Lynn Lau
Northern News Services

Fort Smith (July 16/01) - Frustrated by federal policy that does not recognize Metis hunting rights in Wood Buffalo National Park, a group of Metis communities have decided to issue their own hunting permits.

The South Slave Metis Tribal Council made the resolution at their annual general meeting at Roaring Rapids Hall in Fort Smith, July 6th, 7th and 8th. The council is an umbrella group for Metis locales in Fort Smith, Hay River and Fort Resolution.

"We have an inherent right to harvest in our traditional territory," said the council's president Robert Tordiff. "The card is an administrative thing. It's simply exerting a right that we already have."

The cards will state that the holder is an indigenous person with a right to harvest in the traditional territory and are expected to be in the hands of members before the fall hunting season. The council estimates its membership to be in the range of 3,500 people.

Cards are the latest in a battle between area Metis and the federal government over hunting rights. In 1999, Kenny Hudson -- a Fort Smith Metis -- illegally shot a moose in Wood Buffalo National Park in an attempt to force the issue through the court system.

Hudson was charged, but the Crown issued a stay of proceedings -- stalling the court case indefinitely.

Hudson has gone hunting in the park several times since, but no other charges have been laid.

On June 23rd, Fort Smith Metis Council passed a resolution to organize a community hunt in Wood Buffalo National Park this fall.

Park senior manager Josie Weninger declined comment Thursday, saying she would wait until she had discussed the matter directly with the South Slave Metis Tribal Council.

"In terms of the Metis hunting issue, we're working internally to try to find some resolution to that." She said this was the first she had heard of the Metis self-issued hunting permits.

Down to business

Also, at the AGM, the South Slave Metis Economic Corporation held its first shareholders' meeting July 7th in Fort Smith.

"The real purpose of the economic corporation is going to be support for local initiatives, participating in the larger scale operations like hydroelectric development and developing mechanisms to assist our membership in their processes in terms of entrepreneurial efforts," said Tordiff.

The corporation was set up July 10, 2000 and it spent the year chasing funding and setting up planning workshops.

The corporation has established its strategic plan and will be looking to hire a salaried economic development officer, pursue additional funding, and carry out feasibility studies for joint ventures.

The corporation recently became involved in the Aboriginal Pipeline Group looking to set up aboriginal ownership of the proposed Mackenzie Valley Pipeline project. Tordiff said his group was still not sure if they would be endorsing the pipeline project.

The day before the shareholders' meeting, finance minister Joe Handley presented the council with potential hydroelectric projects that the economic corporation might participate in. The proposal was met with a mixed response, with some people voicing concern over the environmental effects of hydroelectric projects.