Key takeaways:
- The Indigenous society’s civil claim pleaded hydroelectric project infringes Treaty 8.
- It will also see 5,000 acres of local Crown land transferred to the First Nation and a deal to release West Moberly’s suits against the Site C project.
The West Moberly First Nations have got a partial deal with B.C. Hydro and the local and federal governments over a case that says the giant Site C hydroelectric dam in northeastern B.C. would ruin their territory and infringe their rights.
A joint report from the regional and federal governments released Monday afternoon said the compensation has an impact, and the benefits contract between B.C. Hydro and West Moberly First Nations plus two deals are providing contracting options.
It will also see 5,000 acres of local Crown land transferred to the First Nation and an arrangement to release West Moberly’s lawsuits against the Site C project.
The contract is a settlement with the federal government. Still, the claim that the current dams on the Peace River violate West Moberly’s treaty privileges will be paused to try to negotiate a settlement.
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Chief Roland Willson sighed as he described the partial compensation for his people. “We’ve, as a society, realized that they’re not stopping,” he said. “[We’re] painfully conscious that we’ve lost the valley.”
The third in a string of four dams in B.C.’s Peace River region, Site C was first offered in the 50s, postponed twice in the 80s, and brought back to life by ex-B.C. Liberal premier Gordon Campbell in 2010.
About 5,500 hectares of land will be flooded, ruining farmland, wildlife habitat, and territory settled by Treaty 8 First Nations. Construction on Site C, approximately 14 kilometers southwest of Fort St. John, started in 2015.
The West Moberly First Nations filed a civil lawsuit against the B.C. government, B.C. Hydro and the attorney general of Canada 2018 lost a bid for a request order that same year.
Source – cbc.ca
