A joint statement from provincial and federal governments released Monday afternoon said the settlement includes an impact and benefit agreement between BC Hydro and West Moberly First Nations plus two agreements that provide contract opportunities. It will also see 5,000 acres of Crown provincial land transferred to First Nation and an agreement to release West Moberly’s claims against the Site C project. The deal is a settlement with the federal government, but allegations that existing dams on the River Irene violate West Moberly treaty rights will be stopped to try to negotiate a settlement. Leader Roland Willson sighed as he explained what the partial settlement meant to his people. “We have realized, as a community, that they do not stop,” he said. “[We’re] realizing painfully that we have lost the valley “. The third in a series of four dams in the Peace River area of BC, Site C was first proposed in the 1950s, shelved twice in the 1980s and revived by the former BC Liberal Prime Minister. Gordon Campbell in 2010. About 5,500 hectares of land will be flooded, destroying agricultural land, wildlife habitats and lands occupied by the Treaty of the First Nations. Construction at Site C, approximately 14 miles southwest of Fort St. John, started in 2015. The West Moberly First Nations filed a lawsuit against the BC government, BC Hydro and the Attorney General of Canada in 2018 and lost an injunction order the same year.
Controversial work
NDP leader John Horgan opposed Site C Dam before being elected prime minister, but eventually decided to step down as soon as he took office – despite a report by the BC Utilities committee that suggested alternatives. Last year, Horgan said the county would lose more than $ 10 billion in costs if it decided to reverse its course as the estimated cost of building the dam was about $ 16 billion, almost double the $ 8.775 billion approved by the county. in 2014. Willson said he was reluctant to compromise out of court, but his community felt he had no choice. “It is difficult to discuss why the project should never have happened,” he said. “All the nations of the 8th treaty have approached [former B.C.] Liberal government with the idea of working together on a project to develop energy for the province, but they had their minds on Site C. “ “They wrote the British Columbia Public Utilities Committee out of procedure, so they could not reject it a third time.” The head of West Moberly First Nation, Roland Willson, says he did not feel they had many options as it became clear that there was no stopping the project. (Andrew Kurjata / CBC)
Moving forward
In a statement to CBC, BC Hydro President and CEO Chris O’Riley acknowledged that the settlement was a “difficult decision” for the first nations of West Moberly. “Building respectful and meaningful relationships with the first nations of West Moberly and all the First Nations of Treaty 8 affected by site C is a priority for BC Hydro,” O’Riley said. “These agreements provide us with the foundation to move forward together in a way that promotes a mutually beneficial relationship.” BC Energy Secretary Bruce Ralston also acknowledged West Moberly’s concerns in a press release, but said he believed the agreements recognized and mitigated the impact of the Site C project on First Nations, while ensuring that they would benefit from the project. Ralston’s office said West Moberly would receive a lump sum payment and ongoing payments during the first 70 years of Site C operation, as well as 5,000 acres of undiscovered Crown. Chief Willson says he is ready to turn the page, but argues that the Peace River dams ignore the provisions of the Treaty 8. “This is a clear violation of the treaty and a clear violation of our rights in the treaty,” he said. Willson said the Moberly First Nations would now focus their efforts on healing – with their people and the land that remains – and protecting their way of life in the face of continued growth in the Treaty Area 8. “After much discussion and debate, we decided that we should move on to the next chapter and move on.”
