21 June, 2011
Treaty 8 First Nations have taken their struggle against the proposed Site C Hydroelectric Dam on the Peace River into the international arena by appealing to the United Nations to intervene against the BC government to protect their interests. The appeal was issued in New York last month at the 10th annual session of the UN Permanent Forum of Indigenous Issues. Chief Liz Logan, representing the Treaty 8 Tribal Association (T8TA) was granted a rare 30-minute meeting with Special Rapporteur James Anaya to address the likely impacts that Site C would have on Treaty 8 First Nations’ health and way of life.
Treaty 8 Tribal Association opposition to Site C
The T8TA is composed of the Saulteau, West Moberly, Doig, Prophet and Halfway River First Nations. At the core of their opposition to Site C is the painful experience of witnessing decades of ecologically harmful resource extraction on their territories. In a recent interview with CBC, Tribal Association Chief Logan outlined the devastating cumulative environmental and health effects that more than a half century of intensive oil and gas exploration, mining, large-scale forestry, and damming have already had on her people. The T8TA is concerned that the Site C dam would further damage the region’s fragile ecosystems and destroy crucial wildlife breeding habitat, making it more difficult for their nations to engage in traditional hunting and fishing practices. Another major concern is that ancestors of the T8TA are buried along the banks of the Peace River, within the proposed flooding zone for Site C.
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