12 minute read
Language – Pamela Labonte
This is the first program where a learning platform combined the exploration industry and local Tahltan culture and land. The sense of pride and confidence we have seen in the students in attendance has been worth all the planning efforts and participation from our team that made it materialize.
We are always striving to increase our OnTrack membership, which is available to both TCG members and associates who are registered with the TCG. This will maximize their access to available opportunities as per our preferential treatment via our Impact Benefit Agreements, as postings for the mines will be available on this site prior to being released openly. Visit ontrack.tahltan.org to register. Approval takes a few business days and as stated, requires membership with the TCG. Note – you do not have to be a status member to gain TCG membership as it is based on your Tahltan Ancestry! TCG membership registration can be found on our tahltan.org website.
Tahltan businesses can register their companies via our Ontrack.tahltan.org website under business (ontrack.tahltan.org/tahltan-businesses). A Tahltan business can put its basic information forward so we can better understand the services and products it provides and share that with our industry partners. At ontrack.tahltan.org there is a business tab, and in the future, the OnTrack site will also have a database of all Tahltan businesses and all the companies working with us. The mining and exploration companies will put their Request for Proposals (RFPs) and vendor requirements on the platform and Tahltan businesses can review and see which they are qualified to bid on, so all opportunities are available fairly. This department is working with all registered Tahltan companies to ensure that industry partners are aware of their businesses and what specific services or products they can provide. Please ensure you have your business registered via the online application on the OnTrack business section to ensure you have representation and support from this department.
We will also be looking for a third-party organization to assist our Tahltan entrepreneurs in moving forward with their business plans. A few of the industry partners are working with this department to ensure that future entrepreneurial opportunities are available to Tahltan businesses. I believe that if starting your own business is something that you are interested in, then now is the time.
At this time, we are also dealing with two of our active Impact Benefit Agreement (IBA) projects having unions being brought forth to their sites. Coast Mountain Hydro has completed a collective bargaining agreement without any Tahltan input whatsoever. We have our lawyer currently reviewing this agreement. With the Red Chris collective agreement, we are working with a specialized union lawyer to ensure our Rights and Title are protected within the current IBA.
Please feel free to reach out to me any time regarding both employment, contracting, or anything else I can
assist with. Help your fellow Tahltans and have them register for OnTrack to have access to preferential hiring, at: ontrack.tahltan.org, by emailing me at: employmentdirector@tahltan.org, or by phoning me at 778 772 6355.
If you require assistance with updating your resume or anything OnTrack-related, please contact
Lily Sembsmoen at: otspecialist@tahltan.org.
Fisheries
Director Report
Cheri Frocklage
Fisheries Director The spring is well underway in Tahltan Territory. Snow is slowly melting under warmer temperatures and intermittent splashes of rain. The creeks and rivers are rising, the landscape awakens after a long winter slumber, pussy willows are out, and green grass is poking through receding snow patches.
Our Fisheries Department field staff are trained up, pumped up, and have been deployed to the field to kick off the Chinook and coho juvenile coded wire tagging program on the Lower Stikine.
The 2022 Stikine River Salmon Forecasts were presented to the Pacific Salmon Commission – Transboundary River Panel at the pre-season meeting in February. Run projections for Chinook/King salmon remain low. The Tahltan Lake sockeye projection is good, while the Mainstem sockeye run projection is below average.
Stikine River Chinook (Large)
Escapement Goal Range: 14,000 – 28,000
Management Objective: 17,400
Ten Year Average:
2022 Terminal Run Forecast:
17,400
7,400
Stikine River Sockeye
Management objectives in place for Tahltan Lake and Mainstem stocks Ten Year Average: 99,000
2022 Terminal Run Forecast: 63,000
Tahltan Lake
Escapement Goal Range: 18,000 – 30,000
Management Objective: 24,000
Ten Year Average: 61,000
2022 Terminal Run Forecast: 42,000
Tahltan Wild Sockeye:
Tahltan Enhanced Sockeye: 12,000
30,000
Mainstem
Escapement Goal Range: 20,000 – 40,000
Management Objective: 30,000
Ten Year Average: 39,000
2022 Terminal Run Forecast: 21,000
2022 MANAGEMENT ACTIONS
Conservation measures will remain in effect for Stikine Chinook/King Salmon – No Allowable Catch and no directed fisheries in Canada or the USA. Closure of the Tahltan River for angling/rod fishing. Delayed start to sockeye fisheries in both countries to allow for more chinook conservation and reduce incidental catches.
