july 19, 2013

Tribal Chief Terry Teegee’s Report ...................2WFN Health Centre Opening.......................3Youth mentoring program.............................3 AGA Agenda...................................................4Graduates.................................................5Sponsors.................................................6 Staff contact list...............................................6Technical Services Report..........................7-11 Fisheries Report .....................................12-13Truth and Reconciliation Community.........14Lejac Residential School.............................15Natural Resources Report ...................16-19Finance.................................................20Job opportunities ..................................20FNESS updates ......................................21-22Opportunities..............................................23Resolutions.........................................24-25Board of Directors........................................25In Our Communities.....................................26Language.............................................27

CSTC Member Nations and Board of Directors

Box 36Fort Fraser, BC V0J 1N0Phone: (250) 690-7211Fax: (250) 690-7316

Box 1329Fort St. James, BC V0J 1P0Phone: (250) 996-7171Fax: (250) 996-8010

Chief Martin LouieNadleh Whut’en First Nation

Chief Fred SamNak’azdli Band

Box 760Burns Lake, BC V0J 1E0Phone: (250) 698-7309Fax: (250) 698-7480

Box 670Fort St. James, BC V0J 1P0Phone: (250) 648-3212Fax: (250) 648-3250

Takla Landingvia Fort St. James, BC V0J 1P0Phone: (250) 564-3704Fax: (250) 564-3704

Chief Karen OgenWet’suwet’en First Nation

Chief Reg LouisStellat’en First Nation

Chief Ralph PierreTl’azt’en Nation

Box 760Fraser Lake, BC V0J 1S0Phone: (250) 699-8747Fax: (250) 699-6430 Chief Dolly Abraham

Takla Lake First Nation

Chief Albert GerowTs’il Kaz Koh First Nation

Chief Stanley ThomasSaik’uz First Nation

RR 1, Site 12, Comp. 26Vanderhoof, BC V0J 3A0Phone: (250) 567-9293Fax: (250) 567-2998

Box 9000Burns Lake, BC V0J 1E0Phone: (250) 692-7717Fax: (250) 692-4214

Honoring our Ancestors, Our Elders and the Unity of Our People

www.carriersekani.ca 2012-2013 Annual Report 2 Carrier Sekani Tribal Council

TRIBAL CHIEF TERRY TEEGEE’S REPORT

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT VICTORIA AUSTIN

My name is Victoria Austin-Paquette and I am happy to be working for my people again, I have returned to the Carrier Sekani Tribal Council in the position of Executive Assistant. For those that do not know me, my paternal fam-ily is from Hagwilget from the Lax

Gibuu clan-House of Spookw and I am matrilineally Carrier from Stel-laquo from the Gil-seyhu clan-house of Goohlat. My position entails documentation and recording of the Chief’s meetings, important deci-sion meetings and administrative duties for Tribal Chief Terry Teegee.

I am honoured and blessed to have the opportunity to work for my people once again and look forward to seeing everyone.

Mussi.

Hadih,Thank you to all the membership

for coming out to vote last year in the Carrier Sekani Tribal Council (CSTC) general election. I want to thank Valerie O’Connal for putting her name forward and giving our membership an option in the election for Tribal Chief of the CSTC. I also want to congratulate Dol-ly Abraham on becoming our honorary Vice Tribal Chief of our organization. I look forward to the rest of my tenure as Tribal Chief over the next two years (three years in total) and I’m extremely honored to serve our membership.

I want to send my condolences out to all membership who has lost loved ones over the past year. It has been a diffi cult year in terms of all the elders who have passed away and I acknowl-edge all their contributions they have made to our communities. In particular, my great uncle Joe Bob Patrick who was an iconic fi gure in the communi-ties of Fort Saint James, Prince George and Takla. Joe’s knowledge of the land and his Keyoh was infl uential in saving Amazay Lake being converted in to a mining tailings pond in the Joint Re-view Panel decision on Kemess North mining project. Another notable elder, Catherine Coldwell from Nakazdli, also passed away this year. Catherine was an inspirational language advocate of the Nakazdli dialect and her contributions to save our Dakelh language still con-tinues on in Carrier language dictionar-ies and by more modern means such as websites and language app’s. There have been many more elders who have passed on from all of our respective communities and I want to say Mussi Cho for all you have contributed to our communities, god bless on your fi nal journey to the spirit world.

Missing and Murdered WomenThe Oppal Inquiry into the missing

and murdered women from the Down Town East Side (DTES) came to an end in December 2012. The Inquiry was to address the issues of why many miss-ing women were murdered after the attempted murder case was dropped by the Police against Robert Pickton in 1997. Robert “Willie” Pickton was convicted of killing 6 women and charged with over 20 more murders. The conclusions of the inquiry were documented in what is known as the “Forsaken: The Report of the Missing Women Commission of Inquiry” which began investigations and testimony in 2010. Initially the inquiry only re-viewed cases of missing women after 1997 (when attempted murder charges were stayed against Pickton) and up to 2002, when Pickton was arrested for murder. Despite the fact we pleaded for our inclusion into the inquiry, with our partner organization the Union of BC Indian Chiefs, we did not participate in the Inquiry or the development of this report. We have been continuing our advocacy for our own northern, High-way of Tears inquiry on why many of our First Nations women are missing and/or murdered with limited success in solving these cases. Although there has been some success (with the help of advances in modern DNA technol-ogy in crime solving) such as the 1974 Colleen McMillen case involving the killer Bobby Jack Fowler, who passed away in an Oregon State Prison in May 2006, we have yet to see progress in the initial 12 Highway of Tears cases. We will continue to push for and inquiry and also support those organizations looking for a National Inquiry into the over 600 missing and murdered women across this country.

The CSTC have also been assisting with a documentary on the missing and murdered women along the Highway of Tears with a production company from Los Angeles. We are excited to say that we are near completion of the docu-mentary and want to thank Matt Smiley for work on this production. Matt, who works out of Los Angeles, interviewed many people across the highway of tears who were either directly affected or are advocating for more attention and resources to this issue. We look forward to the documentary completion and we hope that it will be placed into the Toronto International Film Festival

(TIFF). Pipeline ProposalsThe past year we have seen unprec-

edented proposals for transportation of liquefi ed gas pipelines (LNG) crossing our territory. The proposals will trans-verse either a northern route, where two pipelines are proposed (Spectra En-ergy and Trans Canada: Prince Rupert Gas) or a southern route following the highway 16 corridor (PNG, PTP, Trans Canada Coastal Gas Link, Enbridge) In total there are six proposed pipelines in the different regulatory stages and are as follows.

1. Spectra Energy2. Pacifi c Northern Gas3. Trans Canada Prince Rupert

Gas Transmission Line4. Trans Canada Coastal Gas Link5. Pacifi c Trails Pipeline6. Enbridge Northern Gateway

(OIL and Condensate)

With so many proposed pipeline proposals, it has been a daunting task for our land use department to keep track of these developments as well as to keep our membership informed. Over the next year we will keep our membership communities informed of these pipelines and discuss their impli-cations to our lands as well as potential opportunities. These are very diffi cult developments to evaluate and we have committed to meeting our neighbors to the coast and to the northeast of BC where gas is extracted. As a follow up to a recent LNG First Nations meeting held in Prince Rupert (May2013) we are planning on inviting First Nations communities directly affected by LNG developments to a follow up meeting in Prince George, either in September or October of this year. The purpose of the meeting is to develop an action plan with all the First Nations and begin to work together to address these major developments.

Language We are pleased to inform our mem-

bership we have received funding in partnership with United Way Success by Six and the First Voices New Rela-tionship funds to implement a project for CSTC children to either continue their Dakelh language development or to introduce children to the language. The intent of the project is to provide training and to identify tutors in your

respective communities so they can be-gin an introductory lesson to our young children. Studies have demonstrated that language introduced at the earliest age has more success of fl uency than at a later age.

Invite to Dr. James Anaya CSTC has invited Dr. James Anaya,

United Nations Special Rapporteur on Indigenous People, to our territory this past March. Our request to Dr. Anaya was to review the many cases of miss-ing and murdered women along the Highway of Tears, as well as review the cases of mistreatment with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Further-more, we also want Anaya to witness the current pressures we are sustaining as a result of development from current and past forestry development, mining, and oil and gas pipelines. We received message that he will be coming to Canada in the near future, however we have yet to receive confi rmation on his visit to our territory.

Training Currently we are excited to provide

training for our membership in Wild-land Forest Fire Fighting training which began in May 2013. The training is provided in partnership with the First Nations Emergency Services Society (FNESS) on British Columbia. Initial uptake has been challenging as the funding for the training is provided with the Province of BC, which has specifi c criteria on accepted applications. This has been a challenge for our staff at the CSTC and for our partner FNESS. I have been currently engaged with the Ministry of Jobs Tourism and Skills Training and will lobby our concerns to make changes with this policy.

CSTC is an accredited organization to provide environmental monitoring through the BEAHR program and has been providing services outside of our organization. Recently we have part-nered with Tribal Investment Corpora-tion (TRCORP) to provide the 5 week environmental monitoring training courses in Moricetown, Prince Rupert and Haida Gwaii over the summer and fall months of 2013. We will continue to provide training to our membership depending on need for Environmental Monitors and on funding opportunities.

www.carriersekani.ca 2012-2013 Annual Report Carrier Sekani Tribal Council 3

YOUTH SPORTS MENTORING PROGRAM

Although, my time at CSTC was short. My I had a great experience and met some awesome students.

Our Youth Sports Mentorship program saw 35 youth between the ages of 15-29, work towards certifi cations in Run Jump Throw, Competition Introduction and Ab-original Coach Module. 14 First Nation youth are now certifi ed to coach Run Jump Throw camps and enter the Canadian sport system. Many of them have had their fi rst coaching experience and hopefully they become great leaders in our communities.

Also, our program hosted 4 Run Jump Throw kid sport camps and 1 soccer camp. In total 145 kids enjoyed the camps. At all the workshops and camps, CSTC provided fresh snacks and lunch for the partici-pants.

The CSTC Youth Sports Program is a valuable tool in helping First Nation Youth achieve their goals and to build their self-confi dence. Highlights in our program was seeing some of the quieter students break out of their shells, at fi rst they were shy and didn’t say too much, but after a few hours they were very comfortable in the surroundings.

Some of the challenges of the program were my short time frame for getting events organized, as I was employed for 9 months. Other diffi culties were kids committing to workshops and not showing up. For the next coordinator, I can make myself available to give advice and direction for the program.

Musi Cho

Activity Date Details

Soccer Camp Nov.30/12 6 Youth participated

Aboriginal CoachModule (ACM)

Dec.1/12 9 Youth Participated3 Certified

Competition Intro(Coach)

Feb 8 9/12 8 Participated7 Certified

Run Jump ThrowCamp

Feb 16/13 6 Participated

RJT Workshop Feb 22 23/13 4 Certified

RJT Camp Nakazdli Mar3/13 45 Participated

RJT Camp PG Mar 8/13 22 Participated

RJT Tachie Mar 23/13 55 Participated

Submitted by Allen Billy

WFN HEALTH CENTRE OPENING

CONGRATULATIONS TO WET'SUWET'EN FIRST NATION ON THEIR

GRAND OPENING OF HALL AND HEALTH CLINIC & HIS-TORICAL TOTEM POLE CARV-ING PROJECT

(Burns Lake, BC) Wet'suwet'en First Nation (WFN) is making his-tory for their community and bring-ing much pride for the hereditary chiefs an Elders and all community members back to our community.

The Elders and Hereditary Chiefs know full well the history of the now called Wet'suwet'en First Nation and how our nation has been displaced from our tradi-tional territory located in the heart of Burns Lake, BC. Wet'suwet'en First Nation are the true descendants of Burns Lake Tom and Christine Patsy. We have done research and have interviewed elders who have passed on and know the true his-tory of the Burns Lake area. Elders remember houses, a church and totem poles were burnt down which was the beginning of our nation being displaced 12 miles out into swamp land. We make these state-ments not to lay blame but to ensure that everyone understands the true history of the Wet'suwet'en First Nation members. Our Hereditary Chiefs stated: "We just want to be acknowledged as who the traditional territory truly belongs to and want people to know the true history." stated Elder & Hereditary Chief Gal'uh'guhn (Rita George).

When the WFN council began the plans for our new hall and health clinic we met and consulted with our hereditary chiefs and Elders and asked what they wanted in relation to what they would like as a monument to show who we

are as Wet'suwet'en people who are primarily Git'dim'den (bear) clan. They began to talk about the history of our nation and what happened to us. The Elders and hereditary chiefs specifi cally requested that Peter George be the Master Carver as he is a direct descendant of Burns Lake Tom and Christine Patsy.

"Our community has been blan-keted by grief and sorrow from approximately (8) of our members from Elders to newborns passing on and then the January 20, 2012 explosion shook our community as both deceased were related our married into our community." states

Chief Karen Ogen. "We needed good things to start to happen for our community and the hall & health clinic and most specifi cally the Totem Pole Carving Project are bringing much pride and excitement back to our community and assists in alleviating the grief our commu-nity has experienced."

We have had fi nancial contribu-tions from Northern Health Author-ity, Cora Wilson, Barrister & Solici-tor, Ratcliffe & Company, Barrister & Solicitor, Books & Company, College of New Caledonia (Burns Lake campus). We are still request-ing fi nancial assistance from other industries and government to assist us in this very heartfelt, meaningful project.

WFNs hall and health clinic Grand Opening was on May 31, Friday at 12 noon at #14 Tom Drive, Palling, BC


AGA AGENDA

32nd Annual General Assembly Carrier Sekani Tribal Council

“Honoring Our Ancestors, Our Elders & The Unity Of Our People”

Host Nation: Tl’azt’en Nation – Eugene Joseph Elementary School, Gymnasium

July 24th – 25th 2013 Agenda

Day One

9:00 a.m - Registration 9:30 a.m - Opening Prayer by Tl’azt’en Nation Elder - Welcoming Remarks by Chief Ralph Pierre, Tl’azt’en Nation

Introduction of Chairpersons & Welcoming Address by Grand Chief Edward John, Tl’azt’en Nation

& by Co-Chair Tribal Chief Terry Teegee, CSTC - Motion Request: Acceptance of the Chairpersons

- Meeting Called to order - Introduction of CSTC Council of Chiefs - Review and Acceptance of Agenda - Motion Request: Acceptance of Agenda as Presented - Review of 2012 AGA Meeting Minutes - Motion Request: Acceptance of the 2012 AGA Meeting Minutes from Burns Lake Band, July 24th & 25th , 2013

10:15 a.m - Tribal Chief Terry Teegee’s Year-End Report 10:45 a.m - HEALTH BREAK 11:00 a.m - Auditors’ Report: Rayna Barter, Senior Finance Officer 11:30 p.m - Mr. Jaime Sanchez, Natural Resources Department Year-End Report 12:00 p.m - LUNCH 1:00 p.m - Fisheries Program Manager’s Year-End Report 1:30 p.m - PTP ASEP -Guest Speakers 2:30 p.m - HEALTH BREAK 2:45 p.m - Post-Secondary & Secondary Graduates Presentation by Tribal Chief Terry Teegee & Crystal Millard, CSTC ***Door prize winners announced -Thank you to our Sponsors 4:30 p.m –BANQUET

Day 2 9:00 a.m - Registration 9:30 a.m - Opening Prayer by Tl’azt’en Nation Elder - Mrs. Audrey Osterhout, Technical Services Unit’s Year-End Report Ron Prochot, Building Inspector 10:10 a.m - HEALTH BREAK 10:30 a.m - Mrs. Mavis Erickson, CSTC Representative on Women’s Issues - Allen Billy, Sports Mentor Year-End Report 12: 00 p.m - LUNCH 1: 00 p.m - Guest Speakers - Resolutions, Open Floor to the CSTC Membership 3: 00 p.m - Closing remarks by Chief Ralph Pierre, Tl’azt’en Nation Closing remarks from Chairperson Grand Chief Edward John Closing remarks by Tribal Chief Terry Teegee, CSTC Closing Prayer by Tl’azt’en Nation Elder Meeting Adjourned.


CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR GRADUATES OF 2013

Takla Lake First NationSecondary Graduates

Amberlynn AbrahamJohnny Alec Carl AlexanderDestiny AlexanderJean HillDakota JohnnyJason Stonechild Shania TeegeeNoah TeegeeAnthony WestIsadore Wright Trisha Abraham

Post Secondary Graduates

Kya Prince – Applied Business Technology Certifi cate – Native Ed CollegeTana Young – Adult Dogwood - CNCEdna Cameron – Education Assistant Certifi cate - CNCMyrna Teegee – Social Work Certifi cate – CNC

Stellat’en First NationSecondary Graduates

Carissa Duncan Levi Baker Kristina Bray Trevor Antal

Post Secondary Graduates

Jennifer Wickham – BA Humanities, UVICDennis Patrick – IT certifi cate, CNC

Nak’azdli Band Secondary (Fort St. James Secondary School):

Keenan HowellQuinn SampsonJanene EricksonDestiny HuntLarissa George

Post-Secondary:

Charmaine Bird – Community and School Support Certifi cateAllison Moise – Community and School Support Certifi cateUrsula Prince – Community and School Support Certifi cateNicole Thomas – Community and School Support Certifi cateMelissa Prince – Community and School Support Certifi cateCandace Erickson – Community and School Support Certifi cateAlicia Erickson – Community and School Support Certifi cateRamona Prince – ABT Administrative Assistant Certifi cateCorinna O’Bee – ABT Administrative Assistant Certifi cateHilda Thomas – ABT Administrative Assistant Certifi cateMarion Erickson – ABT Administrative Assistant Certifi cateChris Erickson – Mining Industry Certifi cateFabian Prince – Mining Industry Certifi cateQuinten Sam – Mining Industry Certifi cateJoe Sinclair – Mining Industry Certifi cateRaegan Julian – Mining Industry Certifi catePhylis Martin – Mining Industry Certifi cateChester Prince – Mining Industry Certifi cateLarry Sagalon – Mining Industry Certifi cateJalissa Julian – Early Childhood Education DiplomaJoAnne Leon – Bachelor of EducationMary Song – Human Service Work DiplomaDana Gerow – ECCE: Infant Toddler & Special Needs DiplomaRaelene Scarr – Bachelor of EducationDanny Sutherland – Mineral Processing Certifi cateOwen Prince – Mineral Processing Certifi cateJoel Sam – Mineral Processing Certifi cate

Nadleh Whut’en High School Graduates

Rebecca Broadbent FLESSLevi Heathcliff FLESSNigel George FLESSRoy Nooski LDSS, Burns LakeJordann Ketlo Cedars Christian School, Prince George Post secondary graduates

Eleanor Lowe Nooski Information Technology Program, CNC

Chantel Williams Health Care Aide, Nightingale Academy, Edmonton

Noel Ketlo Jr. Carpentry Level 1, CNCAlicia Heathcliff Primary Care Paramedic Program,

Justice Institute/CNCBryanna Chouinard Hospitality Management Certifi cate,

NAIT Barbara Lowe Massage Therapy Diploma, Alberta

Massage Training

Burns Lake Band- Ts’il Kaz Koh

Highschool Graduates -

Reagan Sam, Tyrel George

Post-Secondary Students

Katie Cunningham - Medical Offi ce Assistant Program - Sherry Tibbetts - Outreach Advocacy and Support Worker

Certifi cate

Wet’suwet’en First Nation Grad ListPost-Secondary Graduates

Gary George -Masters in Education Simon Fraser University. Shannon Haizimsque -Business Administration specializing in

Human Resources Management UBC Okanagan Ruby Ogen - The Art & Science of Coaching, Erickson

Coaching International, Vancouver, BC

Saik’uz First NationSecondary Graduates

Veronica Barfoot - Nechako Valley Secondary School

Adult Grade 12:

Tanya Thomas, Kathy Alexis – Nechako Learning Centre

Post Secondary

Michael Bowman – BCIT Power Engineering (with honours) Michelle Knuhtsen - Okanagan College Administration Assistant Certifi cate Stuart Parker - CNC Vanderhoof, Heavy Duty Mechanics

Tl’azt’en NationSecondary Students:

Aura RussellDarren TomRandal StarkJulia BeausejourRene JosephBrent PierreJohn Chapman

G.E.DBruce AlexisJasmine Getson

Post-Secondary

Crystal Mattess- Community & School Support (C.A.S.S) Certifi cate

Pauline Lee- Applied Business Technology (A.B.T) Certifi cateCynthia Thomas- Applied Business Technology (A.B.T)

Certifi cateChelsea Tom- Applied Business Technology (A.B.T) Certifi cateTammy Johnnie- Applied Business Technology (A.B.T) Certifi cateMelisa Park- Bachelor of Science in NursingMegan Erickson- Esthetics & Nail Technology DiplomaDerik Joseph - Master in Professional CommunicationNaomi Jules - Aboriginal Tourism Operations Certifi cateBianca Michell - Master in Community Health ScienceRose Anne Timbrell- Master in Counselling PsychologyStephen Mattess - Industrial Mechanic (Millwright) FoundationJason Joseph - Industrial Mechanic (Millwright) FoundationAllen Curt Robert- Industrial Mechanic (Millwright) Foundation Darcy Isadore - Industrial Mechanic (Millwright) FoundationRuth-Anne Monk- Professional Cook- Level 1&2Fabian Tom - Mineral Processing Operator Certifi cateTimothy Cameron- Mineral Processing Operator Certifi cateGarrett Anatole -Welding Level CJeremiah Joseph - Plumbing & Piping FoundationCorey Felix - Plumbing & Piping Foundation

Congratulations

Grads


THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS

STAFF CONTACT LIST

STAFF EXT. EMAILEXECUTIVETerry Teegee Tribal ChiefVictoria Austin Executive Assistant

223226

[email protected]@cstc.bc.ca

FINANCERayna Barter Senior Finance OfficerSharmayne Owen Finance Assistant

233227

[email protected]@cstc.bc.ca

Natural ResourcesJaime Sanchez LUP AnalystAngel Ransom Pipeline Coordinator Assistant Karyn Sharp TUS LeadMarlene Flannery GIS CoordinatorChristina Ciesielski Fisheries Program ManagerNeil Heron SR Fisheries Tech (250.567.5400)

245256238

[email protected]@[email protected]@[email protected]@telus.net

ADMINISTRATIONCrystal Millard Administrative Assistant 221 [email protected]

TECHNICAL SERVICESAudrey Osterhout TSU CoordinatorRon Prochot Building InspectorCecilia Harvey TSU Clerical Assistant

237243241

[email protected]@[email protected]

OTHER EXTENSIONSLounge Area 249Board Room 248Library 229


TECHNICAL SERVICES

Audrey Osterhout- Technical Services Unit

Coordinator

Organization

The Technical Services Unit has now completed its 20th year of pro-viding engineering, capital planning and maintenance advisory services to CSTC member communities. Audrey Osterhout is the Technical Services Coordinator to assure TSU activities i.e. capital projects, main-tenance, etc., are progressing. Rad-loff & Associate’s (staff of 15) are under contract to provide technical advisory services to meet INAC’s requirements of our MOU as well as engineering, surveying and drafting services on an as-required basis.

Paul Gunther (R. Radloff & As-soc.) has been providing our Circuit Rider/Public Works Advisor service through their contract since July 2010. Paul has 30 years water sup-ply and distribution experience and has Level 1 Water & is working on his Level 2 as well as Small Waste-water System certifi cation. Ronald Prochot is the full time Build-ing Inspector – Housing Program Coordinator. TSU’s Receptionist/Clerical Assistant is Cecilia Harvey (Tl’azt’en member).

Services Provided

As in past years the primary objective of the TSU has been to assure the member First Nations receive assistance in the develop-ment, design and construction of their capital projects. This was ac-complished through the three main activities:

1. Capital Project Delivery,2. Operation and Maintenance,

and3. Training.

Capital Project Delivery

Technical advice, preparation of project funding submissions, envi-ronmental screenings, and fi ve year Capital Plans (updated annually) - now called the First Nation Invest-ment and Infrastructure Program - are among the basic services provid-ed to member Nations. In addition, the work of outside consultants is re-viewed to assure conformance to the Band’s needs, AANDC guidelines and standards of good engineering practice. This includes feasibility studies, physical development plans (PDP), detailed designs, specifi ca-

tions and contract documents.

Library:

We also maintain a library of technical information, policies, re-ports plans, and As-Built drawings. The reports include geotechnical investigations, feasibility studies, Operation & Maintenance manu-als, and design reports. These are provided to consultants working for CSTC member Bands to provide technical background and support to the projects. The AANDC Capital Asset Inventory System (CAIS) data is kept up to date to ensure that the Bands receive their proper mainte-nance funding.

MTSA:

Preparation of, and negotiation for, the development of Municipal Type Service Agreements (MTSA) are another of the basic functions, as is the development of Term of Reference (TOR) for selection of consultants for feasibility studies and/or design of capital projects.

Project Management:

The function of Project Manage-ment of the Band’s Capital Projects from the feasibility / pre-design, de-sign stage through to the completion of the construction phase has been an asset to the Bands. This helps the Bands get the best product for the dollars spent on Capital Projects and it has often helped to save on project cost. This in turn can help to make other approved projects viable sooner.

Operation and Maintenance

The TSU has part time Circuit Rider/Public Works Advisor under contract (Paul Gunther). With input from Audrey and Radloff & Associ-ates Engineering the TSU provides maintenance standards, guidelines and advice for the Band mainte-nance staff. The major function is to carry out inspection with the local maintenance personnel of the re-spective infrastructure – dependant upon scheduling/seasons it is usual-ly every other month. During these visits hands-on maintenance train-ing is provided to the local staff. As well an annual work plan and forms have been developed for, and provided to, each Member Nation’s maintenance department to assist them in the function of maintaining the Band’s assets.

Through a review of the CAIS and ACRS reports advice and as-sistance is available in the prepara-tion of annual maintenance budgets. Other maintenance functions include the maintenance of a library of prod-uct literature and resource materials, and liaison of operator input into

project design and construction.

In previous years we had also compiled and prepared the applica-tions for each community to register their respective water and sewage system asset with the Environmental Operator’s Certifi cation Program which is now complete. We also be-gan updating the TSU’s maintenance drawings for each of the commu-nity’s maintenance operators.

Under the MOU the position of Public Works Advisor has been expanded to also be the AANDC Circuit Rider for our member Bands. We continue to promote more hands-on maintenance training for our Member Bands.

Circuit Rider Training Program:

As mentioned above, provision will continue for hands-on train-ing during the PWA/Circuit Rider’s visit. This can range from on-the job safety training to pump repairs/replacement to other tasks. We con-tinue to strive to assist with a more comprehensive training program towards having your maintenance personnel classifi ed as Certifi ed Class I Operators under the Brit-ish Columbia Water & Wastewater Operators Certifi cation Program.

Congratulations must be given to all the community’s maintenance personnel on their dedication in their efforts to achieve certifi cation & ongoing training for each of their respective water & sewer systems which is necessary to maintain their certifi cation.

A huge Congratulations to Jeff Coombs, Takla Lake Band, in achieving & maintaining his Level 3 Water Treatment Certifi cation.

Sewer Flusher Program:

The Nak’azdli Band continues to administer the sewer fl usher pro-gram on behalf of the Carrier Sekani Tribal Council member communi-ties. The sewer-fl ushing program continues to service approximately 36,155 meters or approx. 36.2 kilo-metres (2011) of sewer lines that are fl ushed annually.

In the early spring the fl usher is also used to help thaw frozen cul-verts. Continuation of this program and regular fl ushing of the reserve sewer lines is resulting in fewer maintenance problems and emer-gency call-outs.

Building Inspector – Program Coordinator

Under the current MOU the greatly needed Building Inspec-tor – Coordinator position has been kept very busy which has resulted in a backlog of preparing detailed

housing inspection reports. CSTC is also the CMHC RRAP agent for this area. This past year there were 67 inspections completed. Housing development, construction, and re-pair has been carried out separately and independently by each member nation.

As Program Coordinator, the Building Inspector can be called upon to assist with the delivery of the following components:

Develop:- a unifi ed building specifi ca-

tion focused on the needs of First Nation peoples complete with tender documents;

- a unifi ed building specifi ca-tion complete with tender docu-ments for all minor and/or major renovations;

- specifi cations are to ensure that mould problems will not de-velop by insisting on proper ventila-tion through the use of humidistats and low noise exhaust fans, exterior venting of kitchen and bathroom ex-haust fans, and an adequate supply of make-up and combustion air.

• Development and/or as-sistance in preparation of housing policy on reserve.

• Co-ordination of on reserve housing needs with the capital project coordinator at the Technical Services Unit and on reserve staff for the development of serviced lots in advance of the housing need.

• Performing building inspec-tions on reserve for conformance to the specifi cations of the contract and the requirements of the British Columbia Building Code.

• Preparation of recommend-ed progress draws based on fi eld inspections of progress made and conformance to specifi cations and code.

• General assistance to Band housing staff, including housing workshops, and maintenance work-shops, development of housing maintenance fi les.

Organizational Funding

As in the past the TSU receives operations funding from three main AANDC sources. The fi rst is equivalent to 40% of CSTC’s Advi-sory Services positions, the second is AANDC Technical Services fund-ing for operator training and main-tenance functions and thirdly from the Circuit Rider Program funding. This funding fl uctuates signifi cantly with the increase or reduction in member nations of CSTC and CSTC’s agreement with AANDC for advisory funding.

All building inspection services will be invoiced to the Band projects at competitive commercial rates, and as a minimum, at the AANDC funded rate for inspections. This


TECHNICAL SERVICES UNIT REPORT CONT.

will help to supplement funding for the Building Inspector – Program Coordinator position. The basic funding for the position is covered by a combination of AANDC main-tenance and Advisory Position funds and Capital Project Management fees.

In addition to the AANDC pro-gram funding, the TSU receives funding for project management of the member Bands capital projects, which are included within the indi-vidual submission requests for fund-ing of projects. These funds enable the TSU staff to perform functions such as: implementation planning and project monitoring, consultant selection, tendering, consultant and construction contract management, and monitoring and control of the design and construction stages. In addition, it is the practice of the TSU to track the project from conception or expression of need to completion and operation of the completed project. This assures that all necessary reports, forms, clear-ances, etc., are submitted in a timely fashion. The First Nation has their needs met, good engineering prac-tices are adhered to, contracts are properly administered, the project stays within budget, and quality work is achieved.

To accomplish these objectives the TSU staff works closely as a team with the First Nation’s staff and Councillors who are involved. This starts with the Chief and Coun-cil, the Band Manager, maintenance and operators, and those working with fi nance/bookkeeping. It is essential to incorporate the needs of the operators and maintenance people into the projects during pre-design and design, rather than after a facility has been built.

TSU’s Memorandum of Under-standing with INAC was renewed in November ’09 until 2014 (six year term).

Capital Projects HighlightsIn 2012 the major capital projects continued to be feasibility studies, design and fi nalizing construction projects - Wet’suwet’en FN Reservoir Repairs and Nak’azdli Ph. II roads. They included:

• Both major Water Treatment and Sewage Treatment pre-design projects for the joint Nak’azdli and District of Fort St. James. Wet’suwet’en First Nation – Palling Reservoir Repairs • Ongoing consultations with AANDC for the for Phase II road upgrade construction work for the Nak’azdli Band & Takla Lake Band community roads.

• Consultations with Provincial, local municipality, individuals, Stellat’en FN and AANDC personnel on the feasibility of developing the Nadleh Whut’en Band Regional Wastewater Disposal facility on the Nautley Reserve.

