NWT leaders fear tar sands means disaster for key watershed

Mackenzie River Basin, NorthWest Territories, Tar Sands, Water:u00a0nnWater flowing north from Alberta Tar Sands Development will bring with it dangerous levels of toxic by-products regardless of any Water purification securities because of the nature of development happening without First Nations Warnings. I am Cree and direct lineage to Chief Kehewin who signed Treaty 6 in the faithfull july summers day with Queen representative. I have a Trap Line and have stopped trapping in protest because Oil and Gas Companies will not directly listen to me because they are guarded by Provincial Trapping Guidelines and Federal Ministerial Backing. I have tried to stop all development initiatives on my trapline but have been told by EUB Environmental Utilities Board (name changes over the years) “because there is no direct damage to your trapline we will give license…” “any compensation will have to come from Fish and Wildlife…” which gives $ for every trap removed from site…”. I argued that I want fare compensation for my unborn which will have to live with the legacy left by these companies and this will allow me to purchase a place where I can leave them. I spoke directly with the Oil company and after years of back and forth letter and phone calls and much laughter on the part of these companies I was told “we have never and we will never sign with a trapper…”. I have tried to bring these issue directly with INAC but all I have been told was to go to “Fish and Wildlife” and I recently spoke to them and I was told the same thing I was told back in 1996 when I first started this struggle to be heard. If you feel that the Canadian Government or the Federal Department will sign this his historic water agreement you might as well join the rest of us who have been shut out of any real decision making power. I am currently holding on to what little I have in terms of untouched trapping lands and I was recently asked by fish and wildlife if I wanted to sign for another trapping area. I said NO because I have alot of memories that I wish to keep that I want to pass to my next generation and so forth. I have found out that I have 2, 1 sq mile of Tar Sand area on my trapline. Next to my trapline about 20 miles east is the Big ESSO plant that brings in about 1000 barrels of bichiman daily and this might have changed in amount since I have read. We are in a state of emergency here in Alberta and any level of government will not listen to your plight and if they do it would will be to late because we here are suffering from lose of control over our destiny… Cree Signitory to Treaty 6