A dispute over development gets physical

Violence has come to a dispute over seismic work underway near where some are saying is sacred ground on the Thunderchild First Nation in Saskatchewan.

Band lawyer Chris Boychuk said four men wearing balaclavas attacked a security guard in the area. The incident comes only one day after an interim injunction was granted by the Court of Queen’s Bench in Saskatoon ordering protestors to vacate the area in which 30 live undetonated charges have been placed as part of a seismic program. The injunction was issued on Aug. 16. The alleged assault took place Aug. 17.

The incident has been reported to RCMP.

Boychuk is quick to point out that the attackers were not those named in the interim injunction. They are women: Shayne Armstrong, Marilyn Wapass and Ula Wapass. However, the injunction does make note of “other unnamed individuals.”

On Aug. 3, Shayne Armstrong posted a message on the Idle No More Official Facebook page calling Thunderchild members to rally behind the cause of protecting “our ceremonial grounds.”
She wrote:

“If there is anyone who is willing to come help us with our protest to stop feel free to we would really appreciate. so far there is only a few of us WOMEN who are standing in front of their equipment and try to stop this from happening, we can’t really seem to get our community members involved or they just don’t care. Please come help us with this fight we do need help, we are only Women and only a few I don’t know if we can change anything but we are still trying.”

Armstrong and her supporters set up a tipi and camped on land they claim to be a sacred Sundance site, located adjacent to where Chief Delbert Wapass and council gave permission for seismic work to be carried out. Seismic equipment was also placed on that land.

Eldon Okanee, a member of the protesting group, said band membership was not consulted properly on Wapass’ decision.
But Boychuk said chief and council are not developing on, or near, sacred sites.

“The disputed area is not the Sundance grounds identified by the Elders,” he said.

Prior to determining where the seismic work would occur, chief and council consulted with four Elders, who are Sundance holders, to determine sacred areas that were not to be impacted, said Boychuk.

He also points out that the guidelines set under the Indian Oil and Gas Act are “fairly stringent” and call for environmental assessments, as well as consultation, with those living within a specified distance of the seismic program, along with the general band membership.

The area the protestors identified as Sundance sacred ground seems “fairly arbitrary,” said Boychuk, who also noted that previous work done in the area had not been met by protest.
The injunction prohibits “interfering, hindering, blockading, preventing or inhibiting” seismic exploration work or damaging the equipment.

Boychuk said chief and council are concerned with safety as there is evidence that the seismic charges had been tampered with.
He also notes that the license obtained by the band and Tonare Energy is for exploratory work only. Actual oil and gas drilling would require a new license under the Indian Oil and Gas Act and another process to be followed.