Should this be a positive outcome it would address the current sewage issues of Nautley, Lejac & Stellaquo Reserves as well as potentially the Village of Fraser Lake including individual holdings. This would also assist in limiting the environmental risks to Fraser Lake.

Wet’suwet’en First Nation – Palling Reservoir Repairs

Reservoir Heat Installation

Power installed at the Reservoir

Lightning Rods installed

60A 120/240 V Panel & Outlet @ top of Reservoir

2012/13 Budget

1.70%

7.60%

28.20%

14.30%

7.30%

11.00%

26.20%

3.70%3.70%

21.18%22.86%

6.84%5.32%

9.06% 9.52%

16.42%

5.11%

0.00%

5.00%

10.00%

15.00%

20.00%

25.00%

30.00%

Burns La

ke Band

619

Nadleh

Whu

t’en Band

612

Nak’azd

li Band 6

14

Saik’uz F

irst N

ation 6

15

Stellat’e

n Firs

t Natio

n 613

Takla La

ke Band

608

Tl’azt’

en Nati

on 617

Wet’suwet’e

n FN

Other

Member Bands

Perc

enta

ge Budget

Expended


TECHNICAL SERVICES REPORT CONTINUED

We look forward to assisting each Nation make improvements in their infrastructure, development and housing for happier and healthier communities.

All of the CSTC Member Bands have continued to address their health and safety issues by improv-ing their water and sewage infra-structure systems as well as road and drainage systems. Other projects include new community facilities, new subdivision planning, educa-tional facilities, and reserve expan-sion areas for future development. This past year effort continued to be directed in assisting member Bands to address AANDC recoveries of capital project funding for projects that had not been completed by the March 31 deadline as these funds can’t be carried forward to the next fi scal year. This has continued to be a challenge to the member Band’s staff as this had to be dealt with at the same time as dealing with the normal activities. Due to the time-lines/process of AANDC’s recover-ies and refunding of project funds some Bands have utilized other programs funds to supplement the funding shortfall. It is important that accurate records are maintained & coded correctly to appropriate projects/programs in the fi nancial records.

Saik’uz FN – Wastewater Study

Current Capital Projects

Funded and active projects, including requested project funding, are shown on the following list.

Broman Lake (Wet’suwet’en) Burns Lake BandNew Community Hall, design (ongoing) Existing IR18 Subdivision Expansion StudyAccess Road (Band offi ce)Reservoir Repair (ongoing) Saik’uz First NationPalling Water Supply Assessment & Treatment Sewage Lagoon Upgrade Feasibility StudyPalling Flooding Analysis Community Visioning Nadleh Whut’en Band Stellat’en First Nation Nautley - North Shore Sewage Disposal Sewage Lagoon UpgradeNautley - Water Supply Manganese Removal Subdivision DevelopmentNautley - Sunset Beach Lease Lots Water Supply Assessment & TreatmentLejac & South Side Community Development Community Lift Station DesignLejac - Sewage Treatment/Disposal Lejac – Residential School Site – Environmental Takla Lake BandNautley - Community Hall (ongoing) Standby Power Supply Design Nautley – Fraser Lake Regional Wastewater Solution Road & Drainage Upgrade – Design/Cstr.Lejac – Endako Camp & Infrastructure Improvements Sewerline Upgrade (part mainline replacement)(Band accessing other avenues to use facility to generate income after contract expires)

Nak’azdli Band Roads & Drainage Upgrade Construction–Phase II (complete) Joint Water System ImprovementsJoint Sewage Treatment ImprovementsWilliams Prairie Meadow–Add chlorination to the water system

Tl’azt’en NationBinche – Back-up Well & Pumphouse Assess/Des. Middle River Groundwater Source StudyTache – Main Lift Station Design Old Tache Lift Station Cstr.Tache – Upgrade lagoon – so not disposing to lake


TECHNICAL SERVICES UNIT REPORT CONTINUED

Flood and Emergency Planning

This past year continued support has been provided to our member Bands for fl ood and emergency planning by ensuring that informa-tion received has been provided to member Bands.

Building Inspector’s Report Prepared by Ronald A. Prochot

Opening Comments

The Carrier Sekani Tribal Coun-cil Technical Services Unit (TSU) delivers a diverse housing program ranging from consultation and tech-nical support services for remedial housing and mold remediation, to new construction of single and mul-tiple family dwellings. This report aims to assist the reader in under-standing how Carrier Sekani Tribal Council (CSTC) Members use the services of the TSU in assisting with the planning of future projects, im-proving project implementation, and minimizing risk.

Our Members’ communities continue to benefi t from the CSTC Housing Policy Manual, which has been available free of charge, to all Member Bands upon request, since 2004. Housing Coordinators, Band Managers and members of Council are invited to request copies of the manual which can serve as a tem-plate in developing (or enhancing) your own community’s Housing Policy and manual.

CSTC continues to partner with CMHC and other organizations in providing community based programs and seminars to address specifi c housing concerns in Mem-bers’ communities. Although over the years program guidelines have been greatly simplifi ed, our time continues to be occupied by assist-ing Members in managing their way through the cacophony of AANDC’s (INAC’s) bureaucracy. After several years without new construction, several of our bands are now off the freeze list and have completed, or are in the process of completing, a total of fourteen new dwelling units, thanks in large part to the diligent efforts of their Chief and Council, and a lot of hard working, dedicated, community members.

Financial sustainability remains a concern of the Housing Department within the TSU. Under the present structure, funding for residential projects continues to come from the Advisory & Maintenance Budget. In effect, we continue to “Steal from Peter to pay Paul.” To ensure that the TSU can to provide a high level of service, the housing program must become more fi nancially self suffi cient, and in that regard we con-tinue to work with communities in seeking to provide “Fee for Service”

within the scope of our mandate, primarily on behalf of other organi-zations, insurance companies, and government. To ensure that housing is given the attention it deserves, the department must receive adequate funding. Hence to ensure the surviv-al of the housing program, expand-ing the base of funding within the TSU is essential.

We at the TSU believe that the standard of housing delivered to people living on reserve should be no different than that delivered to the Canadian population at large. Hence we strive to deliver and ask for, a high level of performance in housing related issues. “Housing matters!”

The TSU is mandated by the CSTC Council of Chiefs to assist our members in ensuring a high standard of construction and inspec-tion in all areas of housing. We are privileged to work with many of our Members in reaching these objec-tives, and have witnessed notice-able improvements in the quality of construction over the past few years. Where this is not yet the case, we look forward to the day admin-istrators, Chiefs and Councils will work with us toward achieving our mandate. Good contracts and tight specifi cations, with professional workmanship will produce better housing.

The construction of your new home should not depend on a pre-carious balancing act. Work with professionals.

Although we have seen improve-ments over the past years with respect to the implementation plans and specifi cations, there contin-ues to be room for improvement, particularly in the area of contract documents. The CSTC Building Inspector can have a role in review-ing drawings and specifi cations before the start of construction such that he can make recommendations, and thereby reduce defi ciencies, errors and omissions that may oc-cur in the fi eld. A good set of plans and specifi cations are critical to a smooth fl owing building process, since they help clarify those issues that inevitably come up in the fi eld. The Building Inspector also has the responsibility to review the docu-ments for code compliance before the building is constructed.

A set of well developed con-tract documents, including a clear, concise contract, well developed architectural drawings, and detailed specifi cations, will facilitate a better working relationship between the owner and the contractor and save frustration in the fi eld. While the

Building Codes set minimum standards for health and

safety, plans and specifi cations in compliance with these Building Codes set the standards for construc-tion. Drawings should be reviewed by the inspector before the start of construction during the ‘Plan Check-ing Procedure’. Errors and omis-sions can then be reconciled, or suggestions can be made, before the builder commences construction. In addition, the inspector now has a document to serve as basis for performing the inspection. A good set of contract documents results in fewer surprises.

The owner of this home paid for RSI 7.0 (R40) thermal resistance, but received only 7/12 th’s of the installation.

The TSU requests you give us the opportunity to help you build a better product. In so doing we invite you to make use of our Master Specifi cation and Contract Documents. Similar to our Housing Policy Manual, these documents are designed to assist you in developing

a terms of reference for your proj-ect by providing you with a master template. If your community is plan-ning to build a new home, or a series of homes, all you need do is review our template, then make the required changes within our document, or within a document you have created based on the master template pro-vided. Alternatively you can create a “Supplementary Specifi cation” and a set of “Supplementary Condi-tions” to the contract, where-in you specify, in writing, the changes you wish to make to the template provid-ed, including for example, the terms of payment. This places you, the owner, in the position of determin-ing the terms and conditions of the contract, rather than having the

terms and conditions dictated to you by the contractor. Contact us if you would like assistance with develop-ing your contract, specifi cations and tendering package. As the owner, you should be the one in control of the contract.

The construction of your new home should not depend on a precari-ous balancing act. Work with professionals

The owner of this home paid for RSI 7.0 (R40) thermal resistance, but received only 7/12 th’s of the installation.


TECHNICAL SERVICES REPORT CONTINUED

Program Objectives

Advisory Service / Funding Envelope Purpose

Advisory Services to Members

To Assist Band Housing Coordinators with new construction, renovations and contract administration; Liaise between Contractors and Band Housing Coordinators; Provide input for Land Use Planning on factors affecting housing and community development; Provide Building Inspections and Plans Examinations, and assist with Developing Specifications; Ensure consistently high standards in new construction and renovations. Participate in the Annual General Assembly.

AANDC / INAC To provide inspection services for AANDC / INAC funded housing projects for new construction and renovations. Liaise between INAC and our Members to help ensure projects are completed on time and on Budget.

CMHC To deliver the RRAP program to CSTC Member communities; To assist member communities in accessing CMHC housing programs; To provide technical services to CMHC while delivering their programs to our Members’ communities.

Private Organizations CSTC has established a reputation for a high level of professionalism and may occasionally provide expertise on a “Fee for Service” basis as a means of spreading good will, and improving the quality of housing for all concerned.

Top Significant Project Successes Project Success Factors That Supported Success

AANDC / INAC freeze list

Several of our communities have successfully negotiated the difficult task of meeting the requirements to be removed from the housing freeze list. Diligent efforts by Chief and Council, community members, employees, and the Band’s Housing Coordinator (with a little help from CSTC ) brought many years of struggling to a satisfactory conclusion. Congratulations!

New Homes after a 10 year dry spell

Through the diligent efforts of Chief and Council, community members, employees, and the Band’s Housing Coordinators (and a little help from CSTC) two of our Member communities are constructing new homes this year, for an increase of 14 new dwelling units. Congratulations!

Carried out 67 Inspections We can only perform as well as we do with the excellent support of the people in your communities. Thank YOU and your staff for the support we receive at CSTC, and the cooperative unified efforts from your Bands’ Housing Coordinators.

Other Notable Project Successes Project Success Factors That Supported Success

Rent Payments Increase As a result of communities developing and living up to their housing policies, rental arrears are falling, freeing up funds for building maintenance programs. 85% of CSTC Bands use the CSTC Housing Policy Manual as a guide.

CSTC as RRAP Agent

CMHC’s RRAP is a readily accessible source of seed funding for First Nations performing renovations. When combined with other grants such as those available from AANDC / INAC, these funds can frequently provide up to 67% or more, of the cost of renovations. Through our affiliation with professional associations the TSU maintains high professional standards.

Inspections by Community

Community New Construction Renovations RRAP Other Total

# Units # Inspn # Units # Inspn # Units # Inspn # Units # Inspn # Units # Inspn

Burns Lake Band (619) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Nadleh Whut’en Band(612) 1 1 5 5 0 0 0 0 6 6 Nak’azdli Band (614) 1 3 26 29 0 0 11 11 37 40

Saik’uz FN (615) 7 7 2 2 0 0 0 0 9 9 Stellat’en FN (613) 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2

Takla Lake Band (608) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Tl’azt’en Nation (617) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Wet’suwet’en FN (725) 0 0 10 10 0 0 0 0 10 10 Total: 11 13 43 46 0 0 11 11 64 67

Department Goals and Aspirations Priority Areas Recommended Solutions for 2012 / 2013

Improve the quality of housing in our communities.

A comprehensive housing survey to ascertain the condition of our member’s housing stock is in progress.

Maintain a high standard of service. Ensure funding issues of the TSU are addressed such that staff can focus on delivering service.

Increase awareness of housing issues Put on more housing seminars for Band Members, and support staff. PROMOTE THE PARTICIPATION OF CHIEF AND COUNCIL IN THESE TRAINING PROGRAMS.

Financial viability Charge a fair fee for services rendered. Expand the economic base of the TSU by providing services to outside agencies and / or the public, thus generating revenue.

Improve turn around time for reports Better time management. Reduce the number of unproductive inspections in the field by ensuring that contractors and program coordinators know and meet expectations before calling for inspection. Increased professionalism in trades.

Community Outreach Maintaining a high level of professionalism and reliability with our Members through training, education and volunteering. To lend a “Helping Hand” when called upon.

Project highlights


FISHERIES REPORT

Christina Cliesielski~Fisheries Program Manager

Fisheries Program

This past year has seen a lot of growth in the Fisheries Program. The “Fisheries Committee” project was a great success. The committee met four times over the year. One member would travel to regional meetings, along with the Program Manager. This allowed for a better understanding of the larger forums and how Salmon Management plans are developed.

Our previous Sr. technician (Jim Webb) accepted a job in Kitsumka-lum in October 2011. A hiring pro-cess was completed in April 2012 and the position was offered to the successful candidate but he was un-able to accept the offer. Colin Bar-nard temporarily fi lled the position during the 2012 fi eld season. The job was posted again in December 2012 and Neil Heron from Stellat’en First Nation was the successful candidate. Neil accepted the position in January 2013. Neil has worked in fi sheries for over 9 years, conduct-ing salmon enumeration using a fi sh fence, creek walks, tag & recap-ture and aerial counts. He has also worked on White Sturgeon spawn monitoring projects, juvenile moni-toring and adult tagging projects. He has completed the “Fisheries Field Technician Certifi cate “program from Malaspina College, as well as a Geographic Information Sys-tems (GIS) Certifi cate program at UNBC. You can contact Neil at the warehouse in Vanderhoof (Phone: 250-567-5400, Email: [email protected].

Nechako White Sturgeon

In the past year the CSTC was the lead on the Sturgeon Spawn Monitoring project, Juvenile Stur-geon monitoring and Adult sam-pling. CSTC staff participated in three aspects of the Sturgeon Spawn monitoring project; doing telem-etry, monitoring egg mats, fyke nets and sorting samples. Neil Heron, Bill Mole, and Colin Barnard were working on the project in May. In June Ashley Raphael and Cotey Sampare joined the crew and helped

with all aspects. Numerous volun-teers and temporary workers helped sort the fyke net samples over 19 days in June and July.

Radio Telemetry

Radio tagged sturgeon were mon-itored throughout the Nechako to detect their approach to their known spawning grounds near Vanderhoof. Monitoring started on May 8 and on May 17th fi sh had moved above rkm 131 rkm (into the spawning reach). By May 21, six fi sh were located above rkm 131. The majority of fi sh came to the spawning grounds on the 30 - 31st May.

Spawn Monitoring

Detections of radio tagged fi sh within the spawning reach was used to determine when egg mats would be deployed. Egg Mats: CSTC staff set out a series of large and small mats above and below the Bur-rard St. bridge (84 mats). The mats are placed throughout the spawn-ing reach in areas where sturgeon spawning has been documented, including where gravel pads were placed.

A total of 1890 white sturgeon eggs were detected on the egg mats deployed (434 on June 2, 1422 on June 4, and 34 on June 11). Evalu-ation of the state of cell division of the eggs ( the developmental stage of the eggs collected) suggested 3 different spawning events had oc-curred.

The majority of eggs were col-lected below the Burrard bridge (1,422 eggs). All eggs had silt or sand on them; however one large larva was found and some eggs were seen hatching on the mats.

