Speech Treaty opens up new partners for investment Text of a speech delivered Jan, 21 by Nisga’a ‘Tribal Council president Joseph Gosnell in Prince Rupert. He was speaking to the Business _ Development Summit taking place in that city. -OW MAKING its way through Canada’s Senate, the Nisga’a Treaty is expected to be ratified and passed into law this spring. That spells’ good CO economic news for the people of the Pacific northwest. As a quick update, the treaty was passed in _ the House of Parliament by a vote of 217-48 this past December 13, after a long and fierce ‘debate with the federal Reform Party.) -°I don’t’ have to remind this audience that economic certainty is crucial to the success of any business endeavor, especially in these tough economic times. - Inthe marketplace, companies who may wish to invest here are well aware of, and seriously ‘concerned about, the economic un- certainty that surrounds this region as a result “Of unresolved land claims. ~..The bottom line is that political instability is always a’ strike against any area that is hop- ing to attract investment or generate and sup- - port ‘a lively and successful business commun- ‘ity. ~who live and work here. _. Many others agree. Recently, the Vancouv- ‘er accounting firm of KPMG completed a ben- -.-efits:and costs analysis on the impact of treaty _ Settlements. “., It said, when all of the financial impacts To the people of the Pacific northwest, a ratified Nisga’a Treaty solves a big part of that - problem and, in my opinion, affords tremen- _ dous long-term, economic opportunities for the aboriginal and non-aboriginal business people are considered, the province can expect about “a: three-to-one return for every dollar spent. “KPMG estimates the net financial benefit to “British Columbia would be between $3.9 bil- “- -Hon‘arid $5.3 billion over 40 years. :: Specifically, the Treaty will provide the _. Nisga’a access to the economic and employ- “ment. mainstream. Over time, as income dis- ‘parity, diminishes, savings in social expen- --ditures, and less reliance on government sup- ~ port, will bring additional economic benefits. Over time, the Pacific Northwest will also “'seea significant employment increase as a di- ‘rect ‘result of the Nisga’a treaty and others now being negotiated. There will be increased in- .--vestment and employment, here because ofthe : ~ yaecongmic,.certainty.-the..treaty willabringsto! itsnndiange. nd -*. Jand ‘and primary resources?i3 ‘e An the years to come, Nisga’a Government -will- also invest settlement money in the Nass “cand throughout this region, which will result in- :'a_much-needed economic shot-in-the-arm. _ .. While other experts confirm these findings, ~ “our.awn economic forecasts estimate that +» about:$13 million is pumped into the regional -, “economy each year by the Nisga’a and other .. tribal groups. ~This.is significant. Here in Prince Rupert By CHRISTIANA WIENS A KITIMAT woman was so fed up with her electronic monitoring system last week that she was willing to serve the test of her sentence behind bars. - >. Anita Plamondon wears an electronic monitor because she was found guilty of.an _ * impaired driving charge on Dec. 2. “:. She was sentenced to serve her sentence via an.electronic monitor unit in her house “and an ankle bracelet. “»|.The base tracks her movements and signals ~ corrections staff if she leaves at an unsched- -uled time. es ‘The problem, asserts Plamondon, is that her ; monitor doesn’t record times properly. - That glitch got her in trouble with correc- tions: staff who accused her of skipping out m ‘early. oo “['d take a lie detector test to prove I’m in- “nocent,” said Plamondon who says the accu- gations were so stressful she thought it would “he easier to serve her time in jail. cs” She admits there has been one time recent- sly that she’s forgotten she rescheduled an ap- -”: pointment and left the house two hours early, - “[ forgot, it was an innocent mistake,” she said. “I admit that one was my fault.” ; “But that doesn’t account for the night Pla- “-mondon got a phone call from the Vancouver- ¥ “based ‘headquarters alleging she had left her h ouse just before 3 a.m. for 15 minutes. :Plamondon says that’s impossible. - - “What.was doing outside for 15 minutes at 43 am. in the morning — taking the garbage “y out?,” said Plamondon, adding she slept right through correction’s staff phone call to check ~. her whereabouts. ee te ” Asa result of the apparent breaches Pla- mondon, who. says she only leaves the house to exercise and attend alcohol counselling ses- sions, had time outs cancelled. “This is supposed to be rehabilitation,” she said. “And I’m missing a 12-step program be- cause of this bogus accusation.” De “She also received what she calls threaten- ing. phone calls. from corrections staff, saying - -; felations, between about 27 per cent of the city’s total population is aboriginal, according to the 1996 StatsCan also come to learn about Nisga’a culture and tradition. At Wilp Syoon, we offer our guests a unique and authentic cross-cultural experience they will long remember. When it comes to sportfishing,- we don’t promise they will all catch the biggest salmon ~ but, ] am pleased to report, most of our guests, escorted by Nisga’a fishing guides in Boston Whalers, usually “limit out,” Business was brisk in the summer of 1999. Our occupancy rate was 75 per cent. Our guests typically paid on average $2,500 for a five-day, four-night package that includes air fare to and from Vancouver, Now in the third of a five-year business plan, the lodge is on course to be self-sustain- ing next year. Like any new ecotourism