Development at what cost?

Page4

"In 2002-2003, the oil and gas activity increased by 62 per cent," Treaty 8 First Nations chair Chief Liz Logan said about exploration in their traditional territory in British Columbia. "And then this year, just to August, it increased another 27 per cent, and so the province is really encouraging development."

The problem with that, the chief explained, is that "They don't want to look at the cumulative effect of all of this. Everybody is just looking at each well. They're looking at site-specific stuff. Nobody wants to look at the big picture.

"It's just not oil and gas; there's forestry, there's clear cuts going around, you know, and huge agricultural developments ... I want to leave a legacy for my great-great-great-grandchildren some day, and if they choose to go back to the land I want some land there for them to go back to."

Logan spoke to Raven's Eye a short time after the Treaty 8 chiefs held their first conference on the effects of oil and gas late last month. First Nations from British Columbia and Alberta were invited; outside corporations and governments were not.

Following the conference, the chiefs released a three-point statement:

1. We find that oil and gas development as currently practised has an unacceptable adverse impact on wildlife and on the exercise of traditional hunting and fishing rights through environmental degradation, as well as infringing on our basic human rights to clean air and water, and we are committed to rectifying this.

2. We find that the failure of the government to require cumulative impact assessments in advance of oil and gas development infringes upon our treaty and Aboriginal rights, and we are committed to rectifying this.

3. We intend to support renewable energy projects to ensure long-term sustainability in our communities, and we invite government and industry to partner with us in good faith on making such projects a reality as soon as possible.

Logan said West Moberley and Saulteau First Nations initiated a small contaminant study. They hired a professional biologist who took staff with remote cameras into well sites where remote sumps and flare pits are exposed.

"You could see all these tracks around it; you could see where animals have knelt down and chewed on the dirt because these people are creating artificial mineral licks, and for some reason these animals are really drawn to the hydrocarbons. And our people have continually said that they're finding animals out there with abscesses, with green livers-and why is that?

"We've been raising the concern, but basically nobody even wants to hear about it, because it may interfere with development."

Logan said the First Nations are demanding some respect. They are not opposed to "stable and sustainable development" that includes their involvement, "instead of just get out there and get as much as you can and get out."

Iskut First Nation councillor Sally Havard described the environmental effects they had identified as "a real eye-opener." She said if their whole community knew what oil and gas development were doing to fish and wildlife "we would stop Shell Canada from developing coal bed methane at the headwaters of the Stikine, Skeena and Nass Rivers."

Treaty 8 held the conference to issue a wake-up call to other First Nations that are just beginning to be targeted for the same kinds of development. " (Industry is) looking at the West Coast; they're looking down in Vancouver Island; they're looking down in southeast B.C. They're looking at coalbed methane," said Logan.

She added that First Nations outside their territory have increasingly sought their input about the effects of oil and gas exploration, to find out their concerns, and to discuss their relationship with government and industry.

"After a while, we got tired of repeating ourselves and we said, why don't we hold a forum by First Nations for First Nations?" Chief Liz Logan said. More than 100 people attnded.

Oct. 19 involved a tour of some of the sites near Doig River First Nation. "So they got to see first-hand what we get to deal with every day." The following two days consisted of presentations and discussions around ways to get government and industry to proceed sustainably. "We even looked at alternative energy."

Logan said they had a government report that indicates oil and gas resources are declining.

"Even if they get the coalbed methane, they are going to continue to decline." As early as 2009, the study said the province would not be able to supply the demand "because of the decline in gas."

Logan added, "Even if they get the coalbed methane that they really want and the offshore drilling that they want, that's just going to give them a couple more years, and it looks by 2013 it's just going to go straight downhill."

She believes people in the north who rely exclusively on oil and gas should start looking now at ways to diversify energy production.

The problems are shared by all the Treaty 8 First Nations in the northeast of the province. Development started 50 years ago in the Fort St. John area and it has moved northeast into Logan's territory, Fort Nelson.

"My nation alone last year, we saw 1,200 project referrals come into our office . . . we don't have the capacity (staff) to deal with it. There's no consideration for doing assessments ... the Oil and Gas Commission has 140 people. We sometimes have one or two people if we're lucky."

She said First Nations get paperwork through the mail "and they call that consultation. Well that's not consultation. They want it turned around in 10 days, you know, we don't have the capacity ... You know, we're not just sitting around waiting for these referrals. Sometimes we're out on the traplines or working."

Logan said they recognize development will occur and jobs are good for everyone.

"It's even been good for us, but we just want them to stop and slow down and look at the big pictue and start doing it sustainably. But they're not."

Oil and gas development are not the only concerns. Logan has reservations about forestry deals being signed with the province by some First Nations.

"You know, a lot of those deals have conditions attached to them." She said the province offered her nation "a share of the revenue, they call it. But the meaning of share was not even there because they offered us $5.7 million among the seven First Nations up here. I mean, when they make $2 billion to $4 billion in our backyard? And then they say if you sign that agreement, you are not to interfere with any oil and gas activity. No, you can't do that ... we want to be involved in the resource management in our backyard."

Karen Campbell, a lawyer with West Coast Environmental Law, said the conflict between jobs and environmental protection is a great challenge for communities.

"They're going to have to be diligent," she said. "One of the mesages, I think, that came out of the Treaty 8 conference is 'don't accept these companies at face value.'

"Ask them the hard questions and make sure you get the answers. And if you're satisfied with the answers, then proceed with oil and gas development, because there are economic benefits, but people really need good information to weigh whether or not the short-term economic benefits are going to outweigh the long-term environmental cost."