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First Nations - CF help, protests, solutions, residential schools, etc. (merged)

my72jeep said:
The 2014 flood season is here and my Broke assed Town has taken in 87 people from Attawapiskat with more coming, Monday after noon I got a call to have a school bus ready to go to all the hotels to pick up any Attawapiskat people and take them to Bingo. The farthest hotel from the bingo hall is less then a half a km. when asked 1, why they need a buss. 2. why are we taking them to bingo. I was told Cultural Necessity.  You don't want to hear the answer to question #3 Who's paying for Bingo.

And don't ask them to smoke outside like the rest of us.
 
Just appalling. A First Nations Chief earning  nearly a million dollars after taxes for leading a band of just 80 people, when his actual salary should only be around $84,000.

VanCity Buzz

COQUITLAM FIRST NATION CHIEF EARNED $914,219 TAX FREE SALARY IN 2013
BY VANCITY BUZZ STAFF | 12 HOURS AGO

Kwikwetlem First Nation chief Ron Giesbrecht makes nearly three times more than Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Audited financial statements indicated he earned $914,219 tax free in 2013 in addition to another $16,574 in expenses – an amount equivalent to $1.6-million before taxes. About $800,000 came from a ‘bonus’ of what the band received in economic development funds.

Giesbrecht is the leader of a small, 81-member First Nation based in the Coquitlam of Metro Vancouver. The nation has two reserves in the area accounting for about 85 hectares in total, and less than one-third of its members live on the reserves.

The deadline to reveal the audited financial information, including salaries and expenses of both chiefs and councillors, was on Tuesday.

Another document revealed the Kwikwetlem First Nation had $8.8-million in net financial assets. For the fiscal year ending on March 31, 2014, it received $12.63-million in revenue including $8.225 million from the provincial government of British Columbia for economic development.

(...EDITED)
 
S.M.A. said:
....
COQUITLAM FIRST NATION CHIEF EARNED $914,219 TAX FREE SALARY IN 2013

A bit more detail, presented without comment:
In an exclusive interview with the Tri-Cities NOW, the chief of the Kwikwetlem First Nation is defending the whopping salary he took home last year.

Chief Ron Giesbrecht told the Tri-Cities NOW he made about $800,000 as a bonus last year after taking over the role of economic development officer for the band.

According to remuneration numbers posted on the band’s website Thursday as part of the federal government’s First Nations Financial Transparency Act, Giesbrecht made $914,219 in 2013-14.

A further breakdown provided by the band shows he made $4,800 in his role as chief, $80,000 as economic development officer and $800,000 in the form of a 10-per-cent bonus for being economic development officer.

Giesbrecht explained he took over the role in September 2013 after the former economic development officer left, in order to keep millions of dollars worth of projects moving.

He said the 10-per-cent bonus was built into the position three years ago to give the person in the role an incentive to get contracts.

“Whoever thought the bonus would be this much? I tell you, I never would have,” he said, noting in light of the situation, the band will likely hire someone else to take over as economic development officer.

“I just pushed for a lot of jobs and partnerships and it just excelled.”

Giesbrecht said when he learned of the bonus structure, he personally removed it from the position.

The band said it has six projects on the go worth millions, including an ongoing partnership contract to remove dirt from the tunnel of the Evergreen Line worth $8.5 million, and a project to remediate a fuel depot on the Riverview Hospital grounds.

The band’s financial statements show it has $8.8 million in net financial assets, up from $2.7 million in 2013.

Giesbrecht suggested the band’s fortunes took off after the provincial government started offering extra points on bids for contracts for companies that partner with First Nations. 

While the chief said he expects to hear from some of the band members over his salary, he insists nothing nefarious is behind his large amount.

“At the end of the day, I just took over an existing contract,” he said, noting the band council voted to have him take over the position of economic development officer due to his experience in construction ....
 
Calgary region Tsuu T'ina chief publically announced today that he will not disclose any of his figures or any of those in his council.

