First Nations pours cold water over government's Site C dam hunting offer

20/11/15
Author: 
Dan Fumano
Link: 
The Province
The location of the Site C dam hydroelectric project on the Peace River in British Columbia, as seen in fall 2015. Work has barely begun, but it's the largest proposed engineering megaproject in the province's history. Photograph by: Don Hoffman, Special to The Province

The B.C. government is proposing to increase moose-hunting for a Peace Region First Nation to compensate for impacts of the Site C dam.

For the First Nation and others concerned about the $8.8-billion hydroelectric project which this month marked 100 days of construction, the moose meat in question is one item on a list of Site C-related controversies disturbing the Peace.

The B.C. government will propose changes to moose-hunting regulations, in order “to compensate for Site C-related impacts” in the Peace-Moberly Tract (PMT), a 107,000-hectare swath of land south of the Peace River.

But a representative of the local First Nation said the government is “just shoving this accommodation at us” without proper consultation.

“Having it tied to compensation from Site C is ridiculous,” said Naomi Owens, Saulteau First Nations treaty and land use director, adding she thinks the project will have a “brutal” impact on traditional hunting and fishing territories.

Category: 
British Columbia
Energy
Indigenous Peoples