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Cheam chief demands immediate opening of FN fishery Frustration as aboriginal fishery boats sit idle Jennifer Feinberg The Progress A record run of Fraser sockeye is no time to be keeping Cheam fishing boats off the river. That’s the gist of a letter, obtained by The Progress, dated Aug. 25 from Cheam First Nation Chief Sidney Douglas, addressed to federal Fisheries Minister Gail Shea. DFO’s 2014 management and allocation decisions have caused “serious violations” of the Cheam’s aboriginal rights and title, Chief Douglas argues in the correspondence. “There’s a lot of fish out there,” said Douglas in an interview about the letter. Recent court cases cementing aboriginal rights and title are the backdrop of the official request from the band that “aboriginal fisheries be opened immediately.” At the time of the letter, there were commercial boats and recreational fisheries on the Fraser, but not aboriginal fishers, as the food, social and ceremonial fishing quota had been filled, despite peak returns. Chief Douglas said he was being pressured, like other Sto:lo leaders right now, by their community members who are frustrated sitting idle on shore, watching everyone else fish. “Our culture and the lives of our people centre on fishing during this time of year, our people come together and gather at the river to fish and exercise their rights. “It is unacceptable in a year of record returns of Fraser River Sockeye salmon, to prohibit our people from fishing.”
Teachers at Sardis secondary picket outside their school on Thursday morning. JENNA HAUCK/ PROGRESS
Ready enters talks as BCTF mull strike truce Pause in pickets would open window for mediation Jeff Nagel Black Press The province has proposed a two-week truce with striking teachers to at least allow B.C. schools to reopen as scheduled next week while a mediated settlement is pursued. The idea of a cooling-off period allowing classes to start while mediated talks proceed was put to B.C. Teachers
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Federation president Jim Iker by Education Minister Peter Fassbender and government negotiator Peter Cameron. There was no deal between the two sides but both sides said progress was made in the 90-minute meeting Wednesday afternoon and mediator Vince Ready was to begin exploratory talks Thursday. The BCTF has not yet responded to the proposal but Iker indicated he needed union membership approval to halt picketing and urged full mediation to begin immediately. Fassbender told Black Press he’s surprised and disappoint-
ed the union head wouldn’t quickly agree to a strike suspension. “I had hoped, maybe unrealistically, that Mr. Iker was in a position to agree that there was nothing there that compromised their ability to negotiate with a mediator in the room, that we could see school commence on Tuesday so that students can learn and teachers can be paid,” the minister said. “We are just asking them to voluntarily stand down and let classes start while the parties are in mediation.” The B.C. Public School Employers Association would
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also suspend lockout activity if the truce goes ahead. Ready is only expected to enter full mediation if he decides the two sides get close enough to put a deal in reach. Fassbender’s proposal also calls on the union to set aside potential grievances arising from the last court ruling on class size and composition, now under appeal by the province. He said that would leave the issue – potentially a liability of nearly $250 million a year for the province – to the court appeal. Continued: STRIKE/ p12
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