Drift Netting

Drift nets (Fyke nets) were set after eggs were found. Both day sets and night sets were conducted. We were very successful in fi nding 15 one-day old white sturgeon larvae between June 12th and July 9th. This was a breakthrough and helped establish which sites in the river are capable of supporting eggs and larvae. The July captures indicated that an undetected spawning event had occurred that was outside of all previously documented spawning event-windows. There were several temporary workers hired to assist with the arduous task of sorting fyke net samples for larvae (2 sets of 10 days). We also have sev-eral volunteers come and help. The project was extended into late June and early July due to late spawning events

Drift Sampling-Larvae: Drift nets are targeted to be in the water 10 –14 days post-spawning (when eggs are expected to hatch).

The fi rst larvae were found on

June 12. Monitoring was extended to July 9th be-cause staff continued to fi nd larvae throughout June into early July. In total 15 larvae were collected. None of larvae were older than 3 or 4 days, indicating there was a spawning event in late June.

The capture of eggs and larvae downstream of the bridge could suggest that the gravel pad laid above the bridge in 2011 attracted spawners and facilitated egg-larval hatching.

A key fi nding in 2012 was the documentation of spawning later than previ-ously observed. Spawning activity was largely ob-served from the Burrard Street

bridge downstream. We had not intensively monitored that area previously.

Juvenile Sturgeon Monitoring

The juvenile indexing program is conducted to monitor (both wild and hatchery) juveniles measuring less than 1m in length. Sampling to monitor the Nechako’s juvenile stur-geon population took place between Sept 20 - October 10, 2012. Setlines with fi ne-wire circle hooks were used. A total of 26,300 hook-hours of effort were applied and a total 27 sturgeon were captured (28 captures; 1 individual captured twice during the project).

The 27 individuals captured included 6 juveniles that were of hatchery origin, and 21 wild-born individuals, including 8 wild born sturgeon that had been captured in previous sampling programs, and 13 wild-born sturgeon that had not been previously captured. The

total lengths of the 27 fi sh captured ranged from 50.5cm to 94cm. There were three sites that produced the bulk of the captured sturgeon; River km (rkm) 125 (6 fi sh), rkm117 (7 fi sh), and rkm111 (8 fi sh). River km 0 is at the junction of the Nechako and Fraser River. Vanderhoof is rKm137.

Ages of the fi sh captured range from 3-17 years and indicated a slight increase in wild births from 2007, which was a high-water year

Adult Sturgeon Radio tagging

Radio tags have a limited battery life, and the CSTC crew attempted to capture and replace tags in adult sturgeon last fall (Sept 21- October 10, 2012) - as time allowed. Adults were caught using set lines and by angling. A total of 16 Sturgeon were caught. Of those 13 met the criteria for a new radio tag.

Adult sturgeon with actively sig-naling radio tags are important

Neil Heron, operating raft on Stellako River

Stellako River in September


FISHERIES REPORT CONTINUED

for allowing ongoing research ef-forts into spawning behavior and spawning habitat selection. They also allow the monitoring of tagged fi sh’s movements throughout the Nechako River and watershed to provide a better understanding of seasonal movement patterns and the range of the population. The fi sh can be tracked by boat and air using mo-bile receivers. There are also several stationary receivers that keep an on-going record of tags detected. These are downloaded throughout the year to help monitor movement patterns.

Reducing harm to Sturgeon en-countered during FSC salmon fi sh-ing in Saikuz First Nation traditional territory and Nakazdli Band tradi-tional territory

Cora McIntosh (Saik’uz band member) was once again hired as Food, Social and Ceremonial (FSC) catch monitor for Saikuz. Cora was also on site to provide sturgeon bi-catch support and education. The “Sturgeon Emergency Release boat kit” was available to Fishers. It contains tools and supplies to assist fi shers in safely removing sturgeon from their gill nets. A data sheet and camera is included so that the data can be recorded and photos of the sturgeon. See photo of boat kit on page 3. After the fi shing season, the boat kits must be returned, so that supplies can be replenished, cam-eras developed and all encounters recorded. At the outreach presenta-tions the 45 minute video “Every Sturgeon Counts” was shown and discussed. Copies of the DVD are available through CSTC and it can be viewed on line at Youtube.

If you missed the community presentation and would like to see the boat kit video or sign up for a boat kit, then contact Christina at CSTC (250-562-6279 ext 238).

The FSC catch in the Saik’uz fi shery was 192 sockeye and 2032 in Nakazdli. Catch numbers were not collected for Takla Lake First Na-tion, Nadleh Whuten, Burns Lake or Wetsuweten. Tlazt’en First Nation collects their own numbers.

The en route conditions The salmon returned later than usual to the Nechako and Stuart rivers and in fewer numbers.

Reducing harm to Sturgeon encountered during FSC salmon fi shing in Saik’uz First Nation and Nakazdli.

In Nakazdli, Garland Leon and Kelsey Sam were hired as salmon

catch monitors and Sturgeon by-catch monitors.

FSC Catch monitors were hired for Saikuz and Nakazdli. These monitors speak with fi sh-ers throughout the fi shing season (July-Sept). Their job is to collect numbers of Sockeye and Chinook both caught and released and Stur-geon unintentionally caught in gill nets. Actual names of fi shers are not sent to DFO; only date, time amount and type of fi sh caught. Collecting these numbers helps CSTC to advocate for First Na-tions when dealing with DFO and their management plans in the off season (Nov-March). It is very im-portant that people continue to fi sh and spend time on their Keyoh.

This helps prove First Nations are still using the resource (even at low numbers) and can show the decline in catch numbers year to year. DFO needs to be reminded that fi sh are extremely valuable to Dakelh and Sekani culture and as a food source.

All catch monitors have emergen-cy release boat kits and are available to help remove a sturgeon from a net. They have forms to fi ll out ev-ery time a sturgeon is encountered. In 2012, Tlazt’en fi shers encoun-tered 5 sturgeon. One sturgeon was found dead in the net. The rest were released unharmed. Saikuz encoun-tered one sturgeon at Wedgewood and released it. Please contact your catch Monitor or CSTC (250-562-6279) when you encounter a stur-geon. Mussi. For more information visit:www.nechakowhitesturgeon.org

Sturgeon Harm reduction This year the Nechako White

Sturgeon recovery Initiative (NWS-RI) Community Working Group (CWG) decided to attend two Riv-ers Day events. In Prince George September 21 and Vanderhoof Sept 30, 2012. Both events were well at-tended.

School presentations were held in several grade 3-5 classes in school district 91 between January– March , 2013. This year a large fabric stuffed sturgeon model was made available for presentations. The Emergency release boat kit video was also shown and discussed. Two community meetings were held in Takla Lake and Stellako. It has become increasingly diffi cult to attract community members to these meetings. This is an is-sue that the NWSRI Community working Group will address prior to the November proposal dead-line. Once again Cora McIntosh was hired to organize and deliver all the presentations.

Early Stuart Sockeye 2012

Early Stuart Sockeye experi-enced diffi cult migratory condi-tions in the Fraser River in 2012 due to an above average snow-pack in the watershed combined with a cool, wet spring. Discharge levels in the lower Fraser River were approximately 50% higher than average during the Early Stuart migration period, exceeding levels historically associated with

poor migratory success. Preliminary 2012 Early Stuart

Run Sockeye spawning escapement estimate totals 26,224 of which 17,211 are adult males, 9,010 are adult females and 3 are jacks (

Stellako Sockeye Mark-recapture

This year in Stellako we ran a mark recapture instead of a fence, we didn’t have a fence because the water was too high early in the season and the staff at DFO weren’t sure if it would drop enough to safely have a fence. The program started on Sept 1, 2012 with 6 mem-bers of Stellako band doing the DFO safety and introduction. The 6 peo-ple that were hired this year were, Roseanna Munger, Keith Ketlo, Elton Louis, Mike Lapointe, Brent Heron, Marc Hapsburg with 3 other CSTC fi eld staff coming in when needed. Those people were: Cotey Sampare, Ashley Raphael, and Wil-liam Mole. The project went off well with the crew doing sets in both the upper and lower river to make sure there is an even spread of tags throughout the river. Stellako River is broken into 10 areas and split into left bank and right bank. First day was upper river 1-6 right bank, then would follow with 7-10 right bank the next day and would start back at the top on the opposite bank. A month into the season the roving of smaller creeks began with walks on Ormand creek and Nithi creek to see if any salmon have returned. As well as the walks of Francois lake shore to check for lake shore spawn-ing salmon. These are done once a cycle for a month unless fi sh are found. The project was complete. The data for this project remains with DFO.

Endako River

Dennis Ableson was once again contracted to complete the enu-meration of Chinook on the Endako

River and Shovel Creek. Field tech-nician Cotey Sampare assisted Den-nis throughout the survey period. From the fi nal report: “These factors taken into account have resulted in a 2012 spawning escapement of no less than 49 fi sh (48 live & 1 mort), with an upward adjustment yield-ing a total of no more than 60 fi sh”. The fi nal report will be sent to Burns Lake Band, CSTC and Richard Bai-ley, DFO.

Nadina River

This year as in previous years Nadina was surveyed using a mix of fl ights and ground surveys the fl ight was generally on Fridays with the ground crew driving in and checking Nadina pool before driving into the spawning channel to do a count and recovery of any carcasses there were 3 trips in to Nadina and 3 fl ights during the fl ight I went on we also fl ew over glacier creek to check for any spawning sockeye present, there were none in glacier. The crew that went on Nadina ground surveys were Neil Heron and Keith Ketlo. The last ground survey was done by DFO alone.

Nechako Chinook Carcass recovery

This year Colin Barnard was once again the lead technician on this project.

Salmon Run

In-season run size forecast at 50P level

Actual fish on spawning grounds

Early Stuart

25,000 758

Early Summer

590,000 230,509

Summer 1,550,000 1,054,716

Late Summer

583,000 384,580

Dennis Ableson, Biologist. Lead Endako Chinook enumeration project

Bill Mole with an adult Nechako White Sturgeon on the Nechako River.


TRUTH & RECONCILIATION COMMUNITY HEARING

There is an emerging and compelling desire to put the events of the past behind us so that we can work towards a stronger and healthier future. The truth telling and reconciliation process as part of an overall holistic and compre-hensive response to the Indian Residential School legacy is a sincere indication and acknowledgement of the injustices and harms experienced by Aboriginal people and the need for continued healing. This is a profound commitment to establishing new relationships embedded in mutual recognition and respect that will forge a brighter future. The truth of our common experiences will help set our spirits free and pave the way to reconciliation.

What is the TRC?

The TRC is a component of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement.

Its mandate is to inform all Canadians about what happened in Indian Residential Schools (IRS). The Commission will docu-ment the truth of survivors, families, com-munities and anyone personally affected by the IRS experience.

This includes First Nations, Inuit and Métis former Indian Residential School students, their families, communities, the Churches, former school employees, Gov-ernment and other Canadians.

The Commission has a fi ve-year man-date and is supported by a TRC Secretariat, which is a federal government department.

What does the TRC hope to achieve?

The TRC hopes to guide and inspire Ab-original peoples and Canadians in a process of reconciliation and renewed relationships that are based on mutual understanding and respect.

What will the TRC do?

The TRC will prepare a comprehensive historical record on the policies and opera-tions of the schools and produce a report that will include recommendations to the Government of Canada concerning the IRS system and its legacy.

The Commission will host seven nation-al events in different regions across Canada to promote awareness and public education about the IRS system and its impacts.

A national research centre will be established by the end of the TRC mandate that will be a permanent resource for all Canadians.

The TRC will support community events designed by individual communities to meet their unique needs.

The TRC will support a Commemora-tion Initiative that will provide funding for activities that honour and pay tribute in a permanent and lasting manner to former Indian Residential Schools students.

What has the TRC been doing?

The TRC Secretariat has been working to put in place the essential organizational structure to allow the Commission to imple-ment its various mandate activities.

We are moving forward as quickly as possible to receive statements from any-one affected by the legacy of residential schools.

The TRC is working on frameworks for national and community events, increasing communications and outreach, continuing dialogue with parties and survivor organiza-tions, and supporting the selection process for members of the Indian Residential Schools Survivor Committee.

Will the focus of the TRC be on Truth or Reconciliation?

The TRC's mandate activities focus on both truth and reconciliation.

Truth will be addressed through state-ment gathering, research and public educa-tion.

Reconciliation is an overall objective of the TRC. The Commission views reconcili-ation as an on-going individual and collec-tive process that will require participation from all those affected by the IRS experi-ence.

We will move towards achieving recon-ciliation through activities such as public education and engagement, commemoration and recommendations to the parties.

Why is the TRC important to Canadians?

Indian Residential Schools are a part of our shared history, a history that is not well understood by many.

Canada's relationship with Aboriginal people has suffered as a result of the IRS system. Healing and repairing that relation-

ship will require education, awareness, and increased understanding of the legacy and the impacts still being felt for everyone involved in that relationship.

What can you tell me about the National and Community Events?

The Commission will fund and host seven national events in different regions across Canada, taking into consideration the history and demographics of the IRS system.

The national events will engage the Ca-nadian public and provide education about the IRS system, the experience of former students and their families and the ongoing legacies of the institutions within com-munities. There will also be opportunities to celebrate regional diversity and honour those touched by residential schools.

The TRC will also support community events designed by communities to meet their unique needs.

Will there be hearings?

The TRC is not a criminal tribunal and the Commissioners do not have subpoena powers. The Commission will listen to Sur-vivors and others affected by Residential School by way of Statement Gathering and others truth-sharing processes.

Once the truth-sharing process is in place, anyone affected by the residential schools legacy will have the opportunity to share his or her experience with the Com-mission.

How will the Commission receive stories?

The TRC appreciates the patience and understanding of Canadians, particularly survivors. We recognize that many survi-vors are elderly and that we need to move forward as quickly as possible to receive statements from anyone affected by the legacy of residential schools.

The Commission is currently looking at ways to ensure people can describe their ex-perience in a safe, respectful and culturally appropriate manner. A person might share his or her experience through a one-on-one interview, in a written statement, or in a public forum.

For many people, the memories will be emotionally diffi cult. The Commission will ensure there are appropriate health sup-ports available at all TRC events. Other health support services including profes-sional counselling and cultural supports by an Elder, may be requested through Health Canada.

How will you ensure the voices of all survivors are heard?

We continue to engage with regional and national survivor organizations and we hear from survivors at outreach events. We recognize that experiences varied across the country and specifi c strategies will be required to address unique issues, such as culture, geography and language.

A ten-member Indian Residential Schools Survivor Committee, made up of residential school survivors from across Canada, serves an advisory body to the TRC.

“The stories I’ve witnessed hosting the Truth & Reconciliation Community Hearing in Prince George May 13th & 14th, 2013 gathering with our elders, dreamers, leaders, healers, young danc-ers, drummers, singers, cultural health supports, family & lifelong friends really creates the worst days of their lives into a lesson.

Teaching us to forgive, to share the truth, to be completely honest and re-spect everything. Not to hold grudges, not to give up, not be ashamed of who you are and to love one another. We are overcomers

.- Crystal Millard, TRC Event Coordinator


REPORT OF LEJAC INDIAN RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL

Report of Lejac Indian Residential School 1922 –1976

John A. MacDonald, Prime Minister of Canada, who told the House of Com-mons in 1884:

“I think we must, by slow degrees, educate generation after generation, until the nature of the animal almost is changed by the nature of the surround-ings.”

Lejac Indian Residential School Opens-First Day of School January 17, 1922

June 6, 1924 Investigation into Mela-nie Quaw’s Death-On June 6th 1924 Paulet Quaw and Henry Dick (Indians) came to this De-tachment with the following complaint-Complaint against sister MarguriteMelanie Quaw 16, (Indian) had been attending the Indian school at Fraser Lake B.C. Sometime last fall one of the teachers, sister Marguerite of the Mission School Fraser Lake B.C. had given her a beating and in doing so had injured her back.

