Wahta Community Fire April Update – Idle No More

Clumsily Stumbling About

In mid-March, the Wahta Council sent out a late newsletter and added postings on their website to notify the people of Wahta, the Wahtaronon, of the Council’s intent to have a vote on their “Wahta Mohawks Membership Consultation Plan.” A general community meeting was held on March 28, 2015. The Council admitted that they had received minimal, if any, substantive feedback on their Consultation Plan since it was introduced at the previous general community meeting last fall. In the end, no vote was held.

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Surprise, Surprise!

WahtaPic.pngWahtaronon are now receiving envelopes in the mail encouraging people to send back a ballot indicating that they either agree or disagree “with the adoption of the WMMCP.” The ballot is also a lottery ticket for one draw of $100 dollars. The Wahta Council is not concerned in the least about the optics of providing a monetary incentive to vote.

The proposed Consultation Plan was developed from a flawed foundation.

In dismissing the Governance laws which were developed and ratified by the community after a three-year process that involved community workshops, meetings, and newsletter information exchange, the current Council took the position that there wasn’t enough involvement from the membership as a whole. They claim this is one of the reasons they developed the Consultation Policy. Yet only two dozen people showed up for the vote they called. In contrast, in 2014 more than double the number of people attended the meeting to adopt the Governance laws, which is very significant for a community with approximately one hundred adult voters residing in the territory.

The validity of the vote to adopt the proposed Consultation Plan is questionable, since the Council’s intent is to replace laws which are meant to hold it accountable.

The Consultation Plan itself is flawed.

The Consultation Plan was developed by the Council and Administration. In fact, the version they posted online has the name of the former mayor of the neighbouring municipality (now Wahta’s Financial Accountant), attached to it. There is no ownership by the people or empowerment of the people in this process. In contrast, the Governance laws were developed by the people. The people can see their words in the document.

The Wahta Council is now struggling to keep up the charade and clearly does not believe in the document they have developed. According to the Consultation Plan document, any “Strategic Initiatives and Consultation, Policies, Procedures and By-laws” can be approved by Council after presentation to at least two community meetings. “Laws, Codes and Constitution” require three facilitated “Membership Consultation” meetings which ultimately lead to a referendum under the Wahta Mohawks General Referendum Regulations. Is the Consultation Plan a “Policy” or “Procedure”? Is it a Code? The document sets out no procedure for a vote, nor does it define the threshold (50% + 1? 60%?, 75%?) required for a measure to be considered approved.

Where is the provision for a vote in the document?

Why are there so many different, and seemingly contradictory, terms for meetings involving the people? Some are called Community Council Meetings, some are called Membership Consultation meetings, others are called Special Purpose Consultation Meetings, and still others are facilitated Membership Consultation Meetings. Presumably these are all different than “Membership Meetings.”

This is not only a matter of careless editing and terminology. It is a critical matter of how a government engages the people to whom it is supposed to be accountable. The failure of this Council to understand how to engage and empower community is amplified by its failure to publish motions/records of decisions, and their failure to publish minutes of meetings.

There is no provision in the document to identify how it might be amended in the future. Like everything else, in the absence of the Governance laws, the Wahta Council makes things up as they go along.

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The Consultation Plan is the emblem of this Council. Besides their involvement in a municipal dispute over a second development project at a tourist site, this is the one item that they can flag as their biggest accomplishment in governance. It is a picture of a group of people clumsily stumbling about, trying to pretend they have a clue about what they are doing in office.

 

Wahta Community Fire Update for April shared with permission from the Wahta Community Fire Facebook page. You can learn more through the following links:

Website: Wahta Community Fire

Facebook: Wahta Community Fire

Twitter: Wahta Community Fire

Chevrons Dirty Hands – Caravan & Updates – Idle No More

ChevronDirtyHands.jpgWe are the Solidarity Committee with the communities affected by Chevron in Ecuador. This is a Canadian campaign to expose the dirty hand of Chevron and learn about the poison this company left in the Ecuadorian Rain Forest.

Update about the current legal case in Canada, the recent victory at the Hague Court and also to share information about the caravan to Washington DC.

