government? Yes. "That's a big task and it is one that requires
a lot of subtleties and nuances so that is going to be our No. 1 change, making
sure that government is focusing on families."

A followup question challenged her to reconcile the families-first agenda with
the punishing increase in medical service premiums (almost 20 per cent over
three years) and the proposed 50-per-cent hike in BC Hydro rates over the next
five years.

She agreed the government needs to address those concerns. "Rather than just
talking about where our tax rates are, where are we in terms of the total burden
of costs that government puts on citizens? When you add in MSP premiums, Hydro
rates, and many of those other costs, where are we at?" I gather she's mulling a
proposal to conduct an internal review of the financial impact of government on
families, with the findings to be published with the next budget, if not sooner.

Above all, the premier-to-be wants families themselves to tell the government
how it is doing. "We also want to make sure that government is open and
accountable to people because we want citizens of British Columbia to know that
we are we are listening to them."

Ah, ambition. Keep talking, premier. This is getting interesting.

vpalmer@...


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Federal legislation ignores aboriginal concerns, assembly chief says
GLORIA GALLOWAY
OTTAWA- From Wednesday's Globe and Mail
Published Tuesday, Mar. 08, 2011 8:40PM EST
Last updated Wednesday, Mar. 09, 2011 1:43AM EST
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/federal-legislation-ignores-aborigi\
nal-concerns-assembly-chief-says/article1934513/

The head of Canada's largest aboriginal organization says federal politicians
have ignored the concerns of his people as they move ahead on two pieces of
legislation affecting first nations communities.

One is a bill introduced in the Senate that would allow the government in Ottawa
to set regulations to improve the deplorable state of on-reserve drinking water.
The other is a private member's bill introduced by Conservative MP Kelly Block
that would require public disclosure of federal money paid to individual
aboriginal leaders.

Shawn Atleo, the National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, was delighted
late last year when Prime Minister Stephen Harper committed the federal
government to working with first nations groups to advance education reform.

But when MPs choose to act unilaterally, solutions to the problems faced by
first nations people will not be found, Mr. Atleo said Tuesday in an interview
from British Columbia, where he was attending a forum with other aboriginal
leaders.

Ms. Block's Bill 575, which last week passed a critical first vote in the House
of Commons, claims to be about accountability, he said, but "it's a very narrow
approach to a single issue. And what we're talking about here in Vancouver is
the need to have a more comprehensive approach that deals with all issues of
accountability and transparency."

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation created an uproar last year by releasing a
study that used federal documents to show that a number of aboriginal leaders
were making more than the premiers of the provinces in which they lived.

The Assembly of First Nations responded by pointing out that the average band
leader's salary was just $36,845. But chiefs from across Canada responded to the
controversy by voting in favour of a motion calling for voluntary public
disclosure of the remuneration paid.

Ms. Block said first nations community members have been trying to access
information about their leaders' salaries for many years. "I strongly believe in
accountability and transparency and believe that first nations communities, like
other Canadians, deserve that kind of accountability and transparency," she said
in defending her bill.

Mr. Atleo said the legislation ignores the accountability gap that has been
highlighted within the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs. Last year, for
instance, the federal Auditor General found the department had made limited
progress in the way it supported, administered and reported on its education
programs for students living on reserves.

First nations communities want to be able to hold their own governments
accountable, Mr. Atleo said. But Bill 575, he said, "is another example of
giving greater power and responsibility to the Minister of Indian Affairs. What
we want to do is give more power to the people."

Mr. Atleo makes a similar criticism about Bill S-11 that would federally
regulate drinking water on reserves. Not only were first nations leaders left
out of the process of crafting that legislation, he said, but no money has been
offered to implement it.

"This would require new regulations but it really wouldn't change anything
because safe drinking water requires much more than new regulations. It's going
to require new infrastructure, facilities, skills, training, resources," he
said, pointing out that there are more than 100 drinking-water advisories on
Canadian reserves at the moment. It's a situation he termed "outrageous."

Representatives of the Indian Affairs Department say the regulatory system
envisioned in Bill S-11 would be rolled out gradually, targeting high-risk areas
first and would be done in concert with a national investment plan.

But the bill makes it clear that the federal government, not first nations
members,would develop the regulations and that the federal rules would supersede
existing bylaws on the reserves.