Canada and the USA have both been allocated their 2022 Stikine River sockeye salmon Total Allowable Catch (TAC) under the Pacific Salmon Treaty provisions: 47% to Canada = 8,460 – 53% to USA = 9,540. Each country will allocate their domestic TAC amongst their fisheries as they choose. The mainstem sockeye projection is too low to provide for any directed fisheries opportunities on these stocks. Fishers will be provided fishing opportunities for Tahltan Lake-bound sockeye only.
The TCG Fisheries Department strongly encourages our members to continue the practice of conserving our declining Chinook salmon stocks by not directly fishing for them.
We must adjust our way of thinking if the Tahltan River Chinook stocks are to ever stand a chance at rebuilding. Along with our Aboriginal Rights to harvest, is the inherent obligation to conserve and protect these salmon, even at the cost of forgoing our harvest. It is OUR responsibility as a Nation to ensure that our future generations are provided with the opportunity to continue to practice our Tahltan culture in the harvest and preservation of Stikine River salmon resources. Over the course of conducting our sockeye fishery, we intercept migrating Chinook salmon, so we ask that our members release any healthy King salmon from your net, allowing them to continue on their journey to the spawning grounds. FISHERIES STAFF SPRING TRAINING BOOTCAMP
The TCG Fisheries Manager, Kerry Carlick, pulled together the 2022 Fisheries Department staff training schedule to ensure the health and safety of our field staff while they conduct their various stock assessment duties. The following is a summary of the courses attended and certifications received.
• More Course (wellness training): March 18-20
• Ichthyology Course: March 21-22
• Bear Awareness/ Shotgun Defense Course:
March 23-24
• Our Aquatic Protections Officer, Naia, also attended and received her OFA Level 3 First Aid Certification in Dease Lake: April 12-22 • One staff also took a PAL Course in February
If you are interested in seeking employment with the TCG Fisheries Department as a Field Technician, please send your resume to our Fisheries Manager, Kerry Carlick at fisheries@tahltan.org
Above: TCG Fisheries Crew – March 2022.
Lands
Director Report
Congratulations to the Tahltan team of technicians and Directors with the support of Tahltan Leadership on the development and approval of the first-ever consent-based decision-making agreement in the Province of British Columbia. The agreement was signed at a ceremony in Victoria on June 6, 2022.
Nalaine Morin
Lands Director
What does it mean for Tahltan to have the first consent-based decision-making agreement for a proposed mining project in our territory?
It means that we will be reviewing and analyzing the proposed mining project, developing a recommendations report, and providing the report to Tahltan Leadership who will then decide on whether they will issue a declaration of consent for the project. The Tahltan Central Government would only make this decision by following our internal process of attaining informed consent by the Tahltan people following a series of meetings with urban and local Tahltan communities, followed by a successful ratification vote by Tahltan members. The project being considered is the Skeena Eskay Creek Revitalization Project which is currently in the provincial Environmental Assessment process.
How is this different than previous mining projects reviewed by the Tahltan Central Government (TCG) and the Tahltan Heritage Resources Environmental Assessment Team (THREAT)?
Previously, technical reviews of projects were completed by THREAT and recommendations were then provided to Tahltan Leadership, the Province and the Tahltan negotiations team. These reviews were considered by the provincial government and work was done by both the Province and the proponent to address any concerns identified by the TCG and THREAT. These concerns were summarized and shared with the provincial decision-makers as part of the materials to consider when deciding on a project. There was no consideration for a Tahltan decision at that time.
Now, under the new Section 7 Agreement for the Eskay Revitalization Project, the TCG will decide on the project based on community input and other decision-making tools designed by the Lands Department and based on Tahltan knowledge and governance that will help to guide the decisions of our Tahltan Leadership. This is a positive step in our work towards fulfilling our responsibilities of governing Tahltan lands and ensuring our lands are sustainably managed for future generations.
Tahltan Territory is vast and the successful stewardship of Tahltan lands and resources takes the careful planning and commitment of many people.