Join the Chevron’s Dirty Hand Facebook event page or RSVP via the Idle No More Event Page

Solidarity in Canada

About Anti-Chevron:

We are a Solidarity Committee with the communities affected by Chevron around the world. #AntiChevron is a Canadian campaign to expose the dirty hand of Chevron and learn about the poison this oil giant left in the Ecuadorian Rain Forest and across the world. We organize rallies, documentary screenings, workshops, and events to expose Chevron’s Dirty Hand.

ForumPic.jpgTheir Mission:

Our mission is to inform and spread awareness of Chevron’s Dirty Hand around the world including: Ecuador, Romania, USA, Nigeria, Argentina, and Canada itself.  In Canada, we stand in solidarity with the Unist’ot’en people of “British Columbia” and their struggles against Chevron as well as with the Ecuadorian people and their pursuit of Chevron’s assets in Canada after a 20 year-long $9.5 billion lawsuit win.

Why Anti-Chevron in Canada?

Chevron is the 3rd largest corporation in the United States with revenues larger than the GDPs of 138 Nations. They are also the cause of millions of deaths and illnesses around the world due to their irresponsible and unsafe operations in countries like: Canada, Angola, Burma, Brazil, China, Colombia, Ecuador, France, Indonesia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, the Philippines, Peru, Thailand, Turkmenistan, the United Kingdom, Australia and various states in the U.S., including Alaska, Utah, Texas, and Mississippi.

In Canada, Chevron has illegally agreed to build a pipeline across the land where the Unist’ot’en people of the Wet’suwet’en clan reside. As a result, the Unist’ot’en people have denied access to surveyors and set up a roadblock preventing Chevron into the land. We stand in solidarity with the Unist’ot’en people in Canada.
In Ecuador, after 20 years of legal battle, Chevron was sentenced to compensate the affected communities in Ecuador with $9.5 Billion. Unfortunately, Chevron has slickly pulled all its assets out of Ecuador so Canada has stepped up and agreed to hear this case in the Canadian Supreme Court!

If you are interested in organizing a documentary screening, information forum series or event about the poison #Chevron left in the Ecuadorian Rain Forest please do not hesitate to contact us at chevronsdirtyhand@gmail.com.

We are always open for new ideas and suggestions and we look forward to building a strong network in Canada to pressure Chevron to clean up the contamination they left in Ecuador.

For more information, please LIKE us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter

 

The Chevron Tapes – What Chevron does not want you to know.

In 2011, Amazon Watch received a mysterious package from a Chevron whistleblower. No return address, just dozens of DVDs and a note: “I hope this is useful for you in the trial against Texaco/Chevron! Signed, a friend from Chevron.”

 

Stay tuned to find out about upcoming activities near you. More info at:

http://www.antichevron.ca/

http://apoya-al-ecuador.com/en/

http://chevrontoxico.com/

http://www.antichevron.com/

Five Years of BP – Idle No More

Clyde River Solidarity Network – Idle No More

Idle No More Ontario and Amnesty International have announced a solidarity campaign, supporting the Inuit of Clyde River in their struggle against offshore seismic surveys for the oil and gas industry. In addition to the support of Idle No More and Amnesty International, several other organizations have joined the campaign in support of Clyde River to create the Clyde River Solidarity Network. We invite you to join the Clyde River Solidarity Network and sign the list of signatories who have become involved and joined this newly formed solidarity network.

 

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We call upon the Federal government to reverse the NEB’s decision, and ensure that no further permits for petroleum exploration development in Nunavut are granted unless, Inuit rights are fully protected, including the right to grant or withhold free, prior and informed consent to such development. 

We support and acknowledge the Inuit of Clyde River in protecting the land and water against seismic testing for oil and gas in Baffin Bay and Davis Strait. This exploration and potential extraction activity will inevitably have negative effects on the marine life, migration patterns, the Inuit Peoples health, the environment and the livelihood of the Inuit People. In the long term this impact will adversely affect an entire peoples way of life, the migrating wildlife and vast marine life.

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Mayors of Nunavut’s 25 communities unanimously expressed their support by way of a resolution passed at the Nunavut Association of Municipalities’ AGM in Iqaluit on November 12th to 13th, 2014. The support is welcomed by all as many realize that this can also happen in their communities. There is a lot fear around the potential environmental impacts the 260-decibel underwater seismic explosions might have on local wildlife. A decibel level that is almost double the sound produced by a low-flying jet. Despite this unified opposition, the NEB approved the surveys in June 2014. The community of Clyde River responded with local protests and is seeking a court injunction to stop the seismic surveys.