initia-. tive, we had our share of growing pains. That’s why, earlier this year, we restructured Wilp Syoon as a limited company held in trust by the Nisga’a Tribal Council. People come to Wilp Syoon to catch fish ~and relax in this beautiful part of the world. ' And while they are pleased to learn that Wilp Syoon has a satellite telephone, they are thrilled to learn there is no email, no voice mail and no digital paging in a place far beyond the range of even the most wired tech- nologies, Our guests are hardworking execu- tives who work hard and play hard. Wilp Syoon stands as a real-world symbol of Nisga’a economic success, I am confident there will be more to come, once the Treaty is ratified. To this end, we are actively seeking busi- ness partners from the aboriginal and nan-abo- ‘If people are willing to think . outside the box of racial bias, ! . am convinced we will ail reap the benefit of scores of dynamic, new economic initiatives. census. And throughout the Pacific northwest, aboriginal people comprise about one-quarter of the 70,000 total population. Just what do these statistics signify? That we are your neighbours and we're here to stay, yes. But also that the Nisga’a and other First Nations are potential business partners. In essence, the Nisga’a treaty is about es- tablishing a solid, certain framework for future Waar esis mework, we can establish a social, political and economic certainty that will encourage in- vestment in British Columbia and therefore be . of enormous help to business communities here and across the province. Now, I'm going to shift gears and tell you about one specific Nisga’a initiative already making economic waves here in Prince Ru- pert: , It’s called Wilp Syoon, our world-class native. ang, non-native Cana-, . falta! aemvedul, oft. I believe.that in.the context,of such a,fra+ Sportfishing lodge. Built on floats, it can be towed to various locations near the mouth of the Nass River. Last summer it was anchored hear Somerville Inlet. Wilp Syoon is an upmarket operation tai- . lored to a successful international clientele. Our guests come from all over the world. Every summer we play host to software engineers from Seattle, management consultants from Gerthany and professors from Holland, You may have seen these happy people at the airport, lugging boxes of ice-packed sal- mon onte the luggage racks, But not only do our guests come to relax and go fishing, they riginal entrepreneurs of this city, and this re- gion. In closing, 1 am going to make a general comment in keeping with the theme of this important summit. These are tough economic times for many in Prince Rupert and the Pacific Northwest. Accepting and understanding the structural causes of a harsh new economic reality leads us to a time of critical self-reflection. Some people are asking the big questions about the economy and their jobs. Many are also beginning to examine their own culture and their historical relationship with their aboriginal neighbors. Indeed, invisible to many, Prince Rupert has be- come a kind of working labora- tory for a racial- ly integrated so- ciety - a prato- type for a place where aboriginal and non-aborigi- nal people work and live togeth- Joe Gosnell er. Visitors to Prince Rupert can see this for themselves. The streets teem with the faces of a dozen tribal groups; young aboriginal women wheel baby strollers past people whose ances- tors came from Scotland, Norway .and China. Something very special has been created here in Prince Rupert and the whole of the North- west, , But I have to be blunt here. Until now, this storehouse of human potential has been lost on - some, civicland busihess {eaders'who appear to), ,, have ‘Tithe ‘intérest in. the “energy and ideas of the’ First’ Nations entrepteneurs who live among them. If people are willing to think outside the box of racial bias, I am convinced we will all reap the benefit of scores of dynamic, new economic initiatives — made right here in the Pacific northwest. And it is a very good bet that much of the driving energy will come from First Nations and a new generalion of civic entrepreneurs. House arrest prisoner _ says jail might be easier ANITA PLAMONDON, serving a sentence under electronic monitoring for impaired driv- ing, says she’d rather be in jail than deal with what she says is unreliable equipment. she could be sent to jail or face a longer sen-. tence after she loses her time off for good be- haviour if she doesn’t smarten up. She says she’s tried to explain the problem to her corrections supervisor, but gets the feel- “They didn't believe ! was tell- ing the truth.” ing he thinks she’s trying to con them. ~“They didn’t believe I was telling the “truth,” she said. Greg Keen, program manager for the 40 electronic monitors in northern B.C., said tech- nical glitches can happen, but ate not likely. -~ © When a person leaves without notice, he said, the inmate is contacted as soon as possi- ble. They are asked to explain their absence and given a verbal warning. If that person continues to leave outside of their regularly scheduled times, they lose leave time and can eventually lose their time off for good behaviour, said Keen. He said a person would have to leave very early to trigger a phone call because the com- puter-controlled system has a buffer that al- lows for time discrepancies. Keen wouldn’t talk specifically about Pla- mondon’s case but said no ‘disciplinary action would ever result from a disputed time. He suggested Plamondon move her phone closer to her bed. . “On the rare occasion we have a problem we have to find out why,” he said. Plamondon says no one