British Columbia in breach of Nisga’a Treaty
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
British Columbia in breach of Nisga’a Treaty by decision of the Clark Government to issue environmental approval Proposed Kitsault Mine
Gitlaxt’aamiks, BC, March 19, 2013 – “Today, by issuing an environmental assessment certificate for this project, the Clark Government has caused British Columbia to breach the Nisga’a Treaty,” stated President Stevens.
“We are concerned that the timing of the decision to issue the EA certificate was largely motivated by electoral politics,” stated Mitchell Stevens, President of Nisga’a Lisims Government.
Last week, Nisga’a Nation announced in a press release that it had filed a Notice of Dispute under the dispute resolution provisions of the Nisga’a Final Agreement in anticipation of the Ministers making a decision to issue an environmental assessment certificate for the proposed mine.
“The Nisga’a Nation and its consultants, all of whom are acknowledged leaders in their fields, have been calling for the BCEAO to gather the information required to conduct a proper assessment for over two years. Many of the Nisga’a Nation’s concerns raised over this period have fallen on deaf ears. The BCEAO has not yet properly assessed the impacts on the health and well-being of Nisga’a people or the social or economic effects of the project, as required by the Treaty,“ stated President Stevens.
“The BCEAO has also not yet properly assessed the environmental impacts resulting from the discharge of heavy metals into the freshwater and marine environments on which the Nisga’a Nation relies. The conditions in the certificate that refer to developing plans sometime in the future fall well short of the Province’s constitutional obligations under the Nisga’a Treaty,” stated President Stevens.
“We are still considering our legal options, and have followed the proper procedure under our Treaty by filing a Notice of Dispute. We intend to participate in this process in good faith. However, the Nisga’a Nation will not allow the health and well-being of Nisga’a people to be put at risk for this project,” stated President Stevens.
For more information, please contact the Director of Communications, Edward Allen, at (250) 633-3007 or edwarda@nisgaa.net