Klappan Strategic Initiative (KSI) - Technical Report

From Tahltan Central Council:

“The Klappan is extremely important for the Tahltan community. It is our water, it is our food, it is our land. The report empowers our community by putting our values and  concerns into a document co-written and signed by the Province.”

In late December, the Tahltan Central Council (TCC) and Province of British Columbia jointly released a draft Klappan Strategic Initiative Technical Report.

The report was presented to the Tahltan communities last fall by the Klappan Strategic Initiative (KSI), which is partnership between the province and TCC designed to bring a collaborative approach to land and resource issues in the area. The draft report is now released to the public and gives all Tahltans more opportunity to review the report and provide your feedback.

The report explains both Tahltan and Provincial perspectives of the Klappan. It includes traditional cultural, environmental and economic values and concerns.

The report is not a land-use recommendation. It is a summary of both Tahltan and Provincial perspectives of the Klappan and will help facilitate an informed government-to-government discussion. By sitting down with the Provincial Government to outline our values and priorities, we are helping to ensure a long-term plan and protection for the Klappan.

In the report, the province recognizes that Tahltans are stewards of the Klappan. This will help the Tahltan Nation to ensure any proposed development in and around the Klappan will happen on Tahltan terms, and will be informed by values documented in the report.
 

More information can be found here: http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/main/ksi

Source: http://www.tahltan.org/sites/default/files/newsletters/TCC_Newsletter_Jan2015_JF_v9_web.pdf

 

Tahltan Nation accepts Co-Management Agreement with Red Chris mine

from

Tahltan Central Council

- April 19/15 -

Tahltan territory, BC – Members of the Tahltan Nation have voted to accept a ground-breaking Co-Management Agreement with the new Red Chris mine in Tahltan territory, which opened in February.

The Agreement was supported by 86.9% of voters, with 12.9% voting no. 0.2% of the votes were rejected.

The unique agreement ensures Tahltan oversight and control of environmental issues surrounding the mine. It also guarantees Tahltan training and careers and a revenue-sharing agreement to help build a strong and independent Tahltan future.

Commenting on the news, Tahltan Central Council President Chad Day said: “This is a big step for our people, for all First Nations and for all British Columbians. Tahltan people have been living on our land for more than 10,000 years, so it makes sense for us to be involved in making sure our lands, waters and wildlife are protected for everyone without affecting our Title and Rights.

“The Agreement also brings local jobs, careers and training for our people and their families. That’s good for our Nation and it’s good for the mine. By sharing tax revenue from the mine, we can build our programs and services for a stronger Tahltan future and to better operate as a government in our territory.”

He added: “I would like to thank mine owner Imperial Metals for working with us in developing the Agreement, as well as everyone else who has made is possible.”

Now that the Tahltan Nation has ratified the Co-Management Agreement, work begins on making sure commitments are followed through in an efficient and transparent way. This will be a subject at upcoming discussions, including at the Tahltan Annual General Assembly from July 2-5.

SOURCE: http://www.tahltan.org/news/tahltan-nation-accepts-historic-co-management-agreement-red-chris-mine#sthash.mImwT8Wt.dpuf

Tahltan Strike Power Company Deal

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Tahltan Nation announced it has signed an impact benefit agreement (IBA) with Coast Mountain Hydro, a subsidiary of Alberta-based AltaGas, for the Forrest Kerr run-of-river hydroelectric project. The agreement comprises a combination of environmental protections, cultural resource protections and economic participation for the Tahltan Nation for the project which would generate hydro power from the Iskut River.

"The Tahltan Nation is proud of this Impact Benefit Agreement with Coast Mountain Hydro Corp. and the increased economic security that it will provide for generations to come," says Annita McPhee, Chair of the Tahltan Central Council. "This agreement establishes ownership, management of our resources and profit sharing while taking into consideration the protection of our environment as a renewable energy project. This IBA will set the bar for resource development projects and demonstrates the results of a successful relationship with a company in Tahltan Territory that respects our aboriginal title and rights."

"Any land and resource decisions affecting Tahltan Traditional Territory must respect the environment, the Tahltan way of life and the Tahltan people," said Annita McPhee earlier today. "The agreement reflects the significant input we've gathered from consultation with community members and, while protecting our territory and our way of life, provides our Nation with long-term economic security."

The Forrest Kerr Project will provide business opportunities for members of the Tahltan Nation to participate in the construction, operation and maintenance of the project, and Tahltan university graduates will have opportunities to enroll in training programs with AltaGas. The agreement also provides economic benefits to the Tahltan Nation, including shared ownership and royalties.

Read More: Here

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2005 Moratorium Declaration

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Tahltan Moratorium Heats Up The Northwest

These words, in a statement issued by the Elders of the Tahltan Nation last week, have sparked controversy in BC's northwest, where big energy companies like Shell thought they were going to get a virtually free ride, thanks to agreements they were negotiating privately with some members of the Tahltan who lacked the authority to speak for the Nation's traditional territory.

The story is another example of the BC government being only too willing to avoid its consultation responsibilities, handing them off to companies that claim they have agreements with the First Nations. As the recent Haida case makes clear, the government has a much greater responsibility than that. Its failure to properly consult and accommodate the Tahltan people has forced the Elders to take this unusual step.

As recent media coverage such as today's Tyee story indicates, the Tahltan Elders are becoming active. They have occupied the Telegraph Creek band office, making the point that the chief elected under the Indian Act, whose authority only extends to the boundary of the Indian Reserve, is not acting on behalf of the people. And they've declared a moratorium on development until proper consultation and accommodation can begin. Their statement puts all the companies pushing major development proects in the region on notice that they don't have the legal right to start operations.

