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ACHO DENE KOE/FORT LIARD
Acho Dene Koe First Nation says it is growing tired of what it sees as an avoidance by the provincial government of British Columbia to deal with the aboriginal rights and title its has on land in the province.

"We want to be recognized on our traditional land," said Chief Harry Deneron of the First Nation in Fort Liard.

Acho Dene Koe has traditional land in southwestern NWT, southeastern Yukon and northern B.C. Although the First Nation has made substantial progress negotiating its land claim agreement in the NWT, Deneron said that little progress has been made in B.C., although the B.C. Treaty Commission accepted their claim to land in the province in 2002.

"B.C. is still avoiding," Deneron said.

The issue is a historic one and Deneron has many of the dates at his fingertips. Treaty 11, which Acho Dene Koe is a part of, was signed in 1921 in Francois, located on the Liard River approximately 72 km south of what is now the B.C.-NWT border.

"At the time, nobody remembers any border," Deneron said.

Many current and past Acho Dene Koe members, such as Deneron, were born in northern B.C. He was born at Maxamish Lake, the northern shore of which is approximately 20 km south of the border.

The band has identified approximately 200 burial locations in northern B.C. and more than 250 members still currently use their traditional lands in the area and have cabins there.

Deneron remembers when he first became aware a border existed between Fort Liard and his birthplace. In August 1956, Deneron remembers going to Fort Liard from Maxamish Lake with his mother. On their way back they found that a trail was being slashed to mark the border.

It wasn't until 1956 and the Dominion Survey that mapped the NWT-B.C. Border that legal certainty of the border was achieved, he said. Acho Dene Koe argues that until that point its traditional lands weren't technically in B.C.

"Nobody was even told then that the border they were cutting would affect their lives," said Deneron. "We weren't consulted."

The issue has hung over the First Nation since then. In the 1970s Acho Dene Koe was told by the Indian Brotherhood that the issue would be dealt with through land claims. The same message was given by the Dene Nation, but nothing was done, Deneron said.

Acho Dene Koe decided to leave the Dehcho First Nations' Dehcho Process in 2008 in part because the process was only addressing land in the NWT.

"We want to get right to the bottom of this once and for all," he said.

In addition to recognition of aboriginal rights and title, there is the issue of development. There have been major gas finds on the First Nation's traditional land in B.C. Deneron said Acho Dene Koe wants to have a say in the development that takes place on the land and receive compensation for it.

The upcoming May election in B.C. may be one reason the government seems to be stalling on negotiations, said Deneron. He hopes to see significant progress achieved after a new provincial government is in place.

"They either have to start talking with us or things will start to get really nasty," he said.

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