Police Report June 8, 1924-Investigation into the death of Mela-nie Quaw, and her complaint of having been beaten by sister Marguerite. Her parents satisfi ed with the report from the doctor stating that Pulmonary TB was the cause of her death.

Letter to W.J.McAllen, Indian Agent From A.F MacKenzie Acting As-sistant Deputy & Secretary, Indian Department. October 20,1924-Parents of some Children complain that vocational education being ne-glected.-The department considers the older boys should be at work six, ½ days per week.

Quarterly Report made by Father Coccola to Indian Agent Moore De-cember 31st 1925-One death due to illness, the epidemic of colds of whooping – cough has vis-ited our school.

1900-1940-Infant deaths from Pertussis (Whoop-ing Cough) decreased by over 70% due to better nutrition,less overcrowding and smaller families. However, while deaths decreased, the number of Re-ported cases stayed the same.

Quarterly Report made by Father Coccola to Indian Agent Moore-Nine cases of Pneumonia.-Two succumbed to the illness.

March 31, 1927 QUARTERLY RE-PORTThe general health of the children has been good. It is true the Flu passing through the district visited the school and nearly all the pupils and members of the staff had a touch of it, one being fatal. Our little Dora Julien 8 years of age lingering for months, died of Bron-cho Pneumonia.

June 30, 1927 Quarterly ReportTwo Moricetown girls hearing the death of their mother were so grieved that they got sick, one was sent home and the other died here.

March 31, 1928 Quarterly Report-One death of a 12 year old boy to Pneumonia-Father Coccola was quoted “The prog-

ress in the classroom is remarkable, of course this is the best quarter for it, as the winter roads and the cold weather keep the parents away from the institu-tion.”

March 31, 1929 Quarterly Report-Two deaths from MeaslesBefore 1954-In the pre-vaccine era, large epidem-ics occurred every 2 to 3 years. Almost everyone got measles. Every year in Canada, measles was responsible for 50 to 75, 5,000 hospital admissions and 400 cases of encephalitis. The estimated annual cost of measles was over $70 million (1985 dollars).

June 30, 1930 Quarterly Report-Two deaths, 12 year old boy and a 9 year old boy died after ten days of sick-ness of which the doctor could not fi nd any symptoms, it was only after they passed away that other boys told that they had seen them with HEMLOCK in their hands.-One girl of 14 had also died of hemor-rhage of the lungs.

December 31, 1930 Quarterly Report by Father Coccola-One death to Pneumonia“The health of the pupils was exceed-ingly good up to the middle of Novem-ber. From that on account of unsettled weather we had Colds, some cases of Whooping Cough, many cases of In-fl uenza Pneumonia, and three cases of Pneumonia. One of three proved fatal, the rest are doing well, except one who is lingering. Knowing how weak are the lungs of the Indians, treatment had to be prompt and constant to prevent serious consequences”.

Quarterly Report for March 31, 1931 by Father CoccolaManual Work-The boys in manual training under direction of their instructor have made, during the year, many useful articles for the house: desks, cupboards, dressers & much admired by the visitors.-The girls besides the housework have made this year:

224 dresses 165 petticoats320 aprons 89 nightgowns64 drawers 23 shirts80 pairs of stockings

They are skilled with the needle and in fancy work have car-ried out many prizes at the exhibition.

Quarterly Report for March 31, 1933 by Father CoccolaHealthWith the exception of one case of Tu-bercular Meningitis, the general health of the children has been exceptionally good. We have been very fortunate, considering the amount of grippe and infl uenza prevalent in the district, to have had only three to four children in bed and those only for a day or two due to the necessary care been given immediately.The doctor does not hold out any hope for the girl with Meningitis but all that can be done for his accomplished. Her father on notifi cation, visited her and was resigned to what may be the out-come of her illness.

Letter from Bishop Bunoz to Harold McGill, Deputy Superintendent of Indian Affairs July 14th 1933I have the pleasure to inform you that I have appointed Reverand L.H.Rivet, O.M.I. principal of Lejac Indian Resi-dential School in succession to Rever-and N.Coccola retired.

Letter from Dr. C.Pitts to Indian Agent Moore October 22nd 1935Responding to complaints made to-wards him by Father Rivet:Since my father is principal of an indian school and I have had opportunity to meet the principals and medical at-tendants of other schools, I happen to know that the attention I am giving the Lejac School is as good or better than in any knowledge of. This would bear no weight with me if I thought that any purpose would be served by doing so. Where is the point of this, when I know that, were I to apply the standards of health to them that is applied to chil-dren of the white schools, that I should have to discharge 90% of them and there would be no school left.


NATURAL RESOURCES DEPARTMENT REPORT

Jaime Sanchez, MCIP – CSTC Land Use Advisor

Marlene Flannery – CSTC GIS Coordinator

This report covers the period from

April 2012 to July 2013. It has been an interesting year for the natural gas development, as well as improving rela-tionships and capacity among the CSTC member First Nations. Specifi cally we’ll talk about the various natural gas pipeline proposals (4 and counting), C2C Forum held in Nadleh with the Regional District of Bulkley Nechako, and capacity building efforts underway in the communities.

Natural Gas PipelinesThe global market demand for

natural gas, the low price of North American natural gas (and its abundant supply), combined with the high price of natural gas in Asia has created a storm of interest in BC to build Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) facilitates on the coast (both Kitimat and Prince Rupert). These LNG facilitates range in cost from $8 to $12 billion dollars each, the pipelines required to supply these LNG plants will cost between $4 and $8 bil-lion each. The LNG facilitates require a huge amount of energy to convert the gas to a liquid before being loaded onto LNG tankers; it has been estimated an-nually that just one LNG plant requires all the energy that Site C can produce (1,100 megawatts). The table below shows which natural gas pipelines will impact CSTC member First Nations.

All of the proposed natural gas pipelines require an environmental assessment (EA), typically done by the BC Environmental Assessment Offi ce (BCEAO). Some of the stud-ies that are required include aboriginal

consultation plans, traditional use studies, geotechnical and engineer-ing, socio-economic studies and other related studies. The BCEAO process is outlined in the following diagram. The EA can take up to a year to complete, with an additional year of review/comment by the public and First Nations. Once the EA certifi -cate has been issued by the BCEAO, and other relevant permits acquired, construction usually begins shortly thereafter. For all of these projects the companies are racing to get per-mit approvals by 2018, which is the year that global contracts for LNG expire. If the LNG and natural gas pipeline companies can get all their permits and construction completed by 2018, then BC, Canada and part-nering First Nations will be global players in LNG.

The CSTC has been assisting its members with coordinating meetings and strategies on dealing with all of the natural gas pipeline projects. As these projects progress in their stud-ies and permits required, the CSTC will continue to monitor and provide needed support to its member First Nations. Currently CSTC is work-ing with Nadleh and Nak’azdli to complete a Traditional Knowledge study for the Coastal GasLink Pipe-line project. Several CSTC member First Nations are conducting their own studies, or have hired consulting companies to assist them in reviewing or doing their own studies.

Community 2 Community ForumIn December the CSTC and Nadleh

Whut’en hosted a leadership forum at the Nadleh community hall. Represen-tatives from the Regional District of Bulkley Nechako (RDBN) and CSTC Chiefs were present. Guest speakers included Grand Chief Ed John, Re-gional Chief Jody Wilson-Raybould (BC Assembly of First Nations) and Grand Chief Stewart Phillip (Union of BC Indian Chiefs). Participants had the opportunity to learn about the differ-ent types of agreements being signed between First Nations and Regional Districts in BC. Everyone had a chance to talk about their experiences in work-ing collaboratively and all expresses an interest in seeing the relationship im-

prove between First Nations and local/regional governments.

There was a commitment to meet again, and work on developing some sort of protocol between the CSTC and the RDBN. It is expected that both will occur in 2013.

Capacity Building at CSTCThe CSTC Natural Resource Depart-

ment is a small team made up of Jaime Sanchez, MCIP RPP (Natural Resource Advisor), Marlene Flannery (GIS Coor-dinator) and Karyn Sharp (newly hired as the Traditional Knowledge Research Coordinator for the Coastal GasLink Pipeline Project). Several contrac-tors are periodically hired to provide additional assistance when needed, and when resources are available. Mapping support to the CSTC member First Na-tions has been an important service for CSTC members. During the next year,

the CSTC will be delivering Environ-mental Monitoring training to CSTC members. If you are interested in being part of this, and other training, please contact the offi ce.

The CSTC has been working with TRICORP (Tribal Resources Invest-ment Corporation) to deliver 5-week Environmental Monitoring training in Moricetown, Prince Rupert and Haida Gwaii. CSTC is certifi ed to deliver this, and other training programs, by EcoCANADA. We are building our capacity to offer these training pro-grams throughout the north. If you are interested in learning more, or even be-coming a certifi ed instructor at CSTC, please contact the offi ce.

1 WFN = Wet’suwet’en First Nation; BLIB = Burns Lake Indian Band; SFN = Stellat’en First Nation; NWIB = Nadleh Whut’en First Nation; NIB = Nak’azdli IndianBand; SFN = Saik’uz First Nation; TN = Tl’azt’en Nation; TLFN = Takla Lake First Nation2 bcf = billion cubic feet

Project Name Company Start / End Points

Environmental Assessment

(BCEAO) Status

Estimated Cost

Size and Length of Pipeline & Capacity

Estimated Dated of

Completion Link to LNG Facility

CSTC First Nations Directly

Impacted1

Coastal Gas Link Pipeline (CGLP) TransCanada Dawson Creek

to Kitimat Pre-Application $5 billion 48”

650 kms 1.7 bcf/day2

2015

LNG Canada (Joint Venture with Shell Canada, Korea

Gas Corporation, Mitsubishi Corporation and

PetroChina)

WFN, BLIB, SFN, NWIB,

NIB, SFN

Natural Gas Transmission

System (NGTS) Spectra Cypress to

Prince Rupert Pre-Application $6 to $8 billion

48” 850 kms

2.4 bcf/day 2015 BG Group TLFN, NIB

Pacific Trails Pipelines (PTP)

Apache / Chevron

Summit Lake to Kitimat Certificate Issued $1.1 billion

36” 463 km

.75 bcf/day 2018

Kitimat LNG (Joint Venture between Apache Canada and

Chevron Canada)

WFN, BLIB, SFN, NWIB,

NIB, SFN Prince Rupert

Gas Transmission (PRGT)

TransCanada Hudson’s Hope to Lelu Island (Prince Rupert

area)

Pre-Application $5 billion 48” 750 km 2 - 3.6 bcf/day

2018 Pacific Northwest LNG (owned by PETRONAS)

TLFN, NIB

Pacific Northern Gas (PNG Looping)

Pacific Northern Gas

Summit Lake to Kitimat

2014 $1 billion 24” 525 km uknown

2016 unknown WFN, BLIB, SFN, NWIB,

NIB, SFN


NATURAL RESOURCES REPORT CONTINUED

Planning For Pipelines: The Carrier Sekani Experience

By Jaime Sanchez, MCIP, RPP and Angel Ransom, MCIP, RPP

SummaryThe Carrier Sekani Tribal Council

(CSTC) is located in north central BC in an area that is seeing an increase in pressures from pipeline propos-als. As community planners working with the CSTC the authors offer three lessons to planners: 1) free, prior and informed consent must be incorporated into practice and policies; 2) capac-ity building and community engage-ment is a requirement in negotiations and agreements; 3) Implementation of agreements must have thorough plans and processes to ensure benefi ts to all parties. Planners must also understand how to implement and incorporate the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, as it forms an international standard for the survival, dignity and well-being of indigenous peoples around the world.

Jaime Sanchez, MCIP, RPP was born in Canada, and is of Chilean/Mapuche descent and has been working with the Carrier Sekani for eight years in vari-ous land planning and natural resource management projects. He has also worked as a policy advisor and planner with several aboriginal organizations in BC, including the First Nations Energy and Mining Council, First Nations Technology Council, and Aboriginal Mine Training Association. He can be reached at: [email protected]

Angel Ransom, MCIP, RPP is from the Kwun Ba Whut’en (Caribou) Clan, and is a member of the Nak’azdli In-dian Band, located in the north central interior of BC (Fort St. James area). She is currently the Community Planner for Nak’azdli, and works part-time for the Carrier Sekani Tribal Council assist-ing with natural gas pipeline coordina-tion. She can be reached at: [email protected]

Both authors earned their degrees from the School of Environmental Plan-ning, University of Northern British Columbia. This article was original published in Plan Canada, Vol. 53 No. 2. The authors wish to acknowledge the support of the Canadian Institute of Planners Editorial Board, and their sub-committee: Indigenous Peoples Planning (Sub) Committee for their feedback in publishing our article.

IntroductionThis article briefl y covers some of

the experiences and lessons learned in planning for and managing pipeline developments in north central Brit-ish Columbia (BC), within the Carrier Sekani Tribal Council (CSTC) member First Nations territories. The CSTC is a non-profi t society made up of eight First Nations: Burns Lake Band (Ts’il Kaz Koh), Nak’azdli, Nadleh Whut’en, Saik’uz, Stellat’en, Takla Lake, Tl’azt’en and Wet’suwet’en. The CSTC territory accounts for 78,000 sq. km of land (8.3% of BC; twice the size of Vancouver Island; and, about the size of Ireland) in the area west of Prince George, which includes the Nechako,

Upper Fraser and Arctic watersheds. It is a region that saw the mountain pine beetle kill over 80% of the forest, and one that is growing as a result of min-eral exploration activities and proposed pipelines.

Over the last 10 years the CSTC members have seen an increase in pipeline proposals that could transect their territories. Developers of natural gas from north eastern BC, and bitu-men from the Alberta oil sands, are seeking to diversify market access to Asia, which requires increased pipeline infrastructure to the BC coast (Kiti-mat or Prince Rupert). Within the last year alone, we have seen four natural gas pipeline proposals, some of which could be the largest in the world; more are being proposed as we speak. This is also an area that the embattled Enbridge Northern Gateway project proposes to cross. These pipelines could create 300-400+ km of linear (east-west) cor-ridors, 50-100 m wide.

{Insert CSTC Gas Pipeline Map}

While these experiences are based on both reactive and proactive plan-ning situations, all have been led by Indigenous perspectives and processes. It is the view of the authors that while planning methods and processes based on non-Carrier Sekani worldviews ex-ist, elements of both have been used by Carrier Sekani leaders, technicians and planners.

Oil Pipelines: Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline

Enbridge fi rst appeared in Carrier Sekani communities in 2004, with a slew of Calgary-based advisors tout-ing the benefi ts and opportunities. The CSTC leaders and members required more information to understand the impacts from the proposed twin con-densate/bitumen pipelines, the fi rst of their kind in CSTC territory. The CSTC lead the research of an Aboriginal Interest and Use Study (AIUS), which sought feedback from members, tradi-

tional knowledge holders, and outside experts. The resulting AIUS provided the CSTC communities with their risk assessment of the Northern Gateway Pipeline project; community members and leaders unanimously voted that the project was not worth the risk. In 2006 the CSTC fi led a court challenge seek-ing to overturn the federal decision to conduct an environmental assessment because CSTC was not properly con-sulted. Enbridge subsequently dropped the project, but reapplied in 2010, and is now undergoing a Joint Review Panel under the National Energy Board.

The opposition to the Enbridge project continues to grow throughout northern BC, as First Nations unifi ed and proactively planned to declare that

water and river systems need to be protected from unwanted intrusions like the Northern Gateway project. Through the leadership of the Yinka Dene Al-liance (member First Nations of the CSTC), the Save the Fraser Declara-tion (SFD) was created and ultimately supported, by over 100 First Nations throughout BC and beyond. The SFD is an important political and policy state-ment from Indigenous peoples that they will no longer suffer from inappropriate development within their territories. Planners take note; we’ll elaborate more on this shortly. It’s worthwhile noting too that several municipal governments have also passed resolutions opposing pipelines carrying heavy crude in the region. The risk from one pipeline or tanker breach is just too great.


