The Manitoba provincial government signed an agreement with three First Nations, Wuskwi Sipihk First Nation, Sapotaweyak Cree Nation and Minegoziibe Anishinabe, known as Pine Creek First Nation. The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) extends Louisiana Pacific’s operating licence by five years, which allows all parties to work together to create a sustainable 20-year Forest Management Plan that addresses everyone’s needs.
The agreement ensures that the First Nations’ level of government will be directly involved in Manitoba’s Forestry Management Plans for the first time and will continue into the future. This allows First Nation communities to protect traditional lands and treaty rights. It’s been hailed as a precedent-setting agreement in terms of reconciliation.
First Nation Chiefs spoke about how this has been a long-standing issue and how it impacts them and their communities.
“Today marks the first time that the Manitoba government has agreed to move forward collaboratively with First Nations in this province to support immediate and long-term measures to protect treaty rights in commercial forestry licensing agreements,” said WSFN Chief Elwood Zastre. “It further shows a willingness to engage in joint decision-making about forest stewardship in our traditional homelands. We see this as the beginning of a hopeful new relationship with the Manitoba government which supports the exercise of our treaty rights and aims to achieve a sustainable forest over the long term for future generations.
“For more than a decade, we’ve been raising concerns about Manitoba’s failure to consider the protection of our treaty rights and fair resource sharing when making decisions about Louisiana Pacific’s ability to cut trees from our ancestorial lands. For many years we were shut out of the conversations, which had a direct impact on our territories.
“Since 2006, Manitoba allowed LP to operate in the territories without approval from the forest management plan, contrary to what is in Manitoba’s licencing process. The draft produced by LP in 2019 and submitted to Manitoba, was reviewed by experts retained by First Nations. Our experts found that the Forestry Management Plan was significantly flawed and couldn’t be relied upon to assess risks and address factors of forest sustainability.
“Of great importance to WSFN, Manitoba commits to this agreement to protect and preserve culturally significant areas as identified by the First Nations including the Kettle Hills area that was identified by our Elder Buddy Brass. Buddy Brass was an elder in our community for many years and he cared about our lands. He spoke of how we have to protect the land and animals because the land can’t speak for themselves. He was always there to help guide us in a good way.
“The Kettle Hills is a beautiful untouched area which is critical to WSFN and other First Nations as a place to exercise our rights, gather and harvest. The Kettle Hills is one of the best places to get blueberries and we have to protect things like that. We are proud that after many years of advocacy the Kettle Hills area will be given the protection it deserves, and Buddy will be happy.”
“150 years has come and gone for Treaty 4, with outstanding promises left aside and we’re still battling,” said Sapotaweyak Cree Nation Chief Nelson Genaille. “This is only one fight that is being acknowledged right now. Going to court is a waste of time. I acknowledge our lawyers and legal team for putting up a good fight, listening to us, and penning the paper of what we needed to do; without them, we wouldn’t be here. We would still be spinning in circles trying to find a way to move forward.
“The court system is not our court system. Our court system is the pipe we used to open the signing of this agreement. That sets truth and reconciliation. It took a while for this pipe to start smoking because we need that within ourselves, for it sees right through us. We need to do that more often because it doesn’t happen today, but it’s supposed to happen tomorrow and the next day after that. So, when working together, let’s achieve things that we need to do.”
The Province has acted as the mediator in this situation to bring both parties to an agreement. It helps to ensure both needs of each party are being met, with the First Nations communities having a fair seat at the table and input to protect their traditional lands, and then LP to be able to become a strong industry providing jobs and helping the economy to grow in the Valley and Manitoba.
“For me, this is all about ensuring that there is long-term security and predictability for people who work at LP,” said Premier Wab Kinew. “There is a path forward here that shows how we’re going to protect jobs in the resource sector and it’s by having a good relationship with Indigenous nations and taking the environmental concerns seriously. The thing I’m always keeping at the top of my mind is when I visited the LP plant in Swan River and I noted how the workers took pride in the work they do there. Some of them are multigenerational families working there, and some of the plant workers are First Nations and Metis, and from other areas like Ukraine as well. At the end of the day, they just want to have a good job, a paycheck and be proud of the work they do.
“I understand there have been ups and downs, and concerns with what is going to happen with the long-term plans for LP. What we’re doing as the provincial government is bringing predictability and reducing the risk. As a government, we’re going to do some heavy lifting in terms of sharing resources and decision-making with the Indigenous Nations, but when it comes to LP’s operations, things are going to move forward in a good way and people will be able to go to work and earn a good paycheque.
“I’m optimistic that this could move us forward through this initial five-year period to a 20-year licence extension after that, and hopefully in other forestry regions, mining projects, Manitoba Hydro projects, wherever that is, we can make sure that union workers, people who work in hard hats and hi-visibility gear can have stable good jobs in the long term,” said Premier Kinew. “For us on the government side, it’s about us taking care of business and making sure we have good respectful relationships with the First Nations communities and making sure there’s a healthy clean environment.”
In a statement from LP, “Responsible forest management is at the core of our business model, ensuring the long-term health of forests, the well-being of nearby communities, and the livelihood of our 235 local team members and approximately 400 local contract loggers and haulers. Since opening LP Swan Valley in 1996, we have sustainably sourced 100 percent of our harvested fibre, adhering to the stringent standards of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative. Collaboration with Indigenous communities and the provincial government on sustainable forest management is a key part of this work, and we remain committed to this partnership.”