“Tt was an open forum,”’ he

Speed on

‘readout, which flashes the

A12 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, June 11, 1997

High court hears land claim |

Gitksan, Wet’suwet’en

chiefs seek title to land

GITKSAN and Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs will stand at a crossroad next week,

Afier years of court cases, piled-up docu- ments, altempted negotiations and divisive politics, the chiefs will ask the highest court in the country to recognize in law their aboriginal right to lands, resources and self government,

The two groups want tide to 57,000 square kilometres of land centred on the Hazeltons.

Set for this Monday and Tuesday at the Supreme Court of Canada in Ottawa, the-Dei- gamuukw land claim appeal follows earlier de- cisions at the B.C. Supreme Court and B.C. Court of Appeal. Ten years after the action was launched, the final legal challenge will be heard next week,

THEATRE FEE increases will mean fewer shows, predicts Terrace Little Theatre's Gordon Oates.

Decision attacked

ARTS GROUPS from Terrace and Kitimat gathered at the REM Lee theatre here last weck to protest planned theatre fee increases,

A number of people, in- cluding Caledonia band teacher Geoff Parr and school district music teacher Terry Anderson, told board trustee Roger Leclerc the culs had been made without enough consultation.

*“Tt’s not a community de- cision,’” said Parr, ‘It came from the bureaucrats to the board who let it go by.”"

Cathy Spanevello, man- ager of Mt. Elizabeth Theatre, complained that she and REM Lee manager Tom Walker had not been included in any discussions on cuts to the theatres.

Music Festival president Carol Zuchiatti also felt left out of the process.

‘We were there but we may have well been some- where else,’’ she said of a budget committee meeting.

Leclerc defended the budget committee. He said it met a number of times to debate what should be cut.

said, ‘‘People who partici- pated are the people who chose to participate.”’

a display

SPEEDERS’ favourite ex- cuses won’t work as well here anymore.

Last week the RCMP here picked up a speed board that will tell drivers how fast they’re going. The machine consists of a radar gun at- tached to a large digital

speed of passing motorists.

Inspector Steve Leach of the Terrace detachment says the board will be used by both police and cammunity groups to remind drivers to slow down.

“Tt will be set up in areas where speed is a big con- cem,”? he says, ‘‘Like Kalum Drive.”’

Leach says the board will sometimes be monitored by police, who will issue tick-

ets to speeders. It can also be loaned out to groups like Cltizens on

Patrol, who will place it in high-speed areas Wo act as a reminder for drivers to case off the gas pedal.

Leach says the speed board should be out on the strect within two weeks,

The lead up to that appeal has been Jong and complex. Most recently, the Wet’suwet'en and Gitksan leadership have developed their own positions on land claims and had been neogtiat- ing separate treaties,

But things fell apart in 1996 when talks be- tween the province and the Gitksan collapsed. That reactivated the land claim case, which had been put on hold to allow negotiations.

Although Wet’suwet’en leaders made it clear they preferred to continue negotiations at the treaty table, they were compelled to return to the courts as co-appelants in Degigamuukw.

The Gitksan and Wet’suwet’en have separate lawyers and have filed separate factums forthe appeal before the Supreme Court. In general, both groups seck the following:

i The aboriginal right to occupy, possess, use and enjoy their territory (excluding lands held in fee simple prior to the commencement of the

FROM FRONT

acllon),

Wi The right to harvest, manage and conserve the lerritory and its resources,

Bi The right to selfgovernment within the ter- ritory.

Wi That two issues — the geographical scope of their title and the issue of compensation for wrongfully alicnated lands —- be sent back to the B.C. Supreme Court for a new trial.

ww Costs for the court case.

The Wet’suwet’'en are also seeking:

B Specific aboriginal rights of governance in- cluding the right to determine their own leader- ship, decision making, laws, twaditions and customs regarding marriage, adoption, divorce and succession of individuals.

Mf That the decision of the Supreme Court shall be without prejudice to the right of the Wet’suwet’en to establish jurisdiction or gov- ernance rights in the future.

Theatre budgets slashed

Box 22, IMPROVING Terrace, B.C, Major Credit Cards YOUR V8G 4A2 Accepted CDDS - : anal + arl Your donation is - yearr | AGAINST — Marjorie Park a nclbl AND STROKE | CANADA'S §38-1167 FOUNDATION | 4 KILLEA

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ANNOUNCEMENT

Piersdorff said the board hadn’t made any decisions on other groups such as the Pacif- ic Northwest Music Festival. Most of the groups who use the REM Lee Theatre are non-profit.

Trustees have directed the managers of both theatres to work with community groups to search for other solutions.

The one talked about the most at a meet- ing last Wednesday was the possibility of selling up a non-profit society to run the theatres.

Nearly all people at the meeting voted in favour of looking at forming a non-profit society to run the theatres.

But others at the meeting wondered if the school board would relinquish control.

Trustee Gary Turner said the board was willing to look at all options.

Oates also said one solution he saw was if the board transferred ownership of the theatres to another body, such as the city.

The school board could then buy time for school events at the theatre.

City councilor Val George suggested that the city might be willing 10 look at giving a grant to the REM Lee Theatre.

“The money is all coming out of the same pot.’’? But he said this year’s city budget had no room in it for such grants.

George also suggested that there be an arts advisory committee to make recom- mendations to city council.

If a creative solution isn’t found, the cul- tural ramifications will likely go beyond Terrace and Kitimat.

If groups like the concert society can’t af- ford to bring shows in here, then it’s likely the number of shows throughout the north- west will decrease. That’s because it won’t be worthwhile for performers to come to just a few small towns up north.

“Is been a severe blow to the arts com-

The Terrace Standard ts pleased to announce that Sam Collier has been promoted to the posi- tion of Sales Manager. Sam bas been with the Terrace Standard for more than 9 years.

Congratulations Sam!

Then groups might be able to sell liquor during adult functions, bringing in revenue.

munity and] don’t think the backlash is Fin- ished yet,’’ Birkedal said.

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