Idle No More Ontario with the support Clyde River Solidarity Network, are organizing a support rally on April 20th 2015 outside of the Federal Court of Appeal. We will also host a public information sessions on April 16th where all will be welcome to learn more about seismic exploration in Clyde River, Baffin Bay, Davis Strait, the history of this fight against it, and how you can do more to support.

Public Information Session in Toronto in April 16th

 

Idle No More Website event page Public Info Sessions Toronto: Clyde River Inuit Fight the NEB

Facebook Event Page Clyde River Inuit Fight the NEB in Court: Public Information Session

Rally at the Courthouse Toronto

 

Idle No More Event Page Standing With Clyde River Inuit: Rally at the Courthouse

Facebook Event Page Standing with Clyde River Inuit: Rally at the Courthouse

Urgent Call for Solidarity – Stop Gold Mining in NE Greece by Canadian Company Eldorado Gold – Idle No More

The Canadian “low-cost” gold mining company Eldorado Gold is on the brink of turning one of the last remaining areas of intact old-growth forest in northeastern Greece into a polluted industrial wasteland. Greece’s new left-wing Syriza government promised to stop the mining project but has yet to actually do so. The people of Halkidiki need support from the international community to put pressure on Syriza to stop the project, and tell Eldorado Gold that their short-term profits are not worth the irreversible destruction they are causing to the future of the region and its ecosystem.

An hour east of Thessaloniki, in the heart of the green, primeval forest of the Skouries-Kakkavos mountains, the hull of a gigantic, monstrous, mineral processing plant sits on a enormous expanse of flattened, deforested, yellow-orange dirt, the color of which stands in stark contrast to the rich green of the tree line. The factory is still under construction, and if it ever becomes operational, will process 24,000 tons of earth a day for the next twenty seven years, producing mainly gold and copper. In the distance one catches a glimpse of the turquoise waters of the Bay of Ierissos, which opens up into the larger Mediterranean. Just on the other side of the hill, behind a 2.5m tall blue grated metal fence that snakes through the woods surrounding the construction sites, men in gigantic diggers and dump trucks are working at a frantic pace, removing the top layers of earth from a vast area where the actual open pit mine will be. Just two years ago this area was still forested, with a scattering of small orchards that had been in families for generations, accessible only by foot – most who sold them under pressure from the company. What was once a tranquil sanctuary has been transformed into a Mad Max-esque scene of disaster, and if allowed to continue the gaping hole in the mountain will grow to at least 700m in diameter and will have a depth of at least 220m.

Running along the perimeter of the open pit, a road enters the forest again and follows the curves of a deep ravine full of ancient trees. Down below is a stream of clear flowing water. The movement of heavy machinery along what once was a forest path has ground the dirt on this road into a fine dust which covers all of the nearby trees, and which after a heavy rain turns into an impassable muck. The dust created by the deforestation and construction thus far is substantial and will only increase as the work continues, slowly asphyxiating the plants it covers and dispersing heavy metals into the ecosystem. Five hundred meters down this winding road, the sky opens up in front of you and you find yourself looking down into a massive valley which bears the scars of violent clear-cutting on both sides. At the bottom of the valley is the stream known as Karatzas, which flows into the larger Karolakas on its way down the mountain to the sea. This valley is the future site of one of at least two tailings dams that will be constructed to hold the toxic waste material from the processing plant. In the distance the rumble of machinery and the buzzing of chainsaws can be heard – the sound of the deforestation of the second valley where the stream Lotsaniko runs.

The Skouries-Kakkavos mountains are full of water – there are old fountains scattered throughout the forest and the aquifer supplying fresh water for the surrounding region of Aristotles lies under these mountains. Over geological time, the streams that flow down through these mountains have created beautiful waterfalls and swimming holes cherished by the people who live there. Agriculture and tourism are the two main economic sectors in Halkidiki, both of which rely on clean water. The imminent, existential threat that this mining activity poses to the both the fresh and sea water in the region is acutely felt. If the mine is allowed to continue, not only is the threat of water pollution incredibly high, but the processing plant will use the fresh water from the aquifer, essentially draining the it from the mountain and away from the forest and communities that rely on it. The drinking water supply of the village of Neochori located to the north of the open pit already contains dangerous levels of arsenic due to drilling activity, and in September 2013 the residents there were warned not to drink or in any way use their tap water or the water from the public spring in the centre of the village.

