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Deninu Kue chief sees too many players in Pine Point negotiations
Fort Smith and Hay River Metis shouldn't be involved in talks with Tamerlane: BalsillieThandie Vela Northern News Services Published Saturday, December 3, 2011
Louis Balsillie, chief of the Deninu Kue First Nation, boycotted a meeting about the base metals mining project in Edmonton last month after four presidents of the Metis Nation -- from Fort Smith, Hay River, and Fort Resolution -- were also invited,. Balsillie told News/North he believes the Fort Resolution Metis Council has a right to see agreements for the development, located 40 kilometres east of Hay River, but does not believe the same for the Fort Smith and Hay River Metis. "I don't feel that it is their territory," he said. "It is our territory and the Metis local, but I don't see where Hay River and Fort Smith should be involved with it." While Balsillie believes the groups will not be affected by the development, Tamerlane spokesperson Brent Jones said the Blaine, Wash.-based exploration and development company will continue to include all of them in the agreement negotiations. "Anybody that's in the general Hay River and Fort Resolution area, or any groups represented in those communities, we're working with all of them," Jones said. "From our perspective, these projects are taking place in those communities that affect those people so we don't have any intention of treating one group any differently than another." Exploration agreements with the Deninu Kue for the mostly lead and zinc deposit date back to 2007, and extend through Tamerlane's current drilling phase of the project. Negotiations are ongoing with the Katlodeeche First Nation and Metis groups -- all politically represented by the NWT Metis Nation. In a letter addressed to Balsillie, NWT Metis Nation president Betty Villebrun said "we take exception to your assertion that Tamerlane should not include the Northwest Territories Metis Nation in impact benefit agreement negotiations. "Although we strongly disagree with your position, we are not prepared to be drawn into a debate as we believe you are relying upon misinformation about our aboriginal rights and title. It is unfortunate that you are trying to deny our aboriginal rights as a people when throughout history we have worked collaboratively together." Villebrun said that the NWT Metis is a recognized aboriginal government in the NWT with aboriginal rights and title in the territory. As of last week, Balsillie had not responded to a proposal for a meeting with the group to discuss the issues. The Deninu Kue is the only group that supported the Pine Point venture when Tamerlane began work at the mothballed mine almost six years ago, Balsillie said. "We wanted to go with it and we wanted to see it get going and developed and the Metis at the time didn't support them and the Katlodeeche in Hay River didn't support them," he said. As time has gone on, all of the groups have become "very open-minded regarding the project," Jones said. "And of course there's various groups and various individuals in the communities that raise concerns about it, environmental concerns and things like that -- which we have no problem with. We want to know what people's concerns are so we can address those and make them feel comfortable with the project." The next impacts and benefits meeting will take place in about two weeks in Edmonton. In the meantime, Balsillie said he hopes to meet privately with Tamerlane to discuss the community's concerns. Tamerlane is currently in the financing phase of the project and expects to begin construction in the fall, with a targeted production start of late 2013, early 2014. Pine Point's current mineral inventory consists of about 8 million tonnes of measured and indicated lead and zinc underground, and about 2.4 million tonnes inferred at open pit. More than 64 million tonnes of ore was extracted from Pine Point between 1964 and 1987. The historic Pine Point Mine was shut down in 1987 due to high costs and low metal prices.
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