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Yukon News
LFN chief candidates weigh in on oil and gas
Have a Cool Yule with Gifts from
Jesse Winter
concerned,” he said. “I would like to see a lot more research and consultation.” eorge Morgan wouldn’t toMorgan said he would much tally rule out future fracking in rather see conventional resource Kaska traditional territory if he is extraction as a means of boosting elected chief on Monday. the economy in Watson Lake. But But the candidate in the Liard whatever happens, he’s certain the First Nation election says there community needs some sort of needs to be much more study and industry development to help bring consultation before any controverin more jobs. sial oil and gas extraction happens in “I’m definitely open to any the area. manufacturing in Watson Lake. “I’m definitely pro-economic Clearly it’s a tough market because development as a general philosoof shipping costs, but if there are any phy, but I don’t think fracking is kind of micro-projects that could be something anybody in the territory developed, that would be imporis ready to undertake,” Morgan said. tant,” he said. “I think much more research and Morgan said the new recent consultation needs to be done. I’m agreement between the Liard First hearing reports from the corporate Nation, the town of Watson Lake side that say very succinctly that the and Yukon Electrical to begin looksituation is not that bad, but then I ing for micro-hydro projects in the hear news reports, and reports out region is good, and he would be in of Fort Nelson, and documentaries favour of the possible industries exlike Gasland, that make me very tra power might support, including News Reporter
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bringing a sawmill back to Watson Lake. “Clearly (hydro) is the cleanest form of energy. Flooding of Kaska traditional territory is very significant and there would have to be serious discussion about compensation and royalties, but I’m definitely pro-hydro,” Morgan said. For Susan Magun, another candidate for chief, fracking is definitely out of the question, no matter what. “I am totally against fracking. If there’s any good stories about fracking, I haven’t heard it. I don’t know enough about fracking, but what I know about fracking, it’s not good,” Magun said. When it comes to oil and gas extraction in Kaska lands more generally, Magun said she hasn’t given the issue a lot of thought. “I never really put a thought to it. The only thing I’m looking at right now is economic development for our people, and I’m not sure if
oil and gas is the only thing. There could be others. The interest is there, but it has to be done by the majority of LFN members, and what they want,” she said. Whatever economic opportunities might exist for the Liard First Nation, Magun said the push needs to come from her people, not from herself. “There was a strategic plan done by the community to explore the different economic developments within our community. I’m all for it, but it needs to come from the people. I can’t say what I want. If the people say whatever their interests are, that’s what I want,” she said. Beginning on Monday, the News called all the candidates for chief for their thoughts on oil and gas development in Kaska traditional territory, but no one else responded by press time. Contact Jesse Winter at jessew@yukon-news.com
LFN voters re-enfranchised Jesse Winter News Reporter
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leven eligible voters who were barred from casting ballots in the Liard First Nation election advanced poll earlier this month will be allowed to vote in the regular poll on Monday. Pauline Lund, the chief returning officer for the election, said that the 11 names were never struck from the eligible voters list, they were only questioned for their Kaska ancestry. Because of the uncertainty, the elections committee told Lund that the 11 people, all from Lower Post, B.C. should not vote in the advanced polls, Lund said. “Nothing seemed to be settled when we went to the advanced polls. Because the elections committee couldn’t all meet before the advanced poll, they gave me that directive and it was just to hold these people off until the meeting on Dec.
3,” Lund said. After the elections committee meeting on Dec. 3, the committee decided that it didn’t have the authority to strike the names from the voters list itself, and would take the question of Kaska ancestry to the First Nation’s next general assembly after the election. In the meantime, those people will be allowed to vote in the regular poll on Monday. If they cannot make it to the polling stations, they can arrange to have a special ballot sent through Lund’s office because they missed the advanced poll, Lund said. She said the controversy stemmed from a misunderstanding, and that the voters in question where never told explicitly that they could not vote. But Pam Moon, one of the voters on the list, disagrees. By phone, Moon read from a letter she said was sent by the elections commit-
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tee to Lund, making it clear that 11 people from Lower Post whose heritage was questioned could not vote in the advanced poll. “Pauline, as per the election committee’s discussion on Saturday, we clearly stated that we did not want the following to vote in the advanced poll as their claim to Kaska ancestry has not been proven beyond a reasonable doubt. We as a committee require more time, research and discussion with legal council to make our decision. Please be advised that these people cannot vote in the advanced poll tomorrow.” The email was signed by all members of the elections committee, Moon said. Moon said she also received a letter from Lund herself, also saying they couldn’t vote in the advanced polls. Now that they have been allowed to vote on Monday, Moon said she’s
extremely relieved. “I’m overjoyed to know that we can vote in this election,” she said. Even though she’s a Tahltan, she’s also an LFN citizen, Moon said. She’s not worried about the issue coming before a general assembly because the community will have to recognize that drawing lines down tribal divides is just too difficult. “If they don’t want Tahltans voting, well, the people on the committee, some of their children are Tahltan as well. My brother-in-law’s children are Kaska and Tahltan. If we as Tahltans can’t vote, does that mean his children can’t vote as well? “It’s going to get really complicated if they get to the point where they say ‘Tahltans can’t vote’. In Lower Post, all of the kids are mixed Tahltan and Kaska. I’m Tahltan, and Irish and Cherokee. Why point a finger at Tahltans?” Contact Jesse Winter at jessew@yukon-news.com