FRA disaster for the Nadleh Whut’en
Oct 2007 - A two year old Forest Range Agreement has turned
into an economic disaster for the Nadleh Whut'en community, said Chief Martin
Louie, ever since the First Nation signed this FRA two years ago, and as a
result members have suffered financial setbacks ensuing from the agreement.
Meetings with Hon. Rich Coleman, minister of forests in BC, have laid some of
the concerns to rest, but time will tell if the following issues are resolved
to the betterment of Aboriginal forestry in the province.
"The FRA that we signed
was a loser," said the chief, although the reason they entered the
agreement was to make forestry viable for community members. "We've talked
to everybody about how to make it work, the premier, the minister of forests
and the minister in charge of Aboriginal affairs."
The B.C. government explains,
"Forest and Range Agreements are interim agreements between the Ministry
of Forests and eligible First Nations designed to provide for 'workable
accommodation' of aboriginal interests." They also provide economic
certainty to industry (one of the underpinnings of Liberal government in B.C.).
"These agreements provide the ministry with operational stability."
Chief Martin Louie said Nadleh
Whut’en signed the FRA, "because it was supposed to be an interim
settlement leading to treaty," however, " it has not only drained the
finances of the Nadleh Whut'en community budget but individuals who bought
equipment and invested into business are going down the tubes."
By mid-October Nadleh Whut'en
First Nation was holding off on a blockade of logging roads in their
traditional territory because they believe there is hope resolving their
concerns with the province over the costly FRA.
Nadleh Whut'en Chief Martin
Louie had announced the First Nation had a meeting scheduled with BC forests
minister Rich Coleman for mid-October that was supposed to tell the story, the
chief adding that Nadleh Whut'en was preparing for court actions in case
concerns are not addressed. A previous meeting with deputy minister Doug Konkin
last July in Victoria did not resolve problems.
Furthermore the FRA problem was raised a year ago with
Premier Gordon Campbell and Coleman. “The problem is that the stumpage paid on
the five-year non-renewable licence makes the wood more expensive, “than the
massive amounts of wood being sold through B.C. Timber Sales in the
beetle-epidemic area,” said Chief Louie, including Nadleh Whut’en traditional
territory near Fraser Lake.
The 390 members of the band are
therefore seeking stumpage relief. Without it, the timber harvesting licence,
and any hope of gaining economic benefits for, is "dead in the
water." Chief Louie noted that other area First Nation communities are
having issues with the FRA program and timber rights and revenue sharing.
More than 100 forest and range
agreements have been signed in the province with the intention to provide
economic benefits to First Nations communities and as interim measures in lieu
of treaty settlement. Meanwhile the mountain pine beetle has caused there to be
a glut of timber for B.C. Timber Sales, which is harvestable at lower stumpage
rates.
The Nadleh Whut’en has a
licence for 150,000 cubic metres of timber a year for five years, ending in
2010, as well as $194,000 in revenue sharing annually. They only managed to
find buyers for 125,000 cubic metres. The chief said they haven’t made a penny
from it, and in fact have had to use Department of Indian Affairs funding to
help make up shortfalls.
"We’re going
bankrupt," said the chief. "I can’t help but think the government set
us up to fail -- on purpose," added he, noting the licence does not offer
enough timber for the band to have any chance of securing financing to build
their own manufacturing facility.
A First Nation leadership council,
including Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs, has also been critical of the province’s
FRA program in the past and extended offers to help address Nadleth Whut’en
concerns.
British Columbia possesses
approximately 20% of the commercial forest land in Canada and forestry accounts
for about 3% of the annual gross domestic product. It supplies raw materials
for its most important manufacturing industries.
Commercial forests cover about
55% of the total land area of B.C.. Nadleh Whut'en has traditional use territory
in the centre of B.C.'s interior rainforest, whereas the coastal forest, with
western hemlock, Douglas fir, Sitka spruce, and various pines, grows rapidly in
the mild, wet climate and produces the largest trees in Canada.
About two-fifths of the lumber cut in B.C. comes from the coastal regions where nearly all of the output is softwoods, principally Douglas fir, hemlock, and western red cedar. The annual timber harvest totals about 93 million cubic metres.
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