While mining is mostly dodging the impacts of the possibly caribou closures and the current moratorium, the topic is still at the front of mind for most people in the Peace.
With that in mind, one of the sessions at this year’s Coal and Energy forum was a panel discussion, looking at the issues surrounding the partnership agreement.
There were four panel members: Mayor Keith Bertrand, Councillor Clarence Willson from West Moberly, Dawson Creek Councillor and former MLA Blair Lekstrom, and Archie MacDonald, General Manager of Forestry with the BC Council of Forest Industries.
The message from all quarters was caribou are important and need to be saved. Willson says that the original treaty agreement was that First Nations would be as free to hunt and fish under the treaty as if they had never entered into the agreement. He quotes an elder, Max Desjarlais, who says that the band was long preserved by being able to hunt the caribou. “It’s our turn to look after these caribou,” Desjarlais said.
Lekstrom is the author of a recent report on how the caribou situation was handled. He says that he was asked by the premier to go out and talk to people to find out how people felt. “The most overwhelming response was people wanted to help caribou,” says Lekstrom. “Right away we have common ground. But the most important thing I heard was we aren’t wanting to tear the agreement up, but to make it more inclusive. The challenge is we think that we—and I mean all of us in this region—can make this agreement better. Industry is more than happy to be at the table. We have a document that speaks to how we are going to look after the caribou; in that document there are concerns about impact on communities. It’s never been the intent of First Nations to shut down industry. So how do we work together?”
Lekstrom says he thinks the local First Nations have done a good job, but the work is not yet completed. “The gist of my report is that we all get to the table. Let’s put the brakes on—admittedly, a difficult message for West Moberly and Saulteau—and find ways to bring people to the table. There were 14 recommendations. So far, the only one that’s been implemented is the moratorium.”
Another main concern, he says, is the lack of a socio-economic analysis. “That’s a vital part moving forward. If we do this, how does this affect us?”
Ultimately, he says, the caribou issue not going to be solved by government, but by neighbours. “The way this has been done has damaged relationships; though not beyond repair. And we can fix this as neighbours. We are the only area with a partnership agreement. And I have to believe that the agreement came about because of the work these nations have done already. I think we can make it work, but we have to sit at a table together to discuss the issues together. Like who is going to sit at the table? These are not earth shatteringly hard to repair. This is about our home; this is not about politics. This is about our children and grandchildren being able to enjoy the quality of life that we have.”
MacDonald says that Forest Industry wants to be at the table. “We’ve been a long supporter of caribou recovery,” he says. “Millions have been spent by our industry. A lot has been done, but a lot more needs to be done. We are optimistic that working together with First Nations, local government and stakeholders caribou can recover, and we can still maintain a viable forest industry.”
He says caribou populations are declining elsewhere, too. Part of that, he says is because the forest is changing. “Climate change is having huge effect on ecosystem,” he says. “Research shows we can expect more and more catastrophic events. Pine beetles. Spruce beetles. We have to make our forests healthy; that will help make caribou healthy.”
He says that simply preserving areas doesn’t help. He points to Tweedsmuir Provincial Park, which has remained undisturbed, yet caribou populations have plummeted. “We need a multi-issue, science based approach,” he says. “We need a clear recognition that landscape is changing. Dynamic management, rather than static management—setting aside area and hoping it will stay like that—is needed. Trees are living things. They grow. They die. Things change. Have to incorporate predictor control. Maternal penning. We need to monitor effectiveness and report.”