NATURAL RESOURCES CONTINUED

As we write this article, the National Energy Board (NEB) released 199 conditions for the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline project, the most ever imposed upon a proposed pipe-line project. Once the NEB makes its decisions, the federal cabinet will have the fi nal say in approving the project. If approved, it will be a decision that will spark unrest and trigger Indigenous nations in Canada to defend their own laws and decision-making authority. As Chief Allan Adam of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation said in a recent press conference: “It’s going to be a long hot summer.” (In regards to block-ing the Enbridge Northern Gateway and TransCanada Keystone XL pipelines.) Both projects are viewed by Indigenous peoples as a direct threat to the survival of earth because of the increased use and development of the Alberta oil sands. If the project is not approved, it will send a shockwave through the industry and government reminiscent of the Berger Inquiry, mainly because (in our humble opinions) that after 30+ years First Nations governments have signifi cantly increased their power in the planning and building of energy infrastructure in Canada.

Natural Gas Pipelines: PTP, CGLP, RGP, NGTS, etc.

In the 1950s a natural gas pipeline was built between Kitimat and Sum-mit Lake (north of Prince George, BC). Carrier Sekani First Nations were not involved nor accommodated for this project (Pacifi c Northern Gas - PNG). Remember, this was a period in time when First Nations did not have the right to vote in federal elections, and the Lejac Residential School was still operational in the heart of Carrier country. It was a period in history when central planning was dominant in the region and where grandiose develop-ments like the Kenny Dam fl ooded the Cheslatta Carrier peoples’ lands, homes, and graves, and forever changed the water system of the Nechako River.

Over the last eight years the CSTC member First Nations have been involved in the Pacifi c Trail Pipelines (Apache/Chevron) project which pro-poses the construction and maintenance

of a 36” natural gas pipeline between Kitimat and Summit Lake. This time however, First Nations became actively involved in ensuring that their interests were included in the PTP planning. The result was that 18 First Nations affected as a result of the PTP project, formed the First Nations Limited Partnership (FNLP) and attained an equity stake in the project. The CSTC negotiated an Environmental Accord, which focuses among other things on active environ-mental monitoring of the PTP project within CSTC territory during and after construction.

Since the PTP project experience, three new natural gas pipeline propos-als have been proposed that will impact CSTC member First Nations: Coastal GasLink (TransCanada), Natural Gas Transmission System (Spectra), and Rupert Gas (TransCanada). There are several other proposals in the works that have yet to make a formal applica-tion with Crown regulators. As these projects work through their respective studies, and the companies and Crown engage Carrier Sekani (and other) First Nations, we are constantly reminded that these projects represent an esti-mated $20 billion plus in pipelines investment, in addition to the more than $50 billion in Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) facilities on the coast as well as extraction investments in north east BC. We are also reminded that much of the gas has been extracted from the earth using the hydro fracking process, and that LNG plants on the coast require huge amounts of energy (just one of the larger LNG plants requires all the energy that would be created by the Site C project per year). Oh, and let us not forget about the LNG tankers (and the dangers they represent) that would ship the LNG to global markets.

In light of these and other major de-velopment projects, the Carrier Sekani First Nations require the adequate fi -nancial and human resources to review industry studies, and to conduct their own, for which realistic timelines must be provided. The internal engagement and decision-making processes vary slightly from community to community, but generally the traditional owners

(i.e., Keyoh or Keyah Holders) play a key role in Carrier Sekani governance. Several CSTC member First Nations including the Nak’azdli Indian Band are refi ning their governance structures to assure that the link between Chief and Council, and the Keyoh (pronounced ‘kay-yo’) Holders is improved. This evolution of governance is critical for planners, because decision-making authority is now in the hands of the col-lective, as Aboriginal rights including title is a shared right, and not one that is held by individuals.

The goal of achieving a collective decision-making process in Carrier Se-kani First Nations is ongoing. Planning for major projects is based on ensur-ing that there is a sustainable balance between economic benefi ts, and social, cultural, and environmental impacts, particularly as a result of major projects such as natural gas pipelines. Gone are the days of centralized planning. Although the market will determine whether these natural gas pipelines can even be built, it will be the Carrier Sekani First Nations who will play a defi ning role in planning these pipeline projects.

From these and other experiences, we have some lessons to share with planners, First Nations, the government, and others. We attribute these lessons to the many Carrier Sekani and other First Nations leaders and community members. These leaders have spent years defending Aboriginal rights, and have negotiated the right to use their own planning and decision-making processes as a means of reconciliation and as a way to improve livelihoods in their territories.

Lesson 1 – Free, Prior and Informed Consent

The Carrier Sekani view that they have inalienable, inherent rights that stem from their ancestors, which pre-dates Canadian Confederation and that there is no ‘agreement’ or deal that can take these away. In the absence of any treaty, the Carrier Sekani are in a position that requires a high standard of informed decision-making, which guides planning processes internally. Such standards are found in the princi-ple of free, prior and informed consent (FPIC). Planners must become familiar with, and support standards such as FPIC, and incorporate them into their practice and policies.

FPIC recognizes First Nations inher-ent and prior rights to their lands and resources and respects their legitimate authority to require that third parties en-ter into an equal and respectful relation-ship with them, based on the principle of informed consent. There are also economic reasons for adhering to FPIC because the costs of litigation (i.e., direct costs, judicial resources, etc.) and security (i.e., police, military – in cases of civil disobedience) are not factored into cost-benefi t analysis.

Lesson 2 – Capacity Building and Engagement

As planers working with one of the most politically hot topics in Canada, we are guided by Carrier Sekani lead-ers, Elders and membership, as well as

by our code of ethics as members of the Canadian Institute of Planners and the Planning Institute of BC. At the core of our planning services to leadership and membership is the ability to ensure that we are planning for what the people want, and not for what companies or the Crown want. We have been told by Elders and leaders that capacity-building and engagement of members is of paramount importance. We do this by organizing community workshops, researching and preparing materials for leaders and community members, and coordinating with other First Na-tions and partners to better understand impacts and opportunities; we also mentor Carrier Sekani youth, Angel Ransom (co-author) has been a prime example of mentorship as she was hired by CSTC while still in university and subsequently afterwards by CSTC and Nak’azdli Band.

At the outset of negotiations with proponents, capacity-building within Carrier Sekani communities is on the table, and must remain on the table at all times, through fi nal agreements (i.e., MOUs, IBAs, etc.) and into agreement implementation. As planners involved in various aspects of community en-gagement, planning, and negotiations, there are inter-departmental and many other issues that must be incorporated that transcend zoning, setback and by-law policy development. We also work in a region that is known as the High-way of Tears, where too many women have gone missing or have been found murdered. Sensitivity and tact regard-ing the myriad of planning challenges in engaging members is important, as there are often many things happening that many of us are not aware of.

Lesson 3 – Agreements and Imple-mentation

There are many types of agreements that Carrier Sekani First Nations are negotiating and implementing. From Communication Protocols, Traditional Knowledge Studies, Impact Benefi t Agreements, and Service Agreements, planners involved in these processes, or informing these processes, need to ensure that our noted lesson 1 and 2 are incorporated. The CSTC is cur-rently in discussions with the Bulkley Nechako Regional District as a result of Community-to-Community Forums held between Chiefs and municipal leaders, which underlined the pressing need for improved communications and decision-making in the region.

Job opportunities, and training from the start to fi nish of any proposed project, (i.e., pre-construction; con-struction; operation and maintenance phases) may provide benefi ts in terms of an increase of community-based training programs, infrastructure de-velopment, and increased employment. The imposition of aggressive timelines and a lack of resources, pose potential challenges including the loss of train-ing opportunities and the jobs created. , This situation could result in a decrease of overall involvement and potential support provided by the communities. All agreements must include thorough implementation plans and processes, to ensure that all parties benefi t mutually from the relationship.


Moving Forward

In 2010 Canada endorsed the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UN-DRIP), which is an international standard for the survival, dignity and well-being of Indigenous peo-ples worldwide. The CSTC member First Nations have endorsed the UNDRIP and include it in various negotiations and agreements. The CSTC is also fortunate to have one of its formal Tribal Chiefs, and es-teemed leader, Grand Chief Ed John (Akile Ch’oh of the Lusilyoo Clan, Tl’azt’en Nation) who has recently been reappointed to sit as the North American Representative to the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII). The spotlight on Carrier Sekani territory has never been greater. Through active negotiations and diplomacy, planners and leaders doing business in CSTC territory must familiarize themselves with the UNDRIP, as it is an important document affecting

agreements and decision-making. We believe it should also be an im-mediate requirement that certifi ed planners in Canada must understand and know how to implement the UNDRIP.

As these pipeline projects un-dergo Crown regulatory and First Nations scrutiny, there will be signifi cant political and media at-tention. Prime Minister Harper has even appointed a special envoy to ‘defuse the tension between First Nations and the energy and pipe-line industry.’1 Efforts to push the Enbridge project will continue, and Carrier Sekani First Nations will continue to ensure that their con-cerns and rights to survive and strive as Indigenous peoples are respected and adhered to.

In light of these projects, the Carrier Sekani First Nations remain adamant that they are not against de-velopment. Planning and decision-making revolves around the prin-

ciple of stewardship and balance. Shared decision-making and higher level planning needs to be improved in Carrier Sekani territories if there is to be reconciliation and restitu-tion. As the late Dr. Sophie Thomas (Saik’uz First Nation) said: “Take care of the land and it will take care of you.” Collectively the Carrier Sekani peoples are more united than ever in the development of plans and processes which incorporate their visions and needs, and ability to survive as Yinka Dene (People of the Earth). In Carrier Sekani territo-ries, planning for equitable and sus-tainable resource development has never been as important as it is now. Failure to consider and meaningful-ly incorporate Carrier Sekani views, processes and decision-making in the planning of major projects can only lead to continued uncertainty and confl ict. Let us learn from the past so that our collective future will be clearer and brighter tomorrow.

Reference

1. Available at: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/harper-names-envoy-for-fi rst-nations-concerns-on-pipelines-and-energy/ar-ticle9945566/

For Further Readinghttp://www.carriersekani.ca/current-

issues/enbridge-pipeline/auis-enbridge-pipeline/

www.carriersekani.ca www.yinkadene.ca http://sophiethomas.org/

www.savethefraser.ca http://business.fi nancialpost.

com/2013/03/20/fi rst-nations-oil-sands/http://www.forestpeoples.org/guid-

ing-principles/free-prior-and-informed-consent-fpic

Angel Ransom, MCIP, RPP is from the Kwun Ba Whut’en (Caribou) Clan, and is a member of the Nak’azdli Indian Band, located in the north central interior of BC (Fort St. James area). She is currently the Community Planner for Nak’azdli, and works part-time for the Carrier Sekani Tribal Council assisting with natural gas pipeline coordination, and co-instructing the Eco Canada – BEAHR Environmental Monitoring Training Program. She can be reached at: [email protected]

My name is Karyn Sharp and I am Denesuliné from northern Saskatch-ewan. I am the CSTC Traditional Knowledge (TK) Lead. I started this position in April, 2013. Currently my role is to lead the documentation and recording of TK for the communities of Nadleh Whut’en and Nak’azdli for the proposed Coastal Gas Link natural gas pipeline. I am working closely with these two communities and helping to build capacity as we document community TK along the pipeline route. I am enjoying working so closely with the communities and I look forward to this year ahead.

Massi,Karyn Sharp

NATURAL RESOURCES CONTINUED


FINANCE

In the last twelve months I have spent almost half of my time out in the communities offering support to the Band Finance Staff. Sometimes my services are required for a couple of hours or some-times a few days. I was also married on September 1, 2012, and have changed my name from Rayna Howard to Rayna Barter.

These past two years have been particularly challeng-ing, as we have had a lot of turnover in the on-reserve offi ces, so I am sometimes in the community offi ces for a week or more at one time. I am happy to say that as of right now all of our bands have qualifi ed fi nance staff working full-time.

I do get calls for specifi c training and do my best to accommodate wherever possible. This year I facili-tated two budget workshops. One for the Band Finance Staff that was held in Prince

George and one for the Saik’uz First Nation program supervisors that was held in the Saik’uz Training Centre

Since I have worked for CSTC, I have facilitated quarterly Band Finance Staff meetings to enable the fi -nance staff from each of our 8 bands to network and learn from one-another. This past year we held the fol-lowing meetings: August 13, 2012 in Nakaz’dli, November 30, 2012 in Takla’s Prince George offi ce, January 16 & 17, 2013 in CSTC’s Prince George offi ce and March 11, 2013 in Burns Lake. Our average attendance was 8 people per meeting. If your community would be in-terested in hosting a band fi nance staff meeting, please contact me at the CSTC of-fi ce.

I am still trying to source funding to provide training to the Finance Staff within our

communities. This training would be specifi c to First Na-tions Finance and I believe it would greatly increase the capacity within our commu-nities. Now, more than ever, we need trained individu-als to work within the band fi nance offi ces. There are cuts coming from AANDC that will directly impact the Finance Advisory Services that I am able to offer, so by preparing the staff in ad-vance this will help to reduce the impact that the changes will have.

As always, I am available by phone or email, to an-swer any questions that may come up. Many offi ces now have me on speed dial!

Please note: the audited fi nancial statements will be presented at the AGA in Tl’azt’en, we hope to see you there.

Rayna Barter~ Senior Finance Offi cer

Carrier Sekani Tribal Council

ATEP Job Placement or Mentoring

If your organization would like to participate in providing job placementor mentoring for the Aboriginal Training for Employment Program

(ATEP) participants, please contact:

Shane Wardrobe, Job [email protected] free 1 888 388 4431Phone: (250) 377 7600

www.carriersekani.ca 2012-2013 Annual Report Carrier Sekani Tribal Coucil 21

FNESS UPDATES


ATEP Newsletter - Carrier Sekani Tribal Council

Name this Newsletter Winner to receive a prize! Submit suggestions via email or fax Draw date: August 12, 2013, 3:00 pm Send submission to: Stephanie Ostrander Email: [email protected] Fax: (250) 377-7610 ATEP Update FNESS target is to providing Wildfire fighting, Forest Fuel Management and Emergency Management courses to band members within the 8 bands of the Carrier Sekani Tribal Council. Courses are open to Band Members from Nak’azdli Band Council, Nadleh Whut’en, Stellat’en First Nation, Saik’uz First Nation, Tl’azt’en Nation, Takla Lake First Nation, Ts’il Kaz Koh (Burns Lake) Band, and Wet’suwet’en First Nation. Participants completed 16 days of training at the Stellat’en First Nation Office, from April 22 to May 9, 2013. Students are currently searching for work for the summer. Training will continue in the fall. Congratulations!!! To the four students have found Employment with Rhino Reforestation, Brinks Forest Products Ltd. and High Tech Professional Cleaning & Restoration Services and Takla Lake First Nation. ATEP Completed Courses

GIS/GPS Mapping for Fire Fighting S-100 Fire Suppression Safety S-185 Fire Entrapment Avoidance S-232 Pumps & Water Delivery S-235 Burning Off & Backfiring H2S Awareness S-283 Sour Gas S-212 Fire Line Communications WHMIS

Navigation Use of Compass on the Fire Line S-230 Crew Boss S-211 Fire Environment (Weather) Intro to Forestry GPS S-275 Air Tankers S-130 Fundamentals of Fire Fighting S-190 Fire Behaviour and Safety S-213 Use of Bulldozer and Heavy Equipment

S-270 Helicopter Safety ICS-100 Introduction to Incident Command System (ICS) Test of Essential Workplace Skill (TOWES) Aboriginal Forestry Contracts Toolkit OFA Level 1 with Transportation

Funding provided through the Canada-British Columbia Labor Market Agreement


FNESS UPDATES

Participants Corner

ATEP participant, Hanna West enjoyed the GPS and Cultural Map training; the stu-dents can go onto Google Earth and map out their territories especially the Bands sacred sites. In the fi re suppression training she received a num-ber of tickets and in one of the courses she learned how to use GPS to get to safety zone in an emergency. In the Crew Boss course she learned how to get your own crew organized. With all the training she received she has the necessary skills to fi nd a job in wildfi re fi ghting. Sean O’Neil one of the instruc-tors, showed videos on the wildfi re fi ghting crews in US and how they made mistakes. It is important in this job to know all the safety procedures and escape routes. With all the courses in ATEP Hanna can now get a higher paying job by running her own crew. Hanna would like to thank FNESS for providing the ATEP training. First Nations people need these tickets to get a job to work in the industry.