Local communities have been organised against the construction of the open pit mine and the processing plant since 2006, when Eldorado Gold’s Canadian predecessor European Goldfields declared their intention of constructing an open-pit mine, as opposed to traditional underground mining that had been part of the region’s economy for centuries. Community members from the village of Megali Panagia built a small house in the mountain to monitor the exploratory activities of European Goldfields’ Greek subsidiary Hellas Gold. European Goldfields never actually carried out their plans, and only when Eldorado Gold acquired the concession for 1.8 billion Euros in Dec 2011 did the construction of the mine begin full force. In March of 2012, hundreds of mine workers were ordered to attack and evict the local activists from the mountain, destroying the mountain house. Despite being offered hundreds of thousands of euros to clear cut the forest for the mine, the local union of forestry workers refused in protest against Eldorado Gold’s open pit mining plans. Peaceful protests by community members has been met with teargas and batons, and many people in the region have been charged with a variety of crimes for their attempts to show their opposition to this disastrous project, many facing several charges each.

Despite the existence of an alternative economic plan for the region, which includes sustainable forestry, organic agriculture, honey production (there are over 152,000 bee hives in the region), and low-impact tourism, the government has yet to come out forcefully against the mining company by actively supporting these sustainable economic activities. Because of the current economic crisis in Greece, the mine has ends up being the highest paying employer in the region, paying at least a third more of the average income, which is currently between 600 and 800 euros a month. The people working at the mine claim that they do their job to feed their families, repressing or denying any long-term impacts their actions will have. While Eldorado Gold essentially blackmails the local population to work for the mine in some way, as the contract stands now, the only revenue the Greek state will receive from this gigantic environmental mess is the income taxes paid by the workers. In 27 years when the company is gone, it is the taxpayers who will be stuck with a ticking time bomb of ecological catastrophe, should on of their toxic waste dams happen to break.

On Saturday, March 28, 2015, over 5000 people marched in Thessaloniki against Eldorado Gold and for a more sustainable and ecologically sound economic future. Because the Syriza government has stated that it is opposed to the mining project, it is essential that they receive international pressure urging them to stop this mine in its tracks before it’s too late.

Please write to the Greek Minister of the Environment Panagiotis Lafazanis and tell him to make stopping the construction of the mine an urgent priority, and to support the sustainable, already existent economic activities in Halkidiki: lafazanis@syn.gr

or the contact form of the Greek parliament http://www.hellenicparliament.gr/en/contact/

To express you opinion about the mining project directly to Eldorado Gold, please use the forms kindly provided on the Eldorado Gold website: http://www.eldoradogold.com/contact-us/

For more information on Eldorado’s activities in Greece and the movement against the mine in Halkidiki:

http://antigoldgr.org

https://soshalkidiki.wordpress.com

http://epitropiagonapanagias.blogspot.gr/2015/03/open-pit-11-m-2015.html 

(video of the excavation of the open pit mine)

To watch a short film about the impact of the mining project: https://vimeo.com/channels/restlessminds

Write2Know: Where science meets social and environmental justice – Idle No More

Write2Know (http://write2know.ca) is a activist-research initiative formed out of a collaboration among academics, scientists, activists, NGOs, Aboriginal community groups, and members of the public. It is a response to the recent cancellation of over a hundred Canadian federal research programs, the firing of thousands of federal scientists conducting environmental monitoring and inquires into Aboriginal health, and the Canadian government’s communication policies that prevent scientists from talking to the public and the media about their research. This information about the health of our bodies, communities, and environment is crucial for making good policy decisions and arguing for change. Write2know is a letter-writing campaign that mobilizes the public to press Canadian federal scientists and ministers on questions that matter to public and environmental health. This is an international campaign.

