A10 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, April 2, 1997 Tsimshian frustrated by t treaty talks pace native group says marian sometimes feels like it’s wasting its time in treaty negotiations. The Tsimshian —- who in- clude TFersace’s Kilsum- kalum and Kitselas bands plus villages up and down the coast around Prince Rupert — say the pace of talks is excruciatingly slow at times. The Tsimshian first enter- ed the treaty process late in 1993, They’ve just entered the substantive phase of talks and it’s expected to take them three to four years now to reach an agreement- in-principle. That means a target date of the Year 2000 — more than six years since entering the talks, says Tsimshian negotiator Gerald Wesley. “The children we say we're building a treaty for arent going to be children — they're going to be advlts,”’ he told his federal and provincial counterparts at open treaty negotiations in Terrace last week. Wesley also noted that money being lent to the Tsimshian to pay for their negotlating team’s operating expenses must be repaid, adding the native group is going deeper into debt. That money will be deducted from the eventual cash com- ponent of the treaty settle- ment Gerald Wesley be addressed down the road,’ he said. Federal negotiator Pauline LaMothe said the Tsimshian frustration is typical of groups in the earlier stages of negotiations. That’s because much of the work so far revolves around gathering informa- tion so specific negotiations can take place. Which subcommittees do that kind of work and whether that information- gathering evolves = into “‘negotiation”’ also becomes an issue. Provincial negotiator Mark Stevenson said a rule in place at the Tsimshain talks that says ‘‘negotia- tion’? can only happen at the main treaty table — and nol at the subcommittees — is slowing down the progress. “These working groups should do more than just makes the Tsimshian talks more complicated is the diverse range of the group. Seven different villages afe represented with widely varying interests. The Tsim- shian have indicated they want the flexibility to have subagreements that decal with each village individual- ly when that’s desired. The sheer number of dif- ferent interests and view- points involved makes the Tsimsbian negotiations more complex than a group such as the Haisla of Kitamaat Village, where there’s really only one vil- lage involved. ‘It’s a pretty big diverse group with diverse inter- ests,’’ Stevenson said, ad- ding he didn’t expect they would have progressed as far as they have under those circumstances. Stevenson said the talks are unfolding as each side outlines its areas of interest. That’s a different style of negotiations from traditional offer-counteroffer bargain- ing. Negotiators say ihe interest-driven style — is slower but also less con- frontational. Wesley said the Tsimshian are also frustrated by the refusal of the other two governments to negotiate an interim measures agrec- ment. That would protect resources and sites of sig- “We don’t want to enter gather information,’ be nificance in their traditional further and further into said. territory while negotiations liabilities that will have to He said another factor that continue. [@skeena Technical service aL DUSINERS CLASS” COMPUTER SALES High Fad Econoniy Bentiun 2) Penton 166 ® Gales, setyicu and 42 MB EDS? Ran Lodhg lard Drive ropa 310. GD Mad Drive 1& M1) Ram © High end and 12 Speed CD Horn Speed CN Ram revnomy models a2 Ua Sound 14 ln Sound =| © (Locally owned and 33 6 Modem TS" SVGA Monier eae operded UP SVGA Mentor ~~ eal — 638-0808 $ 3509.00 $ 1799.00 “Borvice It's our goat and (a our nama” )) Ad4BGREIGAVENUE + TERRAGE,.8G VEG IME CIAL CE SKEENA VAL PBY GOLF & COUNTR : | We A notice to the Membershig: a of the Skeena Valley Golf 3h ua?’ & Country Club, A special Gene iy Meeting will take place... 4 Saturday, q April5,1997 3° 7:00pm. /“ at the Clubhouse The purpose of the’ ‘meeting S., p a f a es to authorize the Rezoning of approximately 2ha of property a along Thornhill Street for the purpose of selling the tots. “ay Box 865 Terrace, B.C, 635-2542 Nisga’a, Gitanyow talks advance quickly PROGRESS in treaty negotiations with northwest native groups is being described as “slow but steady’’ by provincial negoti- ators. Mark Stevenson represents B.C. in the Tsimshian, Haisla, Heiltsuk, Gitanyow, Lake Babine, and Gitksan and Wet’suwet’en negotiations. He says the gradual — some say glacial — pace of the Tsimshian talks is similar to the rest of the other groups in the north- west, with the exception of the Nisga’s and Gitanyow. The Nisga’a are close to signing the first modem day treaty in B.C, after several years of full-scale negotiations. They celebrated the signing of an agreement-in- principle a year ago and speculation is the final document could be finished by sum- mer. That treaty is expected to be the model on which the subsequent settlements will be based. The Gitanyow are negotiating at an ac- celerated pace in part because their territory centred on the Meziadin Lake area overlaps with the Nisga’a. Stevenson said the Gitanyow, from the village formerly known as Kitwancool, are aiming to reach an agreement-in-principle by this summer. He called that target “‘optimistic.”’ “We may have something in the fall,’’ he added. As for what the treaty will look like, he ys to expect something similar to the ee ‘a teaty only smaller, given the smaller number of people there. ‘The Gitanyow population is about one- seventh or one-eighth that of the Nisga’a,”’ Stevenson said, “You can draw your own conclusions.” — The Nisga’a deal will hand over nearly 2,000 square kilometres of land in the Nass Valley, about $200 million, and rights to timber, fish and other resources, “The Nisga’a negotiations reflected the broad provincial interests,’’ Stevenson said. “Any Gitanyow treaty will have to reflect the broad provincial interests."’ By contrast, the Haisla, Heiltsuk and Lake Babine talks are, along with the Tsim- -shian, at much earlier stages of negotiation. The Gitksan negotiations, however, brake off early in 1996, when government negoti- ators cited irreconcilable differences. The Gitksan claim a lange area of the upper Skeena watershed centred on the Hazeltons. The Gitksan are now appealing their land claim court case — which was rejected by B.C. courts — to the Supreme Court of Canada, The country’s high court will hear the Delgam Uukw case starting June 20, Negotiations with the Wet'suwet’en of the Moricetown-Smithers area were also suspended last year because the court case includes both Gitksan and Wel’suwet’en territories. Logging dispute in court THE LEGAL DISPUTE over logs cut by the Port Simpson band has been separated from the Tsimshian treaty negotiations. The band is suing the federal govem- ment for the valuc of the logs, which were seized last summer after the band pro- ceeded to log on teserve land without 4 permit. ‘That court case hasn’t been resolved. But Department of Indian Affairs spokesman Toni Tinumermans said the band agreed to withdraw the part of its statement of claim that declared aboriginal ownership of the area in question. Thet assertion had sparked fears among federal negotiators that the Tsimshian land claim negotiations could undermine the federal position in the court case, or vice versa. Indian and Northern Affairs minister Ron Irwin responded by delaying the sign- ing of a framework agreement sending the Tsimshian treaty talks into substantive ne- golialions, The change to the band’s statement of claim eliminated that concern, and Irwin signed the framework agreement in late February. The dispute over the 27,000 cubic metres of logs — worth an estimated $5 million — is to be back in court on April 14, Tim- memnans said, Federal lawyers will try to persuade the court to award ownership qf the logs to Ot- tawa, afler whicl other claims of money will be settled, The band, a Japanese company buying the timber, and a helicopter logging con- tractor that did the logging all say they’re owed money, Registered Psychologist Now Regularly Practiing from Mills Memorial Hospital, © Relationship & Family Thercoy # Full Range of Individual Psychotherapy © Training and Seminars # Brief results oriented © Chronic poin & ilfness consullations Ask chout the couples consullatians. 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