More related to this story
   a.. Stung by allegations of inflated pay, native chiefs to open their books
   b.. What does the future hold for Canada's First Nations?
   c.. PM to make native education a priority


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Rising temperature in Fraser River affecting Salmon population
MARK HUME
VANCOUVER- Globe and Mail Update
Published Tuesday, Mar. 08, 2011 10:06PM EST
Last updated Wednesday, Mar. 09, 2011 1:23AM EST
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/british-columbia/rising-temperature\
-in-fraser-river-affecting-salmon-population/article1934591/

The Fraser River is heating up because of climate change and an increasing
number of salmon are dying in the warmer water from diseases or parasites or are
simply dropping dead from cardiac collapse, a federal judicial inquiry has been
told.

Scott Hinch, an expert witness on aquatic ecology, told the Commission of
Inquiry Into the Decline of Sockeye Salmon in the Fraser River that sometimes 50
per cent of the salmon that return to the river die before they reach the
spawning beds.

Dr. Hinch said because the Fraser has increased in temperature by about 2
degrees C, salmon are changing the timing of their spawning migrations, to enter
rivers weeks earlier or later, in an effort to avoid warm water. And once in the
river they are seeking out cold-water refuges, sometimes going up tributaries to
sink to the bottoms of lakes or schooling where cold streams enter the Fraser.

As water temperatures continue to climb (predictions suggest an increase of
between 2 and 4 degrees over the next 60 to 80 years), more and more Fraser
River salmon are likely to die before they have a chance to spawn, said Dr.
Hinch, a fisheries researcher and professor at the University of British
Columbia.

"Certainly we're gong to see higher en route mortality [in the future]," he
said. "We're going to have to forsake more harvest on these fish."

Dr. Hinch said the warmer water doesn't kill fish directly, but once the
temperature of the Fraser has climbed above 18 degrees C, as it does for several
weeks every summer, the fish are subject to stresses which increase the chances
of death.

A paper Dr. Hinch and his UBC colleague, Eduardo Martins, prepared for the
commission states salmon use more energy to swim and get oxygen in warmer water
and can die from exhaustion or cardiac arrest before reaching the spawning beds.

Higher water temperatures also increase the rate of development of pathogens,
exposing salmon to disease.

The research, one of 12 scientific papers being prepared at the request of
Commissioner Bruce Cohen, says the phenomenon of en route loss of salmon was
first reported in 1992 for three distinct runs of sockeye, which come back to
the Fraser in the spring, early summer and summer. A fourth run of sockeye,
which returns to the river in the fall, didn't exhibit the problem until 1996.

The paper states that since 1996 "en route loss of at least 30 per cent has been
observed for at least one run-timing group in each year," and many stocks have
had losses of 50 per cent or more.

Dr. Hinch did not estimate how many salmon may have died in total, but the paper
states that in some years "hundreds of thousands of Fraser River sockeye salmon
have died during their migration."

The Cohen Commission was ordered by Prime Minister Stephen Harper after a
disastrous sockeye collapse in 2009, when only about one million returned to the
river, instead of the 10 million predicted.

That collapse, the nadir of a 20-year downward trend in Fraser sockeye stocks,
was followed last year by one of the largest returns on record, when an
estimated 30 million salmon returned. The research paper says "variability in
climate conditions" may explain the wild population swing, and it notes ocean
conditions were more favorable when the run of 2010 was at sea.

Dr. Hinch and Dr. Martins, who synthesized decades of salmon research in their
paper, said warmer water temperatures appear to be decreasing the survivability
of salmon at nearly all life stages, not just when the fish are adults returning
to spawn.

But Dr. Hinch said there is "shockingly little information" on the early life
stages of salmon.

He also noted that one run of sockeye, which goes up the Fraser and then into
the glacial-fed Chilko River, have adapted to handle dramatic temperature
ranges.

He said it is important to protect a wide variety of salmon stocks, because it
is not clear which fish may hold the genetic key to survive in the warmer water
of the future.

Ernie Crey, a spokesman for the Fraser Valley Aboriginal Fisheries Society, said
outside the hearings that coldwater streams flowing into the Fraser should be
protected because salmon need refuges from warm water.

"None of these streams enjoy any special status in relation to the survival of
salmon," he said. "Developments . like small power projects to generate
electricity, roads or water diversions could easily compromise these small
coldwater streams."

More related to this story
   a.. Hold Ottawa accountable for salmon probe delay, B.C. treaty commission
head says
   b.. Millions of fish found dead in California harbour
   c.. B.C. anglers want Ottawa to charge them more to fish salmon
   d.. Salmon sport-fishing numbers down except on Fraser


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