Williams lake tribune July 2, 2009

The Northern Secwepemc te Qelmucw (NStQ) have made a counteroffer to the

provincial and federal governments as part of the ongoing treaty process.
At a public information session late last week in Williams Lake, chief provincial
negotiator Roger Graham said the counteroffer had come the morning before.
The counteroffer is for roughly 10 times the amount of land in the governments offer,
and from three-and-a-half to four times the amount of cash. Graham did not offer
specific numbers.
NStQ principal negotiator Jim Doswell said the land counteroffer was about eight per
cent of the NStQ traditional territory, which stretches from the north end of Quesnel
Lake almost to Clinton, and from just east of Alexis Creek to Wells Gray Park.
Doswell said the governments original offer was for less than one per cent of the
NStQ traditional territory, and noted that half of the $42 million in cash offered by the
government would go back to federal government in debt.
Under the treaty process, the First Nation borrows 80 per cent of the funds needed to
negotiate the treaty.
In a confidential offer made in February, the governments offered approximately
50,081 hectares of provincial Crown land, the transfer of title of approximately 11,668
hectares of existing NStQ reserve lands to a NStQ government, a capital transfer of
$30 million to the NStQ government paid out over a number of years, and a $12million land fund to allow the NStQ to purchase private land on a willing buyer/willing
seller basis.
Clearly we have some very wide differences, but we will take the time to do the work
to move forward, Graham said, adding he hoped to hold more public meetings in the
future.
We have made fairly significant process, Graham told the 40 people in attendance
at the information session.
We hope to bring this to the agreement-in-principle in the near to medium future.

He said the treaty process with the NStQ made up of the Canim Lake Band,
Williams Lake Band, Camnoe Cree/Dog Creek Band, and the Soda Creek Band
began in 1994.
The process is at the fourth of five stages, where the three parties work to sign an
agreement-in-principle on the general terms of land and cash to be offered. After that,
the parties start final treaty negotiations, a process that could take another two years
to complete.
The lands ultimately accepted in the treaty become Treaty Settlement Lands (TSL),
owned and governed by the First Nation. The Canadian constitution, the Charter of
Rights and Freedoms, the Criminal Code, and other general federal and provincial
laws would would still apply on TSL. The First Nation would have a democratic
government with a constitution, and would have law-making authority over its
members and resources on TSL, and would make decisions in such areas as health,
education, and child welfare. It would be able to levy taxes and fees and to negotiate
with other governments.
Graham said Canada and B.C have agreed to explore revenue-sharing with the
NStQ.
Before a treaty can come into effect, a significant percentage of NStQs members
must agree to it, and it must be approved in legislation by the provincial and federal
governments.
Our intention is to negotiate until we have a treaty, Doswell said. There has to be a
resolution to this were here today because there is no certainty over the land we
stand on today.
In response to concerns over grazing tenures and the ability for the public to use TSL
for recreation, he said there should not be problems.
It is not the intention of the First Nation to disrupt those tenures, he said. We dont
see any need to upset the current structure as long as there is a clear understanding
that they are transferred at the value based on their use.
He said there would be permitting structures put in place for recreational use.

Federal negotiator Ray Peterson said recreational activities will continue where the
land is not otherwise private, similar to provisions in the Tsawwassen and Maa-nulth
treaties.
Graham said he did not have a dollar figure on how much the process has cost so far
the NStQ were among the first to signal their intent to sign a treaty under the
process but said it has been significant.