Canada’s policies on oil sands, climate change, water, toxics, Aboriginal health, and missing and murdered Aboriginal women, impact people around the world. This campaign engages issues where science and technology intersect with social and environmental justice. Please consider signing the letters and sharing this campaign with others. There are also opportunities to engage as educators, researchers, and community groups with their own questions about environmental monitoring and health. We have already amassed over 850 signatures on our letters. Write2Know Week is March 23-27. By March 27th, we aim to have thousands of letters signed and delivered. To participate, visit our site at http://write2know.ca This project is an initiative of the Politics of Evidence Working Group at York University. It is generously supported by: Scientists for the Right to Know, Evidence for Democracy, DeSmog Canada, Canadian Journalists for Free Expression, the Canadian Association of University Teachers, the Technoscience Research Unit (University of Toronto), the Institute for Science and Technology Studies (York University) and the Waste and Science, Technology and Environment group (WaSTE) (Memorial University of Newfoundland), and PIPSC, the union representing federal scientists. This project is co-organized by Max Liboiron (Memorial University of Newfoundland) and Natasha Myers (York University). Contact us at write2knowproject@gmail.com.

Photos from action: Hey CN this is Indian Land! – Idle No More

CN Rail recently showed up at a First Nations water ceremony to serve a respected community member with an injunction. The blessing was supposed to take place on the tracks and was called off by the Elders, but that did not stop CN from interrupting the ceremony with threats and intimidation. This is a threat to everything we have fought for: our ceremonies, our right to be on our land, and the right to be treated with respect. 

The following photos were taken on April 19th across the land to remind CN how many of our territories they pass through, and, of how many of us First Nations there actually are.

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Tsilhqot’in call grizzly hunt ‘illegal’ – Idle No More

By Mychayio Prystupa – Vancouver Observer

One of the more legally trailblazing tribes in Canada — the Tsilhqot’in — has just declared the BC Liberal government grizzly hunt as unlawful on traditional Aboriginal lands, the Vancouver Observer has learned.

“The hunt is illegal,” said Chief Joe Alphonse, tribal chair of the Tsilhqot’in National Government on Wednesday from Williams Lake in B.C’s interior.

“If [grizzly] hunters come on to Tsilhqot’in title lands, they better check with us,” he added.

The six Tsilhqot’in bands, fresh off an historic Supreme Court land rights victory, sit atop one of B.C.’s fledging recovery of grizzlies. The landmark ruling last summer requires outsiders to gain the consent of First Nations before impacting traditional territories, including its wildlife.

Read the full story here.

Nicola Valley Chiefs & Supporters Occupy Premier Clark’s Office Over Sewage Waste Import – Idle No More

By Nicola Valley First Nation – Intercontinental Cry

The five Nicola Valley Chiefs and their representatives (Chief Harvey McLeod of Upper Nicola, Chief Marcel Shackelly of Nooaitch, Chief Aaron Sam of Lower Nicola, Chief Percy Joe of Shackan and Chief Lee Spahan of Coldwater) and supporters of Friends of the Nicola Valley, faced with inaction from the Provincial Government and its Ministries on the grave issue of importing sewer sludge into the Nicola Valley, have together decided to occupy the office of the Honourable Premier Christy Clark in West Kelowna.

“The Nicola Valley First Nations hold and exercise Aboriginal Title and Rights over areas where biowaste operations are currently being carried out, and where future biowaste operations have been proposed. The biowaste operations affect our Aboriginal Title and Rights. The Province of British Columbia is obligated to consult and accommodate us in relation to the impacts of biowaste operations on our Rights and Title”, says Chief Aaron Sam.

Read the full story here.

 

St’at’imc re-occupation aims to stop logging, call for support – Idle No More

By Zig Zag – Warrior Publications

From Voice of the Voiceless, Junction Creek (Xwisten Territory, St’at’imc Nation), April 13, 2015

URGENT!!!
We have heard that Aspen Planers is going to start logging at Lac Le Mer, very near the camp, this week! We think they will be trying to start at Junction Creek too. Christine Jack who has been living at the camp is requesting support. We need more people up there ASAP!!!!

Voices of the Voiceless camp is an Indigenous re-occupation of Junction Creek area in Xwisten territory, St’at’imc Nation. This camp was set up on March 16th under the direction of Xwisten elders to stop the logging by Aspen Planers. The site of the VoV Camp is just below a heritage site that has huge cultural significance to Xwisten people. Junction Creek summer village has been a traditional meeting place where people come to hunt, gather and process food. The Xwisten people continue to access and use Junction Creek for these traditional purposes today.

Read full article here.