Canada’s Oldest First Nations Newspaper - Serving Nuu-chah-nulth-aht since 1974 Vol. 30 - No. 1 - January 16, 2003
haas^i>sa "Interesting News"
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Nations try to come together in Nanaimo By David Wiwchar Southern Region Reporter Nanaimo – A two-day meeting at the Coast Bastion Hotel was held in an attempt to bring all Nuu-chah-nulth treaty teams together.
A two-day meeting at the Coast Bastion Hotel was held in an attempt to bring all Nuu-chahnulth treaty teams together. Over the past few months the table has become fractured as Huu-ay-aht, Uchucklesaht, Ucluelet, Toquaht and Kyuquot / Cheklesaht have formed a new treaty negotiating group. Ditidaht and Pacheedaht have been negotiating as a group for the past eight years, and Hupacasath left the table to negotiate on their own two years ago. In the week before the meeting, Tseshaht announced that it was leaving the NTC treaty table to negotiate on its own as well, leaving Ahousaht, Tla-oqui-aht, Hesquiaht, Mowachaht / Muchalaht, Nuchatlaht, and Ehattesaht at the original treaty table (although Ucluelet and Toquaht continue to attend NTC treaty meetings).
In the week before the meeting, Tseshaht announced that it was leaving the NTC treaty table to negotiate on its own, leaving only six Nations at the original treaty table. The first day of meetings started with a number of concurrent sessions as the
Counterproposal Subgroup, Communications Subgroup, and Political Accord Subgroup met in the morning, and then came together for an Elders and Ha’wiih Workshop in the afternoon. The workshop was supposed to be an opportunity for Elders and Ha’wiih to give direction to the treaty table, but only a few First Nations brought their Ha’wiih and Elders. “We see what’s happening at the tables,” said Toquaht Elder Archie Thompson. “We are weak right now and the governments know this.” “Our table is shrinking because of our stubbornness,” said Barb Touchie. “We have to start seeking strength for ourselves and our Nations and come together as one strong group again,” she said.
“We are all acting as individual Nations, not as Nuu-chah-nulth. It’s frightening for us as Elders to see things drifting apart when we need to unite more than ever before,” said Ahousaht Elder Stanley Sam. “Look at the table now,” said Ahousaht Elder Stanley Sam. “We are all acting as individual Nations, not as Nuu-chahnulth. It’s frightening for us as Elders to see things drifting apart when we need to unite more than ever before.” “We need to be one again,” said Central Region co-chair and Ahousaht Elder Nelson Keitlah. “We have to look at where we are and work to fix it because it’s our own doing that led us here. And
continued on page 5
Tseshaht Chief Negotiator Richard Watts (right) announces his Nation’s withdrawl from the NTC Treaty Table
Pacific National Aquaculture Pleads Guilty to a Dozen Charges (Tofino) Pacific National Aquaculture (PNA), the major salmon farming company in Clayoquot Sound, pled guilty today in Tofino Provincial Court to a series of eleven charges related to fish escapes. They were fined a total of $2500, with a range of $115 to $1000 for the most serious charge. The maximum fine for a single charge is $2000. Enforcement is only starting to catch up with the salmon farming industry. This is the third company to be charged in BC despite a history rife with escapes and accidents. The most serious charge concerned a large escape of approximately 10,000 Atlantic salmon from the PNA Saranac Island site in January 2002. Corporate negligence was found to be the ultimate cause of the escape, as a PNA vessel had cut two of the netcage anchor lines weeks earlier with the full knowledge of management The anchor system had not been repaired when strong tides came in January and wrenched at the already broken structure. “The repercussions of these charges do not reflect the severity of the crimes”, states Leah Walberg, spokesperson for Friends of Clayoquot Sound. “Pulling their license to operate is the only way
The Treaty Planning meeting continued in Nanaimo without Tseshaht
Fish still on table says Plant ................................................ Page 3 Co-chair calls for Campbell’s resignation ............................. Page 4 Student Profile: Jprdan James and Pricilla Paul ..................... Page 6 Tom Watts named to Hall of Fame ...................................... Page 8 Kim Erikson to play ball in Kentucky ................................... Page 9 HIV infrction on the rise ..................................................... Page 12 N.E.D.C. Business News ........................................................ Page 20
PNA will appreciate the consequences of causing irreparable harm to our precious marine resources.” Other charges included failures to follow their operational policies, such as not using escape netting during smolt transfers, resulting in fish escapes. There were also tickets for massive over-stocking at several farms. PNA was fined $115 for stocking one farm with almost one million Atlantic salmon, when the approved stocking level was 250,000. High stocking densities increase disease and parasite problems for fish on the farms, which can then be transferred to wild fish. High stocking densities also create greater amount of waste that can exceed the assimilation capacity of the local waters and smother surrounding aquatic life. “For PNA, these charges are merely the cost of doing business. There are no incentives for PNA to abide existing regulations as the company benefits more from breaking regulations than following them”, continues Walberg. “The environmental impact has been our biggest concern all along,” said Central Region Co-chair Nelson Keitlah. “This is a very serious issue, yet they received a very minimal charge,” he said.
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