by Michael Kelly Like three gears-rotating around a common centre, the negotiating teams in the Nisga’a land talks “have begun their work. Each of the three groups has a series of com- mittees for research at its disposal, and cach of the three teams report regularly to their respective governing bodies — the provincial Cabinet, the federal Cabinet, and ihe membership of the Nisga’a Tribal Council. Eric Denhoff, deputy minister of Native Affairs, heads the B.C. team, newly arrived at the table. Acting chief negotiator Gay Rear- don leads the federal government team. Leading the Nisga’a team is Chief Joseph Gosnell. Along with support staff the three tea:n leaders were in Terrace April 17 to hold press conferences and address a meeting of the chamber of com- merce. In Terrace the word negotiation is associated with labour bargain- ing, particularly the acrimonious and well-publicized sessions that take place between the teachers and school district at regular inter- vals, Gay Reardon said in an inter- Power, performance and excitement -- that's the VMAX-4! It's the ullimate Yamaha snowmobile. Engineered with typical Yamaha vigour and purpose. The 1992 YMAX-4, It's part of the future. And it's here right now. 70cc’s of unparalleled four-cylinder thunder. The industry's first center-driven drive train, pushing performance to new limits. Harnessing raw power with Yamaha's YXRC overdrive clutch. And smoothing the meanest trails with state-oHhe-art front and rear suspensions, The VMAX-4 packs an impressive list of performance features. Like feather-weight aluminum skis, durable plastic ski skins, and carbide runners. The VMAX-4 is the ultimate flagship of a new breed of Yamaha. You can see it, and three other 1992 sleds, aboard Project Snowball ‘92. It's a specially out-ftted tractor-trailer loaded with nex| year's snow warriors that's Lravelling to dealer locations across Canada. 4946 Greig Ave. Qe —_ view that the land question negoti- ations bear only a superficial re- semblance to labour negotiations (a field in which she has considerable experience), and Gosnell said the two forms of negotiating have nothing in common at all. Even so, the process has to start somewhere, and the starting point for these talks is the original Nisga’a proposal for settlement. Their position was set out in a document issued in July 1990. The area the Nisga’a consider their ancestral territory follows the Nass River from its headwaters to the end of the Nass inlet, covering the entire valley. In the north it encompasses the area around Bow- ser Lake to the Alaskan border, down the west side of the Portland Canal, across it between Pearse and Wales islands to a point just north of the Khutzeymateen River. The territory’s southern boundary runs between Lava Lake and Kalum Lake, where it meets the claim area of the Tsimshian Nation. ‘The Nisga’a divide their claim into two broad categories: Nisga’a lands and "shared" lands. In the proposal the ‘Nisga’ a lands You can even Teserve one of these beauties for next year by putting down a $200 deposit with your Yamaha dealer (Not guaranteed). You'll also get a $200 YAMABUCK certificate and still be eligible for any future Yamaha promotions, A $500 deposit on the VMAX+ gets all of the above, plus a numbered print of the VMAX-4. Call your local Yamaha dealer and find out when Project Seowball will be in your area. The 1992 Yamaha sleds-- ultra-performance. Tothe Max! See the new Enticer Il on Project Snowball OFFER EXPIRES ~ APRIL 30, 1991 Ken Gibson (604) 635-2909 Terrace, B.C. V8G 1N4 and negotiators begi would become the collectively owned property. of the Nisga’a. These lands would run in a corri- dor along the Nass River, includ-. ing the four villages on the river and their adjacent lands, the area in which most of the 6,000 Nisga’a people live. The shared lands would account for the remainder of the two-and-a- half million hectare territory the Nisga’a claim as their ancestral lands. The statement says of the shared lands, "Ownership of this land would be divided, with some resource benefits continuing to flow to the Nisga’a. A joint ownership/management board would make the decisions concerm- ing cevelopment in Shared Lands in a way which will not jeopardize the Nisga’a within their own retained territory." This land division concept is the basis for the Nisga’a position on the use of resources within the claim area, which will be indi- vidually subject to a series of sub- agreements addressing each resource: fish, forests, water, hunt- ing and trapping, minerals and other matters. The form of the Nisga’a govern- ment which emerges from the negotiations will determine how the Nisga’a exercise their authority a over the lands in the final agree- ment. The three groups have recently finished their first session of talks, and they agree their first task is to set priorities, to determine in what sequence the issues will be addressed. Eric Denhoff said the top priority is to establish "interim measures" — a land use policy that will be put into effect while the negotiations take place. A working group was struck to exa- mine those matters, and it met this week, Denhoff told the Chamber of Commerce meeting earlier in the day that the provincial government doesn’t want a development mora- torium on the lands under dis- cussion, but they are consulting with the Nisga’a and taking their concems into account, The most prominent development taking place on the Nise a lands ce a Se hy Terrace Review — Wednesday, April 24, 1991 AS5 in slow dance Laxgal Tsap (Grosrwitle) . #1 Ff? Ls o (? ve dh | The Nisga’a Tribal Council has brought to the negotiating table a claim for the land area approximately within the dotted line on the map above. All the area except a corridor along the lower Nass River would be what the Nisga’a term a "shared resources" area. o Gitlakdamix (New Ayansh) * bi pone baal ad is the Orenda pulp and paper pro- posal south of Meziadin junction. Gosnell told the same meeting that the Nisga’a are not entirely opposed to development, but they want it to occur in "an orderly fashiva". What asked what he meant, he pointed to che virtually unregulated logging that occurred for three decades on Tree Farm Licence 1 as an example of development the Nisga’a would not view as being orderly. "And we would like to take part in [orderly] development,” he added. "We can’t stop progress, but, hey, sit down and talk to us. Right now we're on the outside looking in." But before a development and jurisdiction policy can be esta- blished, the group first has to determine what specific lands are under discussion. Gosnell said the boundaries are the number one item in the framework agreement that governs the negotiations. "We don’t expect it to be easy," he said, "We expect a very strong stance from the province.” There are also issues on which the provincial and federal govern- ment are somewhat at odds. The framework agreement expires in less than two years, which means that an agreement, at least in prin- ciple, will have to be struck among the three parties. In the meantime a different set of negotiations are going on between the province and the feds to establish a cost-sharing formula for the financial burden of settlement. Failure to agree on that » within two years could undermine the entire process. Denhoff noted that although ail the negotiations in B.C. are going to be different in nature, the pro- vince will expect some sort of consistency throughout them “to avoid a bureaucratic nightmare”. Reardon pointed out, however, that — Continued on page A14 INTRODUCTORY OFFER NEW 2.0 cu. in. (33.0 cc} @ Anti-vibration suspension system @ Chrome plated cylinder wall for extended engine life “206, ee Model 200 “fee a Te NEW @ CSA certified Modal 300 3.0 cu. in. (49.2 cc} @ Electronic solid state ignition W SAFE-T-TIP® anti-kickback device @ Chain brake HOMELITE. 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