Tsuu T'ina has 1500 people registered (who knows how many actually reside there) and received $1.8mil last year in just "economic development" funds
 
Rio Tinto again in the news:

Reuters

Court rules Canadian aboriginal lawsuit vs Rio Tinto can go ahead
Mon Sep 22, 2014 6:13pm EDT

VANCOUVER (Reuters) - A Quebec court has ruled that a C$900 million ($815 million) lawsuit by two Canadian aboriginal communities against a subsidiary of Rio Tinto (RIO.L: Quote)(RIO.AX: Quote) can proceed.

The Innu communities of Uashat Mak Mani-Utenam and Matimekush-Lac John asked the court last March for an injunction against Rio's Iron Ore Company of Canada (IOC) unit in Quebec and Labrador to stop all mining, as well as an estimated C$900 million in damages.

They said at the time that more than a half century of iron ore mining has disrupted their traditional way of life.

IOC tried to have the case dismissed on grounds that the aboriginal communities should be suing the government not the company, the Innu said in a statement on Monday. The court made its ruling on Sept. 19.

Spokesmen for IOC and Rio Tinto were not immediately available for comment on Monday.

(...SNIPPED)
 
That is an "inherited case" from the Alcan days. Having dealt with the Alcan senior management I can imagine the claim has some substance.
 
Not sure if some First Nations groups in Alberta might echo similar sentiments to this...

One only wonders what groups on either side of the border will do if the Keystone bill does pass the US Senate... (and if Obama doesn't use his veto...)

SUN NEWS

Keystone approval an ‘act of war,’ says Native American tribe
4:26 pm, November 15th, 2014

The Rosebud Sioux Tribe of South Dakota has called the U.S. House of Representatives' authorization of Keystone XL an “act of war” and vowed to close its borders to stop the pipeline.

The Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives on Friday approved the $5.4-billion pipeline that would carry crude oil from Alberta’s oilsands to the U.S. Gulf Coast.

“The House has now signed our death warrants and the death warrants of our children and grandchildren. The Rosebud Sioux Tribe will not allow this pipeline through our lands,” Rosebud President Cyril L. Scott told the Lakota Voice.

“We are outraged at the lack of intergovernmental co-operation. We are a sovereign nation and we are not being treated as such. We will close our reservation borders to Keystone XL. Authorizing Keystone XL is an act of war against our people.”

(...SNIPPED)

It was the ninth time the House has passed a Keystone bill, and supporters were confident that this time the Senate would follow suit and pass its version.

But passage was not assured in the Senate, which is expected to take up the measure next Tuesday.
 
Not too sure about the routing of pipelines but could Keystone be routed around this reservation?

 
...and then not hire any of those citizens of a sovereign nation to work on it.
 
Kat Stevens said:
...and then not hire any of those citizens of a sovereign nation to work on it.

That thought went through my mind just after I hit post.....
 
Jim Seggie said:
That thought went through my mind just after I hit post.....

Typically, when we see this kind of rhetoric and posturing, it's simply the band councils that are making noise in order to extort more money from the principals. The rest of the band fall in line so they won't be blackballed, cut out of the meager profits, left over after the council has its share first.

Everyone has their price, and the aboriginals learned a long time ago that if the white man wants something bad enough, there's no limit to what he'll pay.
 
recceguy said:
Typically, when we see this kind of rhetoric and posturing, it's simply the band councils that are making noise in order to extort more money from the principals. The rest of the band fall in line so they won't be blackballed

I am old enough to remember the days when you would hear Indians say they liked the residential schools.  You never hear that anymore.  Doesn't fit the narrative.
 
I have heard the same, some schools were good, others were bad and the people in charge failed those that went to the badly run ones.
 
All these different organizations, tribes, and now Ontario/Quebec who are against economic development/pipelines don't seem to realize where their provincial welfare comes from. 

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/flurry-of-bc-court-battles-threatens-to-drive-away-investment/article21717760/

Flurry of B.C. court battles threaten to drive away investment

VANCOUVER — The Globe and Mail- Mark Hume - Published Saturday, Nov. 22 2014, 2:38 PM EST

A flurry of court cases has tied up more than $25-billion worth of resource projects this year as First Nations, environmental groups and others battle pipelines, mines, a dam and a coal port – a situation that some observers fear will drive away investment.

