Wabauskang First Nation working to care for forest and develop local economic opportunities
Forest deals can benefit Ontario's First Nations
By: Doug Riffel - 14 November 2013
The political and economic interests of First Nations are not, as some argue, mutually exclusive.
Ontario's forests have been part of a natural gift to our country, one that can be used with care or terribly misused.
As a former chief of Wabauskang First Nation, and the owner and operator of Makoose Wood Innovations, I should know. We run a forest products company that manufactures value-added forest products from timber we harvest from the Whiskey Jack and Trout Lake forests east of Kenora, Ont.
Late last month Chief Simon Fobister of Grassy Narrows First Nation wrote an article on thestar.com Opinion section highly critical of the forestry industry. There is another side to the story, about the benefits that the forests provide to First Nations and the regional economy.
Grassy Narrows and Wabauskang are neighbours and sister communities; we have common roots, close family ties and share traditional territory. Our community was also devastated by the mercury contamination of the English and Wabigoon river systems in the 1960s, but unlike Grassy Narrows and Wabauseemoong (aka Whitedog), Wabauskang was not included in the resulting settlements.
In addition to pursuing unresolved legal claims arising from the mercury contamination, we have a joint Treaty Land Entitlement claim with Grassy Narrows against Ontario and Canada. Wabauskang also has standing in the appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada regarding the Keewatin case where the Ontario Court of Appeal reversed a lower court decision that reconfirmed the provincial government's right to issue natural resource permits, licences and leases in part of our traditional territory.
So we share the same context as our neighbours, and also vigorously protect our Treaty and Aboriginal rights and interests. However, when it comes to participation in management of our forests, Wabauskang First Nation takes a different approach than Grassy Narrows.
Our traditional lands are essential to the spiritual, social and economic well-being of our people, and as such we must play a critical role in the management of our lands and share in the benefits derived there from. Wabauskang First Nation welcomes Ontario's efforts to involve First Nations in the management of forests and in particular the Ministry of Natural Resources' (MNR) initiative to modernize forest tenure. The Crown is obliged to consult, accommodate and obtain the consent of impacted First Nations before approving Forest Management Plans (FMPs) and operations.
While Grassy Narrows has chosen to boycott the process, Wabauskang and other First Nations have participated in the planning process led by MNR for the Whiskey Jack Forest. Wabauskang supports approval of the Whiskey Jack FMP, and are anxious the get on with its implementation. Even better than being consulted and accommodated, tenure reform offers the participating First Nations the responsibility to assume management of the forest, including writing the next FMP, and thereby capturing more of the economic and social benefits that the forest has to offer.
Wabauskang's position is that we must be party to any companies that manage the various forests units within our territory. We must have a fair 50/50 share in the Crown revenue derived from the fiber harvested from our territory, and we require assistance in building our capacity to capture the business and employment opportunities that flow from natural resources in our territory.
There is an immense complexity to the situation in which the First Nations of Northwestern Ontario find themselves. We are small, impoverished communities caught between federal and provincial governments, with unresolved historic grievances and a dynamic Treaty relationship which continues to be defined by the courts and negotiations. We have territories rich with natural resources, growing number of young people hungry for training, education and economic opportunities, and a sacred responsibility for the governance of both. We are fortunate to have willing partners in industry and government, and together we are building a better future for all concerned.
As with any people, our political and economic interests are not mutually exclusive, and Wabauskang First Nation choses to move forward on all fronts. We feel we cannot afford to wait for certainty from the courts concerning our role in the management of our territory and its resources. Like Grassy Narrows, we assert a veto over decisions that adversely impact our rights in these regards, but we work hard to get to yes rather than default to no, negotiating to find win-win agreements that deliver tangible benefits for our community.
The last word goes to Chief Leslie Cameron from my reserve at Wabauskang: "We recognize the need to be involved in all aspects of resource development; from planning to implementation to sharing in the benefits of these activities. We support the new Whiskey Jack Management Plan on the basis that it gives us the flexibility in managing the harvest within our traditional areas as well creating opportunity through the exclusive licensing to our community loggers within this area."
Doug Riffel is a past chief of the Wabauskang First Nation and owner of Makoose Wood Innovations.