Land development in US hits snag for Montana Cree

Montana Cree Nation is thinking outside the box when it comes to acquiring land and managing it in order to provide for their community. But their aspirations have been met with hostility, said Chief Carolyn Buffalo.

“We can’t do anything without land,” said Buffalo, who addressed an audience of industry professionals at the Circle for Aboriginal Relations’ annual conference on May 20 and 21.

Buffalo, who was keynote speaker at the conference which had a theme of integrating cultural values in planning for land use, stressed the importance of land ownership.

Buffalo said her band is in the process of hiring experts of land holdings in order to manage properties in Alberta and as far as Midland, Texas.

Montana Cree has made plans to develop on their Texas territory with commercial properties and parks. While their plans have been approved by the Midland government not all the “swank” residents are in favour.

Buffalo, who is also a lawyer, explained that the Montana Cree-owned area in Midland sits on three different oil and gas formations that are surrounded by wealthy residents who were reluctant of Montana Cree’s intentions.

“Their fear was,’Oh my God, the Indians are coming,’” joked Buffalo, while referring to the specific area as the prestigious portion of the city.

The conference of around 100 attendees listened closely as Buffalo detailed the tension between the Montana Cree management team and reluctant oil families.

CFAR promotes Aboriginal and government understanding of different perspectives, a philosophy that the Midlanders were not following, said Buffalo.

According to Buffalo, some of the more prominent members of the community attended Montana Cree’s February 2009 application hearing to follow through with development plans. Men and women adorned in their finest jewelry and three-piece suits protested Montana Cree’s plans, fearing that their ambitions with the surrounding oil and gas formations would end as soon as the community is built up with parks, homes, and amenities in a new strip mall as part of Montana Cree’s development plans.

“It wasn’t nice at all,” said Buffalo.

Regardless of Montana Cree’s plans being put on hold because of the local opposition, Buffalo said her band still approaches every land negotiation with the intention of all parties benefiting from the agreement.

“We want to enter into relationships that are win-win-win,” said Buffalo.

The fourth annual conference took place in Enoch Cree First Nation at the Marriott River Cree Resort. Various organizations and speakers hosted interactive workshops in land management and treaty rights.

Created in 2004, CFAR is a registered non-profit, non-partisan society of professionals from diverse backgrounds who work within Aboriginal relations groups in communities, governments and industries.

Among CFAR’s corporate members are ATCO Electric, Imperial Oil Ltd. and the Alberta Energy Resource Conservation Board.