“Well, it’s not new, but arguably it’s intensified,” Jock Finlayson, executive vice-president and chief policy officer for the Business Council of B.C., said of the legal roadblocks.

Mr. Finlayson said the province has a long history of court battles over resource developments, but he worries British Columbia’s reputation could suffer if the wave of litigation continues.

“Even though it’s not a new phenomenon . . . it is getting more complex and costly over time – so it does hurt us,” he said.

First Nations that say they were not adequately consulted on developments, and non-governmental organizations challenging federal or provincial environmental permits, make up the bulk of the 38 cases, a review of court records by The Globe and Mail has shown. But municipal governments are also bringing cases, and resource companies are using the courts too, to get injunctions against protesters.

Mr. Finlayson said he is not critical of groups that take action to protect their legal rights, but too many projects could be entangled in court for too long.

“People outside the province, whether they are investors, institutional money managers or actual corporations . . . might look at B.C. and say it’s too difficult to do business there,” he said. “We’re not there yet, because as I look at the amount of investment under way, clearly we’re continuing to attract our share, but I do think there’s some risk around it.”

Ravina Bains, associate director of aboriginal policy at the Fraser Institute, said a recent survey of mining companies shows executives in that industry are already wary of B.C.

“The No. 1 reason why investors are reluctant to invest in B.C. is because of the First Nations land-uncertainty question,” she said. “It’s clearly having an impact because this is an issue that’s top of mind for potential mining developers.”

Ms. Bains said a Supreme Court of Canada decision this summer that confirmed the Tsilhqot’in First Nation have title over a sprawling territory in central B.C. has spurred more court action from others.

“I think that judgment was a real game-changer. It was historic . . . it provided an example for different First Nation communities to use the court system versus actually negotiating with different levels of government,” she said.

Gwen Barlee, policy director of the environmental group, the Wilderness Committee, said one of the reasons for all the legal action is that the government is not doing enough to protect the environment.

“I think people are losing faith in the system and they don’t think there’s appropriate checks and balances with provincial environmental laws or federal environmental laws,” she said. “So when those [resource project] decisions come down, people are saying, ‘We don’t think that those were measured and appropriate decisions and we’re going to go to court because of that.’”

Chris Tollefson, executive director of the Environmental Law Centre at the University of Victoria, said one way to restore public confidence and cut down on the litigation would be for the province to get out of the agreement that authorizes the National Energy Board, a federal agency, to approve projects such as the Northern Gateway and Trans Mountain pipeline proposals. Prior to 2010, B.C. held its own environmental hearings, but in seeking to streamline the process, the province handed off authority for environmental reviews to Ottawa on some big energy projects. This limited the province’s option to block projects it objected to.

Mr. Tollefson, who is representing the conservation group BC Nature in two Federal Court of Appeal cases related to the Northern Gateway proposal, said NGOs and First Nations think hard before deciding to go to court because it is so expensive.

“It depends on the number of days it is in court and how much work is involved in bringing the matter forward, but . . . I would say in the average case you are looking at a liability of between $25,000 and $100,000 easily,” he said. If the groups win, they can recover costs – but if they lose they can get stuck not only with their own legal bills, but a significant portion of the costs incurred by companies or governments to defend the suits.

“It’s a very serious commitment,” Mr. Tollefson said of the decision to go to court.
 
http://arizonarepublic.az.newsmemory.com/?fod=1111111&cnum=3952677&token=54033fd2033c04bbcdc54544361e07b1&selDate=20141124&licenseType=paid_subscriber

 
"one way to ... cut down on the litigation would be..."

...to put funding of anything which serves obstructionist organizations at the bottom of a list contingent on targets for resource-driven revenues being achieved.  Let them pay the price first and see how strong their resolve is to make the sacrifices for which they call.
 
