Terry Halifax
Northern News Services

FORT SIMPSON (July 23/99) - While the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Board undertakes an impact assessment of the proposed Ranger and Chevron gas finds in Fort Liard, Deh Cho First Nations Grand Chief Michael Nadli, says the assessment should be made by a board of First Nations people.

"The way that development is occurring really doesn't benefit our communities at the First Nations level," Nadli said. "It's sad that we need to fight federal policy over what is rightfully ours. It's a crime."

Nadli says the act is flawed in that it was written through negotiations with the Sahtu and Gwich'in agreements.

"The intention of the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act was to basically set up boards and management regimes for the claimant groups like the Sahtu and the Gwich'in," he said. "That has been our long-standing contention, that the board was meant for them -- not meant for us."

During negotiations over the Sahtu and Gwich'in agreements, it was decided that the board would be half Aboriginal and half non-Aboriginal members.

Nadli said that is not acceptable to him and his people.

"(The act) contradicts the principle that we have put forward that we are the owners of this land and we will find out the best ways to manage this land."

Nadli likened the act to the disease brought North by white trappers and traders.

"It's an old blanket that covers the whole Denendeh area, whether you're a claimant group or not," he said. "(It's) like the blankets that were given to our people before the treaty days. They were infested with TB and influenza and that really devastated the community throughout Denendeh.

"At this point, we are kind of in that same predicament where we are being cast over by the blanket coverage of the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act."

Executive director for the Mackenzie Valley Land and Water Board Jim McCaul, says the act allows for equal representation within each claimant group.

He said there is provision in part three of the act to allow for each claimant area to establish individual boards through negotiation.

"As each land claim is settled, each area will have its own area land and water board, just like the Sahtu and Gwich'in do," McCaul said. "Each of the area boards will handle everything within their boundaries."

He said the latest legislation to be passed is part four of the MVLWB, which addresses areas with unsettled claims.

"To date we have had five different proclamation points for part four," McCaul said. "The latest one is Dec. 31 of this calendar year."

He said the Deh Cho, Dogrib and South Slave regions were all consulted during the legislation's drafting.