Dave Sullivan
Northern News Services
Fort Resolution (Jun 25/01) - There is disappointment in Fort Resolution following a decision by diamond giant De Beers to not formally share economic benefits with the community of 500.
"We're not too happy with that," says Deninu K'ue Chief Don Balsillie.
De Beers says Fort Resolution, at 300 kilometres away from the proposed Snap Lake diamond mine, is too far to be eligible for an economic benefits agreement.
Diamond mining companies have been negotiating agreements with First Nations that promise jobs and cash. Several signed so far are secret.
Balsillie claims Snap Lake is a traditional area for Fort Resolution trappers and that a decline in the fur trade is the only reason their traplines haven't been maintained for about 50 years.
"That doesn't necessarily mean we've given up rights to the area. They still exist."
Steve Ellis, economic and wildlife officer in Lutsel K'e, says trappers from Lutsel K'e, which is closer to Snap Lake, often exchanged greetings with travelling counterparts from Fort Resolution.
De Beers spokesperson Jocelyn Fraser says the company wants to spread economic benefits over the widest possible area, including Fort Resolution. But determining traditional use "is a difficult thing to hammer down."
While De Beers is still in the early "listening" stages, "it's hard to find people still in the community who were using the land 50 years ago," Fraser said.
She said De Beers looks at a variety of things to determine if it should negotiate a formal economic benefit agreement, including distance away, traditional use and precedent recently set by the Ekati and Diavik mine projects.
Balsillie says the Snap Lake area will be an important part of a land claim being negotiated with the federal government.
A spokesman for the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development (DIAND) says treaty boundaries for that claim have yet to be established. A framework agreement was signed last year, but boundaries are "not resolved. We have not even begun to discuss specifics," says Daniel Watson, DIAND's director of aboriginal and territorial relations.
He says the department has a hands-off approach to Fort Resolution's complaint, citing it as a matter between De Beers and the community. He wouldn't say if DIAND would ever use federal mine permit applications as a lever.
Balsillie is critical of De Beers for dealing with individual communities instead of Treaty 8 as a whole, and says it should not be up to companies to choose who to involve in the economic agreements.
About two weeks ago two De Beers' officials met with Balsillie in Fort Resolution to break the news.
"We'll continue to work with the Fort Resolution band," Fraser said.
Balsillie counters that the company "has been really difficult to deal with in terms of including us. We're in Treaty 8 too but most of the stuff they're talking about pertains just to the Yellowknives and Lutsel K'e," he says of economic benefit agreements being sought.
De Beers is willing to negotiate one with the Yellowknives Dene, Lutsel K'e, the Dogrib and North Slave Metis Alliance, Fraser said.
Balsillie is critical of De Beers' decision to negotiate with individual communities rather than collectively. "It should be up to the political institutions."