Positive Feedbacks"This training program is

a wonderful opportunity for member's in this area. The Stellat'en community member's in particular will benefi t due to the fact the training is in the area and otherwise would not be attending. One of the bar-riers of providing training to individuals is having to send them away from home which proves very diffi cult for many people. The knowledge and skills that these men and wom-

en are learning may also be transferable to other programs. The benefi ts I see from this program are endless and in-clude building confi dence and increasing employability skills in the participants involved. Firefi ghting staff contribute to the areas they live in, many times they provide medical support and other support in addition to fi refi ghting. This is a step in a positive direction for the participants involved not only for themselves but for the communities they live in. Stellat'en First Nation is pleased to contribute to this program by providing the facil-ity for training and are very grateful for the opportunity presented." – Angela Reynolds, Education/Employment & Training, Stellat’en First Na-tion, PO Box 760, Fraser Lake, BC V0J 1S0

“As with any group, some will shine brighter for one kind of task and others will shine brighter for something differ-ent. You have several here who could pursue a more technical path, should they be so in-clined.” Russell Collier – In-structor, First Nations Technol-ogy Council

Heat Illness Heat illnesses include heat stroke, heat ex-haustion, heat fainting, heat edema (swelling of hands, feet and ankles), heat rash and heat cramps (muscle cramps). Heat illnesses can affect you quickly and are mainly caused by over-exposure to heat or over-exertion in the heat. Pay close attention to how you - and those around you - feel Watch for symptoms of heat illness, which include:

dizziness or fainting;nausea or vomiting;

headache;rapid breathing and heart-

beat;extreme thirst (dry mouth or

sticky saliva); anddecreased urination with

unusually dark yellow urine. If you experience any of these symptoms during hot weather, immediately move to a cool place and drink liquids. Water is best. Heat stroke is a medi-cal emergency! Call 911 or your local emergency number immediately if you are car-ing for a someone, such as a neighbour, who has a high body temperature and is either unconscious, confused or has stopped sweating. While wait-ing for help - cool the person right away by:

moving them to a cool place, if you can;

applying cold water to large areas of the skin or clothing; and

fanning the person as much as possible. Stay hydrated Drink plenty of cool liquids, especially water, before you feel thirsty to decrease your risk of dehydration. Thirst is not a good indicator of dehy-dration.

Remind yourself to drink water by leaving a glass by the sink.

Flavouring water with natu-ral fruit juice may make it more appealing.

Eat more fruits and vegeta-bles as they have a high water content.

If you eat less, you may need to drink more water.

(Courtesy of http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ewh-semt/pubs/climat/heat-adults-chaleur/index-eng.php)


OPPORTUNITIES


Aboriginal Training for Employment Program (ATEP)

Interested in a Wildfire Fighting Career?

FREE TRAINING!!! FNESS Forest Fuel Management (FFM) Department in conjunction with the Carrier Sekani Tribal Council (CSTC) are currently seeking participants who are interested in Wildfire Fighting, Emergency Management and Forest Fuel Management. Personal Qualifications, Other Skills and Knowledge

First Nations Ancestry Currently on Social Assistance Has not received EI within the last 3 years, or Parental Benefits within the last 5 years Strong work ethic Writes clearly and concisely Exceptional problem solving skills Workplace Safety Awareness

Experience

Knowledge of forest fuel reduction and forest fire behaviour Proven track record with using technical skills independently and in team-based work

environments Prefer prior work experience for a Firs Nations organizations

Candidates will be tested to determine their individual literacy and numeracy levels. This testing will assist FNESS in determining if participants need additional educational assistance to improve their literacy/numeracy levels. Pre-Employment Training includes:

Wildfire Suppression First Aid

Courses:

• Group Dynamics• Personal Development and Awareness• Managing Credit and Collections and Consequences• Personal Budgeting and Financial Management

• S-115: Structure and Site Preparation. • FireSmart• S-215: Fire Operations in the Wildland/Urban Interface - WUI • S-290: Intermediate Fire Behaviour

Emergency Management • ESS-100: Introduction to Emergency Social Services – ESS • EM-110: Introduction to Emergency Management in Canada• EOC-110: Introduction to Emergency Operations Centers

(EOC)

Forest Fuel Management • Fuel Management and Forest Fuel Hazard Assessment• Fuel Management Spacing and Pruning.

Cross-cultural Awareness (General)• Personal development and culture

Safety • Chainsaw Safety• Class Four/Crew Transport Driver Training • Wildlife/Danger Tree Assessor (focus on Wildland Fire Safety)

Additional Courses• Introduction to BC Driver Training• Bear Awareness

We thank all applicants for their interest, please note only those short-listed will be contacted. Individuals who meet the requirements for the program will be interviewed by telephone and face-to-face.

Forward your resume and cover letter to:

Shane Wardrobe, Job CoordinatorRE: FFM Trainee CandidateToll Free: 1-888-388-4431 Phone: (250) 377-7600

Email: [email protected]: Friday, July 21, 2013.


CHIEFS RESOLUTIONS 2012-2013Chief’s Resolutions

DATE: October 26th, 2012 PLACE: Nadleh Whut’en Band

MOTION NO. 10262012.11

That the CSTC Council of Chiefs adopt the September 30th, 2012 Financial Statements as presented by Rayna Barter, Senior Finance Offi cer.

MOVED BYChief Fred Sam(Nak’azdli Band) SECONDED BY:Chief Dolly Abraham(Takla Lake First Nation)CARRIED

MOTION NO. 10262012.12

That the CSTC Council of Chiefs hereby resolves that the mort-gage loan on the building from the Royal Bank of Canada increase from $255,324.85 by $202,675.18 to the new total of $458,000.00.

MOVED BYChief Albert Gerow(Burns Lake Band) SECONDED BY:Chief Fred Sam(Nak’azdli Band)CARRIED

MOTION NO. 10262012.13

That the CSTC Council of Chiefs strongly opposes the proposed cut-backs of the new AANDC funding for-mula, for it being resolved we disagree with the lack of consultation from AANDC in regards to the repercussions to our communities, which will se-verely negatively impact the services to First Nations.

MOVED BYChief Dolly Abraham(Takla Lake First Nation) SECONDED BY:Chief Albert Gerow(Burns Lake Band)CARRIED

MOTION NO. 10262012.14

That the CSTC Council of Chiefs hereby oppose the private members bill on transparency and own source revenue. Further be it resolved that there was no consultation with our membership communities.

MOVED BYChief Ralph Pierre(Tl’azt’en Nation) SECONDED BY:Chief Martin Louie(Nadleh Whut’en Band)CARRIED

MOTION NO. 10262012.15

That the CSTC Council of Chiefs ap-point CSTC Tribal Chief Terry Teegee as the engagement contact for the pilot project of the Strategic Engage-ment Agreement.

MOVED BYChief Reg Louis(Stellat’en First Nation) SECONDED BY:Chief Ralph Pierre(Tl’azt’en Nation)CARRIED

MOTION NO. 10262012.18

That the CSTC offi ce will be closed from December 24th, 2012 until Janu-ary 4th, 2013 and further that all full time staff be paid their regular wages during this time. The offi ce will re-open for normal business hours begin-

ning January 7th, 2013.

MOVED BYChief Jackie Thomas(Saik’uz First Nation) SECONDED BY:Chief Albert Gerow(Burns Lake Band)CARRIED

MOTION NO. 10262012.22

That the CSTC Council of Chiefs adjourn today’s meeting @ 3:40p.m. on October 26th, 2012.

MOVED BYChief Albert Gerow(Burns Lake Band)SECONDED BY:Chief Ralph Pierre(Tl’azt’en Nation)CARRIED

DATE: December 10th, 2012PLACE: Takla Lake First Nation

MOTION NO. 12102012.01

That the CSTC Council of Chiefs adopt the agenda as presented with additions noted.

MOVED BY;Chief Jackie Thomas(Saik’uz First Nation) SECONDED BY:Councillor Charlene Tom(Tl’azt’en Nation)CARRIED

MOTION NO. 12102012.02

That the CSTC Council of Chiefs adopt the October 26th, 2012 Council of Chiefs’ Meeting Minutes as present-ed with amendments noted.

MOVED BYChief Jackie Thomas(Saik’uz First Nation) SECONDED BY:Chief Fred Sam(Nak’azdli Band)CARRIED

MOTION NO. 12102012.03

That the CSTC Council of Chiefs support the Town of Smithers Shuttle Bus Service Proposal to the Govern-ment of British Columbia and also support all Northern Communities that require a shuttle bus.

MOVED BYChief Fred Sam(Nak’azdli Band) SECONDED BY:Chief Dolly Abraham(Takla Lake First Nation)CARRIED

MOTION NO. 12102012.04

That the CSTC Council of Chiefs support the Town of Smithers Shuttle Bus Service Proposal to the Govern-ment of British Columbia and also support all Northern Communities that require a shuttle bus.

MOVED BYChief Fred Sam(Nak’azdli Band) SECONDED BY:Councillor Charlene Tom(Tl’azt’en Nation)CARRIED

MOTION NO. 12102012.05

That the CSTC Council of Chiefs ap-point Chief Dolly Abraham to sit on the Aboriginal Education Committee

MOVED BYChief Jackie Thomas(Saik’uz First Nation) SECONDED BY:Chief Fred Sam(Nak’azdli Band)CARRIEDMOTION NO. 12102012.06

That the CSTC Council of Chiefs

meeting be adjourned at 3:27p.m. on December 10th, 2012

MOVED BYCouncillor Charlene Tom(Tl’azt’en Nation) SECONDED BY:Chief Reg Louis(Stellat’en First Nation)CARRIED

DATE: March 18th, 2013 PLACE: Stellat’en First Nation

MOTION NO. 03182013.01


MOVED BYChief Karen Ogen(Wet’suwet’en First Nation) SECONDED BY:Chief Albert Gerow(Burns Lake Band)CARRIED

MOTION NO. 03182013.02

That the CSTC Council of Chiefs adopt the December 10th, 2012 CSTC Council of Chiefs Meeting Minutes as presented with the amendments noted.

MOVED BYChief Albert Gerow(Burns Lake Band) SECONDED BY:Chief Reg Louis(Stellat’en First Nation)CARRIED

MOTION NO. 03182013.03

That the CSTC Council of Chiefs revoke Jackie Thomas as a Board Member for Saik’uz First Nation and appoint Chief Stanley Thomas as a representative for Saik’uz First Nation on the CSTC Board of Directors.

MOVED BYChief Karen Ogen(Wet’suwet’en First Nation) SECONDED BY:George George Sr. (Nadleh Whut’en Band)CARRIED

MOTION NO. 03182013.04

That the CSTC Council of Chiefs revoke former Tribal Chief David Luggi and Karen Ogen and appoint in their place Tribal Chief Terry Teegee and Vice-Tribal Chief Dolly Abraham and Chief Albert Gerow for signing author-ity with the Royal Bank of Canada.

The CSTC Council of Chiefs au-thorize the following individuals for signing authority with the Royal Bank of Canada:

Tribal Chief Terry TeegeeVice-Tribal Chief Dolly AbrahamAudrey Osterhout, CSTC EmployeeChief Albert Gerow

MOVED BYChief Reg Louis(Stellat’en First Nation) SECONDED BY:George George Sr. (Nadleh Whut’en Band)CARRIED

MOTION NO. 03182013.05

That the CSTC Council of Chiefs seek commitment from the AANDC for more consultation in the co-drafting of any legislation changes with our Pro-vincial Organization the First Nations Education Steering Committee.

MOVED BYChief Karen Ogen(Wet’suwet’en First Nation) SECONDED BY:Chief Stanley Thomas(Saik’uz First Nation)CARRIED

MOTION NO. 03182013.06

That the CSTC Council of Chiefs support Cindy Blackstock and the First Nations Child & Family Caring Society in their case for child equality funding for children in care on reserve against the Government of Canada.

MOVED BYChief Karen Ogen(Wet’suwet’en First Nation) SECONDED BY:Chief Albert Gerow(Burns Lake Band)CARRIED

MOTION NO. 03182013.07

That the CSTC Council of Chiefs invite Dr. James Anaya, UN Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous People to visit the CSTC Chiefs and communi-ties to discuss various Indigenous and Human Rights issues in the CSTC Territories.

MOVED BYChief Stanley Thomas(Saik’uz First Nation) SECONDED BY:Chief Karen Ogen(Wet’suwet’en First Nation)CARRIED

MOTION NO. 03182013.08

That the CSTC Council of Chiefs ac-cept the 2013-2014 Budget for Admin-istration as presented by Mrs. Rayna Barter, Senior Financial Offi cer.

MOVED BYChief Karen Ogen(Wet’suwet’en First Nation)SECONDED BY:Chief Albert Gerow(Burns Lake Band)CARRIED

MOTION NO. 03182013.08

That the CSTC Council of Chiefs ac-cept the 2013-2014 Budget for Admin-istration as presented by Mrs. Rayna Barter, Senior Financial Offi cer.


MOTION NO. 03182013.09

That the CSTC Council of Chiefs ac-cept the 2013-2014 budget for Finan-cial Advisory Services as presented by Mrs. Rayna Barter, Senior Financial Offi cer.


MOTION NO. 03182013.10

That the CSTC Council of Chiefs ac-cept the 2013-2014 budget for Group Benefi ts-INAC as presented by Mrs. Rayna Barter, Senior Financial Offi cer.

MOVED BYChief Karen Ogen(Wet’suwet’en First Nation)SECONDED BY:Chief Reg Louis(Stellat’en First Nation)CARRIED

MOTION NO. 03182013.11

That the CSTC Council of Chiefs accept the 2013-2014 budget for the CSTC Building as presented by Mrs. Rayna Barter, Senior Financial Offi cer.



CHIEF’S ATTENDANCE 2012-2013

2012-2013 Board Meeting Schedule

April 15, 2012 -Saik’uz First NationJuly 24 & 25, 2012 CSTC 31ST AGA- Burns Lake BandOctober 26, 2012- Nadleh Whut’enDecember 10, 2013- Takla Lake First Nation PG Offi ceMarch 18, 2013-Stellat’en First NationMay 21, 2013- Nak’azdli Band (Power outage)Moved to Vanderhoof CSFS Boardroom Director Attended Total of Meetings

Chief Karen Ogen, Wet’suwet’en First Nation- 2/6 Appointed Rep. 1/6Chief Albert Gerow, Burns Lake Band- 4/6Chief Reg Louis, Stellat’en First Nation- 4/6Chief Martin Louie, Nadleh Whut’en- 4/6 Appointed Rep. 1/6Chief Jackie Thomas, Saik’uz First Nation- 3/4 Appointed Rep. 1/4 Chief Stanley Thomas, Saik’uz First Nation- 2/2 Chief Fred Sam, Nak’azdli Band Council- 5/6 Appointed Rep. 1/6Chief Ralph Pierre, Tl’azt’en Nation- 2/6 Appointed Rep. 1/6Chief Dolly Abraham, Takla Lake First Nation- 3/6 Appointed Rep 1/6Tribal Chief David Luggi, CSTC- 1/1Vice-Tribal Chief Terry Teegee, CSTC-1/1After 2012 ElectionTribal Chief Terry Teegee, CSTC- 5/5

MOTION NO. 03182013.12

That the CSTC Council of Chiefs ac-cept the 2013-2014 budget for En-vironmental Monitoring as presented by Mrs. Rayna Barter, Senior Financial Offi cer.


