AB - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, February 15, 2006 _ - 7 " “TAHLTAN LEADERS north of here are to gather ‘in a retreat next month to work out how to set up | a governing and administrative structure that they hope will bring unity and end divisions within . their communities:. ‘It’s been just over a. year since a group of el- _ ders and others began a lengthy sit-in of the Tahl-. _ tan band’s Telegraph Creek offices. . That-set the stage for a series of events includ- ing’a decision by Shell to back away from its coalbed methane. exploratory drilling project in the Klappan area. - . * ‘A blockade by elders and others of a road to the Klappan beginning in July 2005 prevented For- - tune Minerals from gaining access to its anthra- cite coal deposits there. The company. obtained-a _ court injunction to lift the blockade, leading to the fo sites the board has. identi- i SEAT RTE REV AAR RD et ee Te etree ag cee weseunes Cpe ws Seeman whe ME megs copies, 3 on, Sinema neni cer oe arrest of more than a dozen people in September. “ - The events were framed .around accusations’ by elders and others that their leadership doesn’t _ speak for them in crucial matters such as striking "agreements with a number of mining and explora- tion companies for projects on traditional Tahltan | territory. ae a Tahlitan to hold unity to resolve internal disputes | ’ Curtis Rattray, the Tahitan: Central Council president | who has come under intense criticism by elders and others, says it is. time to end all of . that through the leaders’ retreat. i ~ “Only. by working together can we’ ‘develop ° . governing structures that speaks to how every- thing from day- -to-day services such as education - . ‘a long term unity. plan,” said Rattray last week. “What’ are our objectives of unity? How do we know when we’ve achieved unity? ‘ “We need to develop short'and long term goals . _ over.who does what and what are the responsibili- . ties and roles to play.” The Tahltan live in ‘the Telegraph Creek- Dease Lake-Iskut area north on Hwy37 and have two bands — the Tahitan: band based in Telegraph © Creek and Dease: Lake and the Iskut First Nation in Iskut. - _ The Tahltan Central Council i is made up of rep- -_resentatives of the ‘Tahitan main families and is meant to act as an overall governing structure. And there is a Tahltan economic development arm, the Tahltan Nation Development Corpora- _ tion, which has several subsidiaries and which has contracts with existing mining companies and eX- ploration, companies. ‘establishing and developing retreat Leaders‘from all of the above will be at the re- treat and they will include elders, said Rattray. “A lot of what happened i in' 2005 shows what — can occur without unity,” said Rattray. He expects: the leaders to emerge with a set of and health are delivered, all the: way up to how ‘agreements are handled with mining and explora- tion companies and who represents the Tahltan in. land use and title discussions with the federal and — provincial governments. “This is about effective programming and ser- vice delivery,” said Rattray. “We want to emerge with a process that people will be pleased with.” ““Tt may not be perfect but we want to achieve ; objectives and be unified,” he added. _ ‘Rattray credited newly-clected Iskut First Na- tion chief. councillor Marie Quock with bringing the unity discussion forward. -Quock was elected in late 2005, replacing long time chief councillor Louis Louie who decided not to run again. “It all started to come together i in: ‘early January,” said Rattray. Old Skeena bridge placed on n heritage list: --The Old Skeena Bridge : . “THE: OLD.-Skeena: Bridge » '. is-one of. three sites-in the Kitimat-Stikine ‘District’s newly-established " community heritage “regis: ter: . The bridge. is joined on. °. the list by the Anyox Power » » House No. 2 and the Bulkley - ; River Bridge at Hazelton. Andrew Webber, :. man- ager of planning and devel- opmental services with the ° Regional : fied. : -. Webber says registering sites on an official. list is not ” only a way of recognizing the buildings or sites but it can bring tangible. benefits, “There’s a financial bene- ‘the provincial. and. national tegistry,” said. Webber, cit- ing grants for. site restora- tion. Heritage rcognition can also provide légal protection fit to owners of properties on. : - development is made for a particular: property. That: ‘means’ places on. a community register may utilize building code equiva- _ -lencies during renovation or | preservation activities or if a place is designated, it allows - for stronger legal protection with penalties for demoli- tions without approval pro- — ‘ cesses to allow a review of proposed. renovation or pres-, ‘ervation activities. | “the heritage register. . The province will invest ” up to $15,000 per. project ° : listed on a heritage registry. . ison the Terrace.city bound-: » ary and therefore, under: the . jurisdiction of the regional district. er HARAOWECONTETY * regional government, Says . just getting ‘started. the process of the registry is - site. “We're at.a stage where = When’ _we're ‘creating. the capacity to build the registry,” ‘said _ Webber alluding to-the three . to delay reconstruction toa 2 properties flagged with heritage con- . -.Servation status, this desig-. nation will come up: when : a request: for information or A representative of the ; Ministry ‘ of, Community, Aboriginal and Women’s Services visited the area in. the fall of 2005, says Web- " ber, to outline monies avail- able to local governments in’ are a4 ad rece Recs fe) PAY. Hl 5011 Sy ORY N. ONLY $15 - SAVE $30. 00 - ‘Ww ightWatchers.ca Yon wow ALL ROUNDS BEGIN @ 8:00 PM” _ DATES PEBRUARY 17th Registration: 7:30pm ROYAL CANADIAN. 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