News in Brief

Page 12

Treaty commissioners are re-appointed

Wilf Adams, Debra Hanuse and Peter Lusztig were re-appointed to two-year terms on the British Columbia Treaty Commission last month.

Adams and Hanuse represent the First Nations Summit. Lusztig was re-appointed by the federal government for his third term on the commission.

The commission monitors, facilitates and reports on the 42 sets of treaty negotiations that are being conducted in the province.

BC Hydro will sponsor achievement awards

BC Hydro has signed an agreement with the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation to become a regional corporate sponsor of the 7th Annual National Aboriginal Achievement Awards which will take place March 10, 2000, at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver.

"BC Hydro has many interests on First Nations traditional lands - power generation facilities and thousands of kilometres of power lines - all of which reinforces the need to establish and maintain positive relationships. In a competitive marketplace, First Nations people are also a significant segment of our customer base. Overall, First Nations play a key role in our ability to have continuous access to lands and resources," said BC Hydro's president and CEO Michael Costello.

"We are delighted to have BC Hydro on board as the first regional sponsor of the 2000 Awards. We look forward to working with Hydro on a number of activities leading up to March, 2000," said president and founder of the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation, John Kim Bell.

Elders preparing to gather in Kamloops

The 23rd annual British Columbia Elders Gathering will be hosted at the KXA grounds in Kamloops on Aug. 2, 3 and 4. The Secwepemc Nation is proud to be hosting the gathering, which will have a slightly different flavor this year as many events will commemorate the United Nations Year of the Older Person.

Elders and others from all over the province, as well as from the Yukon, the Northwest Territories, other provinces and parts of the United States, have attended previous gatherings.

Last year's gathering in Prince George attracted 3,500 people.

John and Susan Seymour are this year's king and queen. They've been married for 48 years and have six children and seven grandchildren.

Luuxhon appealed

The British Columbia Court of Appeal has agreed to hear appeals from the provincial and federal governments regarding the Luuxhon decision.

That decision, named after a Gitxsan hereditary chief, ruled that Canada and British Columbia must negotiate in good faith when attempting to solve Aboriginal land claim issues.

The original court decision was hailed by the Gitanyow chiefs as a substantial victory for all Aboriginal peoples. Gitanyow negotiator Glenn Williams said the overlap of his people's claim with the territory covered by the Nisga'a agreement indicates that the Crown was not negotiating in good faith.

The appeal court will hear the appeals from the public governments before the original trial proceeds.