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Today's News
January 1, 2006: Aboriginal forestry deals stacking up
Chilliwack Progress
Aboriginal forestry deals stacking up
By Tom Fletcher
Black Press
Jan 01 2006
The B.C. government is nearing its 100th forestry agreement with aboriginal communities, after signing a flurry of new deals that hand over millions of dollars in timber rights.
Forests Minister Rich Coleman announced Wednesday that the Penelakut First Nation on Vancouver Island is receiving a $1.9 million revenue sharing agreement over five years, and an invitation to apply for an 800-hectare woodlot.
"This agreement gives the Penelakut tools to manage the forests in their traditional territory and build a forestry business," Coleman said. "The provincial government has negotiated agreements with 98 first nations to date, diversifying local economies and providing certainty to the forest operations throughout British Columbia."
The Penelakut has 794 members on four reserves, with the largest on Kuper Island, off the east coast of Vancouver Island.
On Dec. 16, the province and the Ehattesaht First Nation signed two forestry agreements that give community west of Gold River on Vancouver Island access to 189,000 cubic metres of timber and $650,000 to help establish a local forest business.
Timber for these and other recent agreements comes from a province-wide program to buy back timber licences from large forest companies and reallocate them to communities and woodlot operators.
On Dec. 2 the government announced a $180,000 forestry agreement with the Skawahlook First Nations, which represents 70 people on two reserves near Hope. The timber comes from the Fraser Timber Supply area.
"Skawahlook First Nations has a proven track record of success and this includes a strategic place in the forest industry," said Chief Maureen Chapman. At the end of November, an agreement was reached with the Cheam First Nation, a larger Fraser Valley community with 447 members near Chilliwack. That agreement provides $1.7 million in revenue sharing over five years and 64,630 cubic metres of timber.
Aboriginal Relations Minister Tom Christensen said he is encouraged by the progress being made on resource agreements.
http://www.theprogress.com/portals-code/li...
Topic(s): Fist Nations News, Forestry News, legal news, policy news
Posted By EcoBC
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