has been out to check her ankie bracelet or base but Keen . phoned her and returned her scheduted time outs to her... Loe, The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, February 2, 2000 - AS CORRESPONDENCE FOR THE TERRACE STANDARD Wb keg et The Mail Bag Late, Crashed and Missing Dear Sir: I found the editorial “Loyalties price” and Gerry Bloomer's letter “Wilson has no credibility” in the Jan. 19 issue amusing. People frequently apply monikers to other's names and in some cases to give a negative connotation. [t does seem a bit un- fair because none of us get to choose our names. They are the choice of parents who probably never dream that someone would add a word before a name to imply something negative. Now I can put up with some people adding . “Crash” in front of my name. It may even seem acceptable, even funny, to some to put “Flip” in front of Gordon Wilson's name but it is hardly proof of anything, Would it be equally acceptable to preface Bloomer's name with “Late” and while we're at it, find something equally colourful to preface the editor's name? “Missing”, that has. possibilities. 1 can almost hear the outrage as I write but it's just for fun guys! , Strangely it is acceptable to repeat a name coined by some southern media type who has like- ly changed his/her opinion as often as the sun rises and who is accountable to no one for any inaccura- cies in a column. This person dubs Gordon Wilson as “Flip” Wilson. | am old enough to remember - Flip Wilson and Geraldine but comedy is not the context in which the moniker is used. All parents may want to be on guard for this kind of play when they decide what their infant will be named. What to do about last names? I recall that on March 3, 1999 The Terrace Standard printed the names of the Skeena Liberal executive. There was Gerry Bloomer's name and I assume that Bloomer now supports Gordon Camp- bell. Campbell was once a Socred and a Bill Van- der Zalm supporter. He then usurped the B.C. Lib- eral Party and soon after became more Reform than any Reformers ] have met. His comments seem to change depending on what part of the pro- vince he's in. Talk about flipping. You also have to wonder why Bloomer and the Liberals are so afraid of Gordon Wilson that it would bother them who [ support, They need to twist the truth just to prevent Gordon Wilson from becoming leader of the NDP? If Wilson is that vul- nerable, why waste Liberal ammunition? Bloomer may also want to check out Gordon Campbell's involvement in the Georgian Court Hotel before throwing stones at Wilson. Finally and in response to the editorial, 1 have never discussed my choice of leadership candidate with Glen Clark — not before or after I declared. 1 _¢an make my own decisions based on my dealings with the individual in forums that are not open to the public. But then accepting that doesn't make for a good story, does it? Helmut Giesbrecht, MLA, Skeena Caekasi bbe ed se cba les Voohdeiaed Put out, or get out Dear Sir: ’ wo, Reading the ongoing coverage of health care concerns in the Jan. 26 edition of The. Terrace Standard I was shocked to read. Helmut Gies- © - brecht's callous comments towards Ida Mohler and the Terrace Health Watch Group, “Put up or shut up.” Helmut, the on going concerns over health care ‘is not a personal attack. There clearly is a provin- ce-wide problem in the delivery of health care. atin fi ~ Terrace is no exception. - . The health watch group came together as a group of concerned citizens. Not right winged, not left winged and I can assure you, not wing dinged. - They are concerned about the heath of their com- munity literally and figuratively, Concerned that when needed for themselves or their loved ones the health system may not be their for them at an ac- ceptable level or at all. To ask for a list of people and specifics that are dying or have died as a re- sult of delivery problems in the health care system is ludicrous and insensitive. Page Al2 of the same edition detailed the plight of 90-year-old Alice and her family's at- tempts to have appropriate healih care delivered, 90 years of paying taxes, contributing to society and this is the final goodbye from the government? Read the health care saga of one Kitimat family in the Jan, 19 edition of The Kitimat Sentinel. Do you seriously think the public and health watch groups gather to make up lies, and innuendoes about the problems in the delivery of health care? 1 normally hold the title of the politician most likely to shoot my face off without thinking or lacking sensitivity, but with little reluctance I relinquish my dubious title to you, Perhaps the response to your comment to Ms - Mohler and her group to you would be, “Put Out Or Get Out.” David Hull, Terrace, B.C. A nomination Dear Sir: , What a heartwarming story, “Crown Fails To Prove Cocaine Charge Against Local Man,”, The’ Terrace Standard, Ian. 26, 2000. We are blessed to have such a wonderful, virtuous citizen in Terrace. A father who loved his son to death, and. who continues to speak so lovingly of that son. A man who does no wrong toward the community and: commits no wrong in the community. I would like to nominate Rene Fagan as our Fa- ther of The Year and Citizen of The Year. All that in one package. Wow. A man we can look up to? P, St. Thomas, Terrace, B.C. THE TERRACE STANDARD welcomgiim ters to the editor. Our deadline is noot tt days; noon Thursdays on a long weekend. You can write us at 3210 Clinton St, Terrace, B.C, V8G 5R2. Our fax number is 250-638-8432 or you can email us at standard@kermode.net. No attachment, please, ; Letters must be signed and must have 2 phone number.