No suspensions Extra activities won’t cost teachers union membership. PAGE 6 Parasite study University graduate recognized for international work. PAGE 12 Emergency week Information provides residents with tips on survival. PAGE 3
T-men lose opener PAGE 21
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DR. ANITA LAU, Optometrist
NANAIMO
250-390-2444 www.nanaimobulletin.com
SATURDAY, MAY 5, 2012
VOL. 24, NO. 3
GREAT ESCAPE
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Snuneymuxw x hosts treaty symposium BY TOBY GORMAN THE NEWS BULLETIN
CHRIS BUSH/THE NEWS BULLETIN
Brendan Carlson puts his exit plans into practice as firefighter Stuart Kenning makes sure he makes it safely down an escape ladder in the Nanaimo Professional Firefighters Local 905 Fire Safety House. Firefighters spent Thursday morning at Pleasant Valley Elementary School showing Grade 3 students fire safety tips and procedures to safely exit burning buildings.
Learning more about existing pre-Confederation First Nations treaties and their current legal standing will be the subject of a key symposium hosted by Snuneymuxw First Nation and Vancouver Island University. Running Thursday and Friday (May 10-11), the PreConfederation Treaties of Vancouver Island – Fulfilling Treaty Promises and Living in Treaty Relationships conference is expected to attract more than 200 government, academic, First Nation and public delegates. Opening the conference is B.C. Lt.-Gov. Steven Point, while panelists and presenters include Louise Mandell, Douglas Lambert, Ardith Walkem and Neil Vallance, among others. Sub-themes of the conference include: Honouring the Spirit and Intent of the Pre-Confederation Treaties of Vancouver Island; Charting a New Course for Treaty Implementation; Unleashing the Promise of Economic Development; and Pre-Confederation Treaties and Decision Making. Snuneymuxw Chief Douglas White III has been working diligently since being elected chief in December 2009 to pursue validation of the Snuneymuxw Treaty (also known as the Douglas Treaty), signed on Dec. 23, 1854. The treaty was supposed to recognize the Snuneymuxw way of life, protect village sites and enclosed fields, and protect traditional methods of fishing and hunting. While James Douglas, chief factor of Hudson’s Bay Company and representative of the Crown, honoured the agreement, government officials who followed did not. As a result, White says traditional ways of the Snuneymuxw have been eroded along with their traditional territories, and promises of economic development opportunities have gone unfulfilled. ◆ See ‘FIRST NATION’ /4
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