SENK’LIP NEWS February - 2016 EDITION - OKANAGAN INDIAN BAND 12420 WESTSIDE ROAD VERNON, BC V1H 2A4 - FREE
UXO’s an Explosive Topic January 20, 2016 - The Okanagan Indian Band was featured in a Maclean’s magazine article on January 4, 2016. The investigative article explored the history of military service by OKIB members, the account of the Canadian militaries use of OKIB lands, and the costly process for removing unexploded ordnances (UXO’s) from reserve lands. While the recent coverage in local media has brought the issue to the attention of the general public, this has been an on-going agenda item that Chief and Council have actively been addressing since the Department of National Defence (DND) stopped using the lands for military training. Outside media sources have focused on the following topics:
SENK’LIP NEWS Editor: Shaylen Smith Ph: 250-542-4328 Fx: 250-542-4990 shaylen.smith@okanagan.org
The settlement between DND and K&L Land Partnership Ltd. K&L Land Partnership Ltd is owned by a family of billionaires – the Aquiline’s. The company claims they did not know about the UXO’s when they purchased the land. The usual course of action to take when a critical piece of information is missing in a real estate transaction is to sue the seller, or void the contract. K&L did neither of these things. Instead they sued the government, the claim was dismissed from court, and then the Department of Defence gave the company a settlement that is possibly worth more than the yearly DND budget designated to UXO clearance removal for all of Canada. The K&L Land Partnership company bought the lands for an estimated $14 million in 2005; received an estimated $11 million in the settlement from DND; expect to have their land cleared of military munitions by mid-2017; and they have submitted a plan for subdivision of the land to Vernon Council. The lands owned by the K&L Land Partnership company are near Okanagan band lands that require removal of UXO’s before they are safe for Band uses, or development.
Chief: Byron Louis Councillors: Homer Alexis, Lyle Brewer, Barbara (June) Cole, Tim Isaac, Allan Louis, Coola Louis, Dan Wilson, Raymond Marchand, Russell Williams and Leland Wilson
UXO removal team at work on OKIB lands. Photo courtesy of Don Louis.
Currently the Department of National Defence (DND) will likely provide OKIB with $125,000 per year for four years to assist with the cleanup of military munitions from Okanagan band lands. Approximately 7,000 acres of band lands are affected with contamination from military use. The removal and reclamation process is expected to take decades; especially given the limited budget. Depending on the level of contamination, $125,000 may not be enough to clear one acre of land affected with UXO’s. Other funding has been allocated to send OKIB members to Texas A&M University for UXO Removal Technician training. Three members completed the training last year and were part of the team working on the Goose Lake Range in September to November, 2015. Active recruitment for this year’s program has begun and interested band members can contact Don Louis at 250-542-3444 for more information. *See page 11 for UXO Technician Training information.
Chief Byron Louis interviewed by Global Okanagan News.
Misleading statements from DND Chief Byron Louis was interviewed by Global News about the article in Mclean’s magazine on January 7, 2016. The story aired on the evening newscast and included a statement from the Department of Defence indicating that the Okanagan Indian Band needed to submit land use and economic development plans to the government prior to DND moving forward with the removal process. A response from the Chief was sent out to clarify the misleading information, so that the public would know that there is no such requirement in
any of the contracts and that by their signature on the contracts DND is obligated to remove the UXO’s regardless of OKIB’s intended uses for the lands in question.