BC is wary of the mining industry after stuff like this

mount-polley-mine-tailings-pond.jpg


The main problem with mining is that almost all the "easy" deposits have been depleted and the up front capital costs to start a new project are staggering. One project is proposing a 14km long tunnel under a mountain just to get access to the deposit and that tunnel would have to support truck traffic, slurry pipelines and power lines. http://www.novagold.com/section.asp?pageid=22238  KSM just was approved by sort of in the same boat, the upfront cost are crazy http://seabridgegold.net/ksm_engineer.php
 
Most of the bands are opposed to the oil sands pipelines, Coastal FN's generally support the LNG export projects http://www.thenorthernview.com/news/286227721.html

But bands like the Fort Nelson FN have significant issues with the extraction side http://www.legassembly.gov.yk.ca/pdf/rbhf_FNFN-Presentation.pdf

I would say that the majority of bands in BC want development, but the current pace of development is overwhelming them and even the bands that want to be engaged can't meet the demand for their time to consult. I seen with my own eyes one bands very committed team walking around like zombies because at least 7 different LNG export companies all want to meet with them at the same time.

The BC Liberals pushing Site C right now was a very poor strategic decision as it pushed the FN's into a confrontation they weren't looking for. The Federal government in Ottawa has been ignoring FN consultation in BC for the most part despite warnings from the regional departments heads and the panicked response sending out he Ministers at the last minute just showed how unaware Ottawa is. the Legal ground is very different here then other parts of Canada. The FN's don't agree on their own boundaries, very little of BC is covered by Treaties and those that are can be ambiguous and badly worded.
What the natives don't see coming is that the population of BC is changing and the new immigrants will not care about FN issues and when the politicians sense that their is no political capital in pursuing Treaties, the issue will grind to a halt on the government side. The bands are challenged by many being to small to be economically viable and to remote to sustain economic livelihoods for the young. While the demographic i generally young, there is a schism forming between the 'purebloods" and the "mixed Indians" which is going to eventually upset the grip on power that certain families in each band have. Toss in the animosity between hereditary chiefs, Elder councils , elected back councils, FN development corporations and the warrior society (plus gang issues) and things can really get weird.   
 
The WFN pretty well own all the malls (lots of malls) in West Kelowna, BC

WFN celebrates success

by Ragnar Haagen - Mar 31, 2015

While many First Nations across Canada continue to face significant hardships, Westbank First Nation continues to buck that trend.

WFN celebrates 10 years of self-governance this week.

But it was only through a long process of negotiation and community consultation that the possibility became law on May 6, 2004, and came into force on April 1, 2005.

Many First Nation reserves, especially in Canada's North, lack proper infrastructure, everyday services and the quality of life most Canadians take for granted. Not so in Westbank, where the band has developed lucrative residential, commercial and recreation properties, making it one of the most prosperous First Nations in Canada.

“I am proud of how far our community has come over the past 10 years,” Chief Robert Louie said Tuesday.

“Self-government has opened doors to opportunities that the community would not have seen if we were still governed by Canada. Not only has self-government increased the accountability and transparency of the WFN government as well as bringing a great sense of pride to our community, but it has also resulted in increased opportunities for our members, increased property values and an improved standard of living.”

In fact, property values have skyrocketed over the past 10 years, with the Westbank First Nation now ranked 61st in the province for assessed value, out of 162 B.C. municipalities.

The value of band land has nearly quadrupled during that time, from $398 million to more than $1.4 billion, according to the WFN.

The band says they've also contributed $80 million of annual fiscal revenue to the federal and provincial governments through the generation of sales tax, personal income tax and corporate tax on Westbank First Nation Lands, $500 million annually to the local economy, and remains one of the largest employers on the Westside.

And down the road, South:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/rob-magazine/clarence-louie-feature/article18913980/

How a B.C. native band went from poverty to prosperity


Jake MacDonald- 29 May 14

The Osoyoos Indian Band is arguably the most business-minded First Nation in Canada.
So what’s the secret to their success?
 
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