I would like to thank all the people in the Lands Department including the technicians and contractors who have supported the work of the department over the past year to ensure that we are able to engage in:
• Reviews of permit applications for exploration projects, major mines, and lands activities.
• The development of operating procedures and policies for the Lands Department.
• Preparation and participation in virtual community engagement sessions.
• Research and development of environmental and Tahltan studies.
• Negotiation and implementation of environmental management frameworks for
Impact Benefit Agreements.
• Negotiation and implementation of
Exploration Agreements.
In the past several months, the Lands Department has been focused on the following projects:
• Participation in the Environmental Assessment process for the Eskay Creek Revitalization Project which has included a detailed review of the project description and application information requirements. The team is also reviewing several permit applications for the project as well including amendments to the mine permitting area, a landfill/sewage amendment, Heritage Inspection
Permit, and quarry applications. The Tahltan team participates in both government technical meetings and workshops with Skeena to review the proposed activities, discuss concerns, and identify possible mitigation options to manage potential impacts to Tahltan interests.
• The Red Chris Mine is developing plans for an underground mining operation. The Tahltan technical team has been reviewing a number of permit amendment applications for the proposed updated project, including changes to the Mines Act Permit,
Effluent Permit, and Environmental Assessment Certificate for the mine. The team participates in technical working group meetings and meetings with the Province to design a permitting strategy for the project and to review proposed mitigation options to address Tahltan concerns. • Development of interim land management and protection strategies for Tahltan areas of interest in Tahltan Territory. This work is being done as part of the larger joint land use planning with the Province and the Tahltan Stewardship Plan.
Community engagement is being planned for each of these draft strategies to ensure that the communities are informed and have input into these activities.
• A significant number of joint inspections with the
Province have been carried out over the past couple of months. Joint inspections have occurred at Red
Chris, Silvertip, KSM and the Brucejack mine sites.
• Tahltan land use and occupancy studies have been completed for several projects including Red Chris,
Eskay Creek Revitalization and GT.
• The Lands Department has also been working with several contractors to ensure we have enough resources for both the TSI and THREAT teams.
We now have expertise in block cave mining, hydrogeology, social science, and reclamation to support our review of projects in Tahltan Territory.
Language
Director Report
Spring 2022 has been one of the busiest seasons yet for the Tahltan Central Government (TCG) Language Department. After much planning, preparation, stopping, starting, pausing, and rolling with every challenge that came our way this past year, we are thrilled to report we have now completed Phase 1 of The Tāłtān Dictionary Project. Wow!
Pamela Labonte
Language Director DICTIONARY
The Tāłtān Dictionary Project is a massive, Nationwide undertaking of highly coordinated efforts involving many moving parts and pieces. The Rapid Word Collection (RWC) process for Phase 1 began with a staggered documentation approach in each of the three Communities in territory (Tatl’ah – Dease Lake, Tlēgōhīn – Telegraph Creek, and Łuwechōn – Iskut). Documentation workstations were set up in each location with on-the-ground community coordinators overseeing each location’s RWC event.
Coordinators had dual roles – they ensured each RWC went smoothly, and logistics were taken care of, while also working directly with the Tāłtān speakers as scribes for the project. Scribes were responsible
– Pat Etzerza
for working with Tāłtān speakers to transcribe the oral language being documented. We were also very fortunate to have two Tahltan scribes working virtually with speakers in each of the communities through the innovative technology set in place by The Language Conservancy (TLC).
As described in previous newsletters, we partnered with TLC, a not-for-profit organization, because of their specialization in dictionary development in this context. We deliberately chose to collaborate with TLC because of their specialized documentation software and the background support they offer that will enable us to develop a dictionary in approximately one year from the time of documentation as opposed to the several years it typically takes when working on it alone with internal resources.
A multi-modal dictionary means the dictionary will include the written and spoken forms of each entry or word. The final version will include audio of fluent speakers for each word (for accurate pronunciation) and the written form in each dialect as documented. Important to note is that the dictionary and work being done now will build on the foundations of the existing Tahltan Children’s Illustrated Dictionary.
Developing a dictionary embodies so much more than just making a comprehensive repository of Tāłtān words and sentences available to everyone, although that is an amazing initiative in and of itself.
This dictionary is about connection – connection at a Nationwide level. It is about connecting the generations through language.