MOTION NO. 03182013.13

That the CSTC Council of Chiefs ac-cept the February 28th, 2013 Finan-cial Statements as presented by Mrs. Rayna Barter, Senior Financial Offi cer.

MOVED BYChief Albert Gerow(Burns Lake Band)SECONDED BY:Chief Karen Ogen(Wet’suwet’en First Nation)CARRIED

MOTION NO. 03182013.14

That the CSTC Council of Chiefs support the Human Rights Report “Those Who Take Us Away.”

MOVED BYChief Karen Ogen(Wet’suwet’en First Nation)

SECONDED BY:Chief Albert Gerow(Burns Lake Band)CARRIED

DATE: May 21st, 2013 PLACE: CSFS-Vanderhoof Offi ce

MOTION NO. 05212013.01


MOVED BYChief Fred Sam(Nak’azdli Band) SECONDED BY:Chief Reg Louis(Stellat’en First Nation)CARRIED

MOTION NO. 05212013.02

That the CSTC Council of Chiefs adopt the March 18th, 2013 CSTC Council of Chiefs Meeting Minutes as presented with the amendments noted.


MOTION NO. 05212013.03

That the CSTC Council of Chiefs accept the TSU 2013-2014 Budget as presented by Rayna Barter, Senior Financial Offi cer.

MOVED BYChief Fred Sam(Nak’azdli Band) SECONDED BY:Chief Martin Louie(Nadleh Whut’en Band)CARRIED

MOTION NO. 05212013.04

That the Carrier Sekani Tribal Coun-cil of Chiefs appoint Mavis A. Erickson as the CSTC Women’s advocate to work with the 2 international bodies who will be coming to Canada. The United Nations Committee on ending discrimination against women “ (EDAW & the Organization of American (OAS) “The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights” (IACHR) are both sending investigative teams to BC to investigate human rights of Indig-enous people.


MOTION NO. 05212013.05

that the CSTC Board of Directors appoint Tribal Chief Terry Teegee as the project sponsor for the Project Ini-tiation Document with the BC Ministry of Aboriginal Relations and Reconcilia-tion for the Carrier Sekani Tribal Coun-cil Strategic Engagement Agreement Negotiations.

Be it further resolved that, Jaime Sanchez be hired by CSTC as the Proj-ect Manager for the CSTC Strategic Engagement Agreement negotiations.

Be it further resolved that Tribal Chief Terry Teegee be granted signing authority on behalf of the CSTC for matters related to the early negotia-tions (March 01, 2013 to March 31, 2014) of the Strategic Engagement Agreement Negotiations.


CHIEF'S RESOLUTIONS CONTINUED

www.carriersekani.ca 2012-2013 Annual Report 26 Carrier Sekani Tribal council

IN OUR COMMUNITIES


OUR LANGUAGES...The Yinka Déné Language Institute deals

with the Athabaskan languages of Northern Brit-ish Columbia, with a focus on Dakelh (Carrier), the Bulkley Valley/Lakes District language, and Sekani. The Bulkley Valley/Lakes District language is a newly coined name for what has sometimes been called Babine-Wet’suwet'en or Northern Carrier. It is the language spoken in the Bulkley valley and around Francois Lake, Babine Lake, and Takla Lake.

Dakelh in the narrow sense, is spoken from Fraser Lake to the East, including Stuart Lake and Trembleur Lake, as far as the Fraser River and beyond, and to the south, in the Blackwater region from around Quesnel and the Bowron Lakes to Anahim Lake in the West. Dakelh in the narrow sense consists of three main dialects: the Stuart-Trembleur Lake dialect, spoken by members of the Tl'azt'en, Nak'azdli, and Yek-ooche bands, the Nechakoh dialect, spoken by members of the Saik'uz (Stoney Creek), Nadleh, Stellakoh, Lheidli T'enneh and Cheslatta bands, and the Blackwater dialect, spoken by members of the Ulkatcho, Kluskus, Nazkoh, and Red Bluff bands.

Sekani is spoken over a large area to the North of Dakelh territory including what were originally the Finlay and Parsnip River drain-ages, in the communities of McLeod Lake, Fort Ware, and Ingenika, as well as by some members of the Takla, Tl'azt'en, and Nak'azdli bands. Sekani is more closely related to Beaver than to Dakelh, but Sekani and Dakelh people have close links through shared used of territory and intermarriage.

You can see the location of our languages on the map of the native languages of British Columbia.

The Athabaskan language family has three geographic branches. (For details of the clas-sifi cation of the Athabaskan languages, see the Classifi ed List of BC Native Languages.) All of our languages belong to the Northern Athabas-kan branch. Many members of this branch are spoken in North-Western Canada. Most of the languages of the northern interior of British Columbia are Athabaskan. These are:

Beaver Bulkley Valley/Lakes District (Babine/

Witsuwit'en) Chilcotin Dakelh Kaska Sekani Tagish Tahltan Two Athabaskan languages of British Colum-

bia are considered extinct: Tsetsaut, once spoken on the coast of northern British Columbia along the Portland Channel, and Nicola, once spoken in the Nicola Valley.

With the exception of Tlingit, the native languages of the Yukon are also Athabaskan. These are:

Gwich'in Kaska Northern Tuchone Slave Southern Tuchone Tagish Slave has several dialects: Bear Lake, Hare

or Hareskin, Mountain, and Slavey. Some people, especially speakers of these dialects, will refer specifi cally to the dialect and do not use the more general term Slave.

For a map of the languages of the Yukon as well as other information, you may consult the web site of the Yukon Native Language Centre. Most of the Northwest Territories is also Atha-baskan territory. The Athabaskan languages of the Northwest Territories are:

Chippewyan Dogrib Gwich'in Slave Three Athabaskan languages are spoken in

Alberta: Beaver Chippewyan Tsuut'ina (Sarcee) Chippewyan also extends into Sasketchewan.

Most of the languages of southern and east-ern Alaska are also Athabaskan, including:

Ahtna Deg Hit'an (Ingalik) Gwich'in Han

Holikachuk Koyukon Lower Tanana Tanacross Tanaina Upper Kuskokwim Upper Tanana For additional information on the native

languages of Alaska, including a map, you may consult the web site of the Alaska Native Lan-guage Center.

The second branch is the Pacifi c Coast Branch, whose members are located along the Pacifi c coast from northern California to south-ern Washingston. These are:

Cahto Eel River Galice-Applegate Hupa Kwalhioqua-Clatskanie Kraig Matthewole Tolowa Tututni Upper Umpqua These languages are all extinct except for

Hupa (about 20 speakers) and Tolowa (three speakers) in northern California, and Tututni (two speakers) in Oregon. The Pacifi c Coast Athabaskans are believed to have migrated from British Columbia about 1400 years ago. Some information about these languages is available on the California Athapascan Home Page.

The third branch is the Apachean branch, consisting of Navajo and the fi ve Apache lan-guages: Western, Jicarilla, Mescalero-Chirica-hua, Lipan and Plains (also known as Kiowa-Apache). The Apachean peoples are believed to have migrated to the American South-west about 1000 years ago. These languages appear to be most closely related to Tsuut'ina (Sarcee), in the vicinity of Calgary.

The nearly extinct Eyak language, spoken in southern Alaska, is a sister of the Athabaskan family as a whole. Tlingit, spoken in northern British Columbia, the Yukon, and southern Alaska, is a sister of Athabaskan-Eyak.

The entire language family is known by the cumbersome name Athabaskan-Eyak-Tlingit (AET). The term Na-Dene is sometimes used, but strictly speaking this refers to a proposed language family that includes Haida, the relationship of which to the other languages is generally considered to be unproven.

AET languages are spoken over a large part of North America, including large parts of British Columbia, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories, Alberta and Alaska, as well as parts of the American Southwest and the coast of the American Northwest.

Our Athabaskan languages have neighbors belonging to other language families. To the East of Dakelh, there is Cree, an Algonquian language, and to the South-east, Shuswap, a Salishan language. To the West are Gitksan and Nisga'a, both Tsimshianic languages, Haisla, a Wakashan language, and Nuxalk, a Salishan language. To the South of Chilcotin lie Shuswap and Lilloet, both Salishan languages.

Our languages are closely tied to the culture and to the land. Every place of signifi cance has a name. These names often describe the place or record an event associated with it. For example, Tachie River is known as Duzdlikoh. ``the river in which driftwood fl ows''. Burns Lake is called Dzilh Ggiz Bin ``the lake betweeen the moun-tains''. Mouse Mountain, opposite Fraser Lake, is called Neyilasts'ah ``cannibal's pinkie'' because the bluff highup on the mountain looks like a crooked little fi nger and a family of cannibals is said to have lived in a cave in its side. Chinlac, the site of a large village on the Stuart River near its confl uence with the Nechako destroyed around 1745, is a contraction of duchun nidulak ``wood fl oats to a terminus'', which describes the way in which driftwood accumulates on the sandbar in the river.

The places that are named include not only obvious geographical features such as moun-tains, lakes, and rivers, but also many places that are important because of their use by Dakelh people. For example, Ts'alk'et ``Diaper Moss Place'' is the name of a boggy area along the old trail from Saik'uz to Nadleh, now Telegraph Road. It is named after the ts'al (Diaper Moss) that grows there in abundance. Diaper moss is important because it is used for diapers, men-strual pads, and the like. The information that

Diaper Moss grows there conveys to a Dakelh person the fact that 'uyak'unulh'a (Labrador Tea) also grows there since they grow in the same en-vironment. Labrador Tea is used as a drink and as a medicine. An island in Stuart Lake is known as Tsinteltehnoola ``the island where there are ling cod underwater'' because people spear ling cod on the reef surrounding it.

Intervention on the Study on the role of languages and culture in the promotion and pro-tection of the rights and identity of Indigenous peoples

by Ak'ile Choh Grand Chief Edward John, Tl'azt'en Nation

Chair Permanent Forum on Indigenous IssuesStatement presented at the United Nations of

Geneva

Thank you to the United Nations Human Rights Council for resolution 18/8 authoriz-ing the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP) to prepare this report on Indigenous languages and cultures to promote and p...rotect the rights of Indigenous peoples and for keeping this critical issue alive. The study is comprehensive in its analysis and conclusions. The advice in Advice No. 3 (2012), with the substantive and constructive comments from delegations need to be considered, sup-ported and acted on. The required and necessary political will and concrete actions are important next steps to ensure Indigenous languages, and thereby their cultures survive and thrive. I am encouraged by the many positive interventions on this important issue but concerned deeply where Indigenous languages are not supported in any signifi cant way and are in peril of being lost forever.

As the report clearly articulates languages are an important underpinning and expression of in-digenous peoples’ right to self-determination and is essential to facilitate the practice of their self-determination. Forgive me as I reference some of these issue from a very personal perspective.

In Canada and the US there were deliberate attempts to undermine Indigenous languages, cultures and the exercise of self determination. In Canada for example the State introduced unconscionable and deliberate policies, practices and institutions to "kill the Indian in the child". Residential schools built all across Canada and operated by various church denominations, now the subject of a national Truth and Reconcili-ation Commission, took Indigenous children away from their families, communities, cultures and languages to civilize and assimilate them. Meanwhile, other initiatives were instituted to take the lands, territories and resources from In-digenous peoples. Indigenous governing authori-ties and systems were systematically replaced, through the Indian Act, with governing systems over which the State had legislative control. In addition these laws also determined who was, and who was not an "Indian"-an imposed legal status. Taken together these and other supporting efforts were designed to implement the so called "doctrine of discovery".

We, the Indigenous children in these Indian residential schools were to be the instruments of State policy... that through us, our languages, cultures and even entire peoples with distinct cultures and ways of life were to die. The net result now is many of our Indigenous languages are struggling to survive. Some are extinct already. When the government of Canada apolo-gized for their actions, after lengthy and time consuming litigation to determine liabilities, very limited fi nancial resources were set up by the State for indigenous communities to repair and rebuild the language bases. Without our lan-guages how will we truly know our ways? our histories? our beliefs? our lands? each other? our Creator? For many Indigenous peoples our lands are a central part of our identity, of who we are. If the assimilationist policies are completely re-alized and we are without our languages we will have become mere shadows of our ancestors.

Language is the essence of our cultures, and to our survival, dignity and well being as Indig-enous peoples. As children we learned and lived our languages and cultures as a day to day part of family and community. Of course as children we did not know this but it was a signifi cant process to learn from our parents, grandparents and many others in our communities. We, in our respective generations, now have these responsi-bilities. Article 25 of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples recognizes this. "Indigenous peoples have the right to maintain

their distinctive spiritual relationships with their...lands, territories, waters and coastal seas and other resources and to uphold their respon-sibilities to future generations...". Despite the signifi cant hurdles and challenges we have to do what we can. There is time. There is hope which we cannot ever abandon. We have to believe and be confi dent in ourselves and who we are.

The study outlines international and regional standards on indigenous peoples’ rights to language and culture. Language rights, as part of cultural rights, where they are inadequately recognized or supported must become important State public policy priorities. This is noted in a very strong way in paragraph 46 of the study. Where they have been neglected they must be refl ected and supported through national legisla-tion and policy and must be included, as human rights in human rights implementation processes.

These rights to languages, as part of cultural rights, are integral elements of the right to self-determination and should be viewed within the context of the universal, interdependent and complementary nature of human rights. At its tenth session, the Permanent Forum acknowl-edged the Secretary-General’s warning that an indigenous language dies every two weeks, expresses its critical concern about this dire situation and, as a part of its review, has ap-pointed (myself) Edward John to follow up with UNESCO and UNICEF, other United Nations agencies and programmes and States, to consider developments that will ensure the ongoing sur-vival and revitalization of indigenous languages.

In 2008, the International Year of Languages, the Permanent Forum held an expert group meeting on indigenous languages and this report can be found on the Permanent Forum’s website. Like the EMRIP Study, it was found that indig-enous peoples and their languages are threatened around the world. The loss of indigenous lan-guages signifi es not only the loss of traditional knowledge but also the loss of cultural diversity and spirituality. Dire as this situation is, there is a lack of awareness on the part of some Govern-ments of the urgency for policy measures to reverse this trend.

Indigenous languages are treasures of vast traditional knowledge concerning ecological systems and processes and how to protect and use some of the most vulnerable and biologi-cally diverse ecosystems in the world. It is no coincidence that the areas where indigenous peoples live are the areas that contain the greatest biological diversity. In fact, biological, linguistic and cultural diversity are inseparable and mutually reinforcing, so when an indigenous language is lost, so too is the traditional knowl-edge for how to maintain aspects of the world’s biological diversity.

Language rights must be implemented as a collective and an individual right. There are some positive initiatives where the translation of relevant laws and important political texts into indigenous languages have occurred so that indigenous peoples can better participate in the political sphere. It is important to translate legal texts into indigenous languages and use them. It is also essential to include indigenous languages and cultures into early childhood care and educa-tion curriculum, and promote multilingualism.

The prevailing situation in the world today is that certain languages are given offi cial status and recognition, while the majority of languages, and, in particular, indigenous languages, are denied legal recognition. This deplorable imbal-ance weakens indigenous languages and contrib-utes to views that portray indigenous languages as inferior and give room for discriminatory and corrupt practices that are diffi cult to combat through legal or political means. In closing, it is important to view indigenous languages not as a fi nancial drain but as an incredibly valuable resource of which every State should express profound pride.

Language diversity is a major contribution to the wealth of every country’s cultural heritage and as I said at the outset, there is a need for political will and concrete actions to provide the resources needed to preserve and develop this heritage, in particular Indigenous languages. t should also be stressed that the promotion of indigenous languages does not undermine national unity; on the contrary, alongside all other languages, it is a positive contribution to national heritage and identity.


IDLE NO MORE

july 19, 2013

Documents

bc v0j 1p0phone

bc v0j 1e0phone

bc v0j 1n0phone

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bc v0j 3a0phone

chief dolly abrahamtakla

fraser lake

burns lake