Read More Here: Dogwood Initiative 

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The Sociality of Water

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As concerns over climate change intensify, anthropologists have emerged as key participants in conversations about water use. Such work is crucial not only to assess the implications of floods, droughts and water rights conflicts today, but also the ways in which water has always been a mediated resource, and how communities’ relationships with water might change in the future.

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The following commentary series focuses on water governance and management, examining water access and power relationships, development initiatives, water conservation and availability, water as commons and commodity, and emerging trends in sustainable water management.

John Wagner
Water Governance Today

Barbara Rose Johnston
Water, Culture and Power Negotiations at the UN

Antina von Schnitzler
Gauging Politics: Water, Commensuration and Citizenship in Post-Apartheid South Africa

Eleanor E Shoreman
Muddy Waters: Water Conservation and Environmental Ethics in the Mississippi Delta

Ashley Carse
Moral Economies of Water Management: Tensions in the Panama Canal Watershed

Jessica Cattelino
Citizenship and Nation in the Everglades

Carla Roncoli
Participatory Models and Exclusionary Frames in Water Management* More photos by Carla Roncoli related to this article are available on Flickr.

Kathryn Hicks, Nicole Fabricant and Carlos Revilla
The New Water Wars: Collective Action after Decentralization in El Alto, Bolivia

Nan Bress
The Water Spigot: Water Access, Safety and Perception Near the Ashokan Reservoir* More photos by Nan Bress related to this article are available on Flickr.

Simanti Dasgupta
Transactions in Transparency: Water, Market and Politics in the Indian Silicon Plateau


SOURCE: http://aaanet.org/publications/articles.cfm
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Tahltan Central Council Resource Development Policy Statement

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Tahltan Central Council, Resource Development Policy, April, 1987

In history as well as in mythology, The Tahltan first Nation people have always been acknowledged as the original inhabitants of the Stikine River watershed in northern British Columbia. Archaeological evidence has determined that the Tahltan people have continuously occupied this area for thousands of years, perhaps as many as 10,000. This is what is often referred to in poetic terms as “since time immemorial”.

The first white person to come into Tahltan country was Samuel Black who arrived in 1821 exploring for the Northwest Trading Company, Our people never met Black and so it wasn’t until 1838 when the second white person, Robert Campbell of the Hudson Bay Company, entered our territory that European contact with our people was first made.

Tahltan had an elaborate trading economy already established when the HBC encountered our tribe. Although the HBC was very interested in immediately setting up a competing trading operation in Tahltan country, our people blocked them for approximately forty years so as to protect our own established trading economy. At that time Tahltans had an active commercial network based on our position as middlemen between the coastal tribes and the tribes living north and east of the Stikine country.

We also traded our own fish and furs and other natural resources such as obsidian to all peoples who came into our country.

Tahltan people are very proud of our tradition of commercial enterprise and equally proud that we were able to protect our interests against the mighty HBC Empire for those many years. It wasn’t until the 1870’s, when the Cassiar gold rush was in full swing, that the HBC was able to open its first trading post in Tahltan traditional territory.

Even though our people have lost the monopoly position of business in our own country, we are still active on many business fronts. Our present tribal objective is to increase our participation in all business that develops within the borders of our tribal territory so that we can again enjoy a self-sustaining, healthy and enterprising economy.

We wish to make it very clear that Tahltan people and the Tahltan Central Council are not inherently opposed to any development within our country. However, we do feel strongly that any development within our tribal territory must adhere to some basic principles that the Tahltan Central Council has developed.

We appreciate that most private developers “just want to conduct their business”. They do not want to have any discussions or participate in any actions that have overtones of aboriginal rights or native politics. We in one sense sympathize with that wish of developers because we, as businessmen, also experience frustration when politics begin to directly affect our business endeavours, However, the reality is that if our tribal objective of achieving substantial participation in business development within our country is to be realized within a reasonable time, we must combine politics and business when dealing with developers wishing to establish themselves within Tahltan country. Developers will have to come to terms with this reality if they expect to function successfully within our territory.

Before a resource development project can commence within Tahltan tribal territory, it will be necessary for the developer and the Tahltan Central Council to enter into a project participation agreement that encompasses the following elements and basic principles;

1. Assurance that the development will not pose a threat of irreparable environmental damage;

2. Assurance that the development will not jeopardize, prejudice or otherwise compromise the outstanding Tahltan aboriginal rights claim;

3. Assurance that the project will provide more positive than negative social impact on Tahltan people;

4. Provisions for the widest possible opportunity for education and direct employment-related training for Tahltan people in connection with the project;

5. Provisions for the widest possible employment opportunities for Tahltan people with respect to all phases of the development;

6. Provision for substantial equity participation by Tahltans in the total project;

7. Provisions for the widest possible development of Tahltan business opportunities over which the developer may have control or influence;

8. Provisions for the developer to assist the Tahltans to accomplish the objectives stated above by providing financial and managerial assistance and advice where deemed necessary.

If resource developers and the Tahltan Central Council can reach agreement embracing the points noted above, then we believe that Tahltans, the developers and all other Canadians will enjoy equitable benefits from each resource development undertaken and there will be business harmony within Tahltan traditional tribal territory.

Curtis Rattray
Chairman, Tahltan Central Council

SOURCE: http://www.tahltan.org/RDC.doc
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