TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2014 | WWW.PGCITIZEN.CA News 5 Relations between First Nations, mining firms complex CITIZEN PHOTO BY DAVID MAH Mt. Milligan mine construction manager Bert Jeffries, left, and shift superintendant Chris Taylor, check out the view from the cab of one of the excavating shovels in the open pit. Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca Northern B.C. is both a battleground and a field of dreams for the mining sector when it comes to aboriginal relations. Some of the best and worst relationships between mining companies and First Nations can be found in this region. The new Aboriginal Engagement Guidebook, written by the Association for Mineral Exploration B.C., explores the learning moments in both the best and the worst of those relationships. The 77-page guide is an expansion on previous toolkits. It was unveiled this past week at the association’s Roundup annual conference in Vancouver. The guide contains a comprehensive history of aboriginal relations pertaining to mining, a set of frequently encountered scenarios, a chart of common problems, and suggestions and potential solutions. “It is not what I’d call codified, because there are so many variables [from First Nation to First Nation and mine project to mine project], but it is a handbook that really gives companies information on how they should be doing their dealings,” provincial mining minister Bill Bennett said. The issue was not a primary concern for many years, as mining in B.C. lulled almost to a halt during the 1990s and has only rebounded in the past decade. That rebound was affected in 2007 when, for the first time, the federal/provincial environmental joint review panel said no to a proposed mine. That was the Kemess North project, and centred on using Amazay (Duncan) Lake as a tailings pond. “It seems as if the unresolved social and cultural considerations of the region far outweighed the tangible economic and environmental factors being considered,” said Michael McPhie, then-president of the Mining Association of B.C. at the time. “This decision could potentially mean the loss of hundreds of high paying jobs and the flight of investment from an area desperately in need of economic activity.” The project was later purchased for $1.5 billion by AuRico Gold Inc. and is now alive again as a proposed underground mine, bypassing many of the environmental concerns raised by area First Nations. Furthermore, straight south of the Kemess site, in the same Williston Lake valley, the Mount Milligan Mine went from an exploration project to an operational mine in the time since the Amazay decision. Thompson Creek Metals partnered with the affected First Nations on the Mount Milligan mine. Aboriginal companies helped build it, and aboriginal people are employed there. “We are not against development in our territories,” said Gordon Pierre, grand chief of the Tse Keh Nay that led the fight against the Amazay Lake design. “This is not just about protecting this lake for First Nations people; this is about protecting all lakes for all Canadians. There are currently over 20 lakes in Canada facing similar mining proposals and we are happy that a precedent has been set in Tse Keh Nay territory: killing lakes is unacceptable.” Taseko Mines is facing the same opposition at a different site. Their hopes for a gold mine west of Williams Lake have been called into doubt by two review panels. On the other hand, Taseko has partnership agreements with some Cariboo First Nations and their operational Gibraltar Mine is a significant employer of aboriginal residents in the area. The provincial government is on the record as supportive of the New Prosperity proposal, even though the same B.C. government quashed the Booker Pacific mining company’s proposal for a mine at Morrison Lake near Granisle, north of Burns Lake before it even reached the level of panel hearings. First Nations in the area include the Gitxsan, Gitan-yow and Lake Babine bands. The company fought the blockage in court and recently won, bringing the application back to life. The Blackwater gold/copper proposed mine is also still in the early stages of development, but ownership company New Gold has partnership agreements with multiple First Nations located in the affected territory south of Vanderhoof and west of Prince George. Signs of strong First Nations opposition, however, are visible at another northern B.C. industrial site. Fortune Minerals has done advanced exploratory work in the Klappan region of the northwest -T ahltan territory - but in late 2013 was ordered by the provincial government to halt their efforts when a protest camp was set up adjacent to the mining company’s exploration camp. The RCMP placed officers in between the two sides until Bennett issued the order to cease mining operations pending further talks with the Tahltan. Similar discussions resulted in another industrial player— petroleum company Shell - halting in 2012 any further activities in the same region. That required provincial government facilitation to prevent an outright financial loss by the company. “The Tahltan Nation is united in its opposition to development in our Sacred Headwaters,” said Tahltan Central Council president Annita McPhee. “This [one-year pause] gives us some temporary reprieve, and is the first step in a long journey towards a protection plan for the Klappan. We will continue to resist any industrial development ... that threatens to destroy our land and culture.” Another on that same list is the Red Chris copper/gold mine proposal that is far down the procedural road but has a flat refusal by the Tahltan people. McPhee was brought to the University of T oronto for a lecture last year on how her nation has successfully interceded on huge projects they oppose but also backed huge projects they approve of. She said that in the past three years the Tahltan people have “started construction on $2 billion in resource projects, and $11 billion more are being considered” resulting in almost 100 per cent employment for her people plus an income stream for healthcare, language and cultural programs. The stakes involve hundreds of millions of investment dollars, years of employment for communities, but the possibility of massive environmental costs, both in dollars and damage. McPhee was in Prince George at the Premier’s Natural Resources Forum in January as was Premier Christy Clark. During Clark’s keynote address, applause erupted in the mostly pro-development audience when she said aboriginal inclusion in the industrial development process was not good enough, and all sides stood to gain by engaging together better. “They have waited far too long,” for meaningful consultation, she said of B.C.’s First Nations. Forestry companies have also been challenged after harvesting without sufficient aboriginal compensation or consideration. First Nations have gone to court over such issues. “The key is sound relationships,” said Jason Fisher, a vice-president at Dunkley Lumber during a forum panel discussion at the premier’s forum. “Developing relationships can be done in a cliched way or a nuanced way - getting to know the needs not as ‘First Nations needs’ but as the needs of individual people in your region who feel the impacts of what you do as a company. It behooves us [in industry] to get out and meet those people on whose traditional territory we are working.” Minister Bill Bennett said that was exactly the template for a company wishing to avoid costly or plan-killing delays, public protests, court battles, government interventions and damage to reputation: do the relationship work before doing the dirt work. “Government has its own obligations to consult with First Nations. We are certainly willing and happy to engage with industry on that. But industry has taken a lead on this themselves,” he said. Family doctor good first point of contact —from page 4 “We can walk them through what to do to support them, to be nonjudgmental to say I’ve noticed, I’m concerned, I’m here to help and I can help you get help when you want to,” she said. For parents of children who may develop an eating disorder, DeWolf said a good first point of contact is a family doctor. She said parents worried about their children’s eating habits should keep track of any weight loss so they can provide that information to the medical team. “Sometimes [a person with an eating disorder] will do all kinds of things to hide how much weight they are losing and if you don’t have any idea how much weight they’ve lost in a certain time period it can be challenging for professionals then to come in and help out,” she said. The eating disorder clinic accepts selfreferrals as well recommendations from physicians. Once someone accesses the clinic, they have an intake interview with a nurse to ensure they’re a fit with the program and then they have a meeting with the entire interdisciplinary team to collaboratively develop a treatment plan. “We treatment match depending on what they’re willing to do at the moment,” she said. The clinic is open on Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. or by calling 250-565-7479. Your family depends on you to arrive safely. Plan ahead. 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