Bands Urged To Involve Citizens In Pipeline Deal

Bands Urged To Involve Citizens In Pipeline Deal

Wednesday, October 15, 2008 at 15:29

 

 

A member of the Peepeeksis First Nation says Enbridge Pipelines should be consulting grassroots band members about its future plans.

 

Evelyn Poitras says regular band members still haven’t seen a tentative agreement that was recently agreed to by a number of First Nations.

 

The agreement ended week-long demonstrations over development of the Saskatchewan portion of a pipeline belonging to the company.

 

She says the deal involves her band’s traditional land, and as a result, gives average band citizens the right to be consulted.

 

Poitras says the company must honour the treaties through its actions, adding the deal involves more than consulting with “Indian Act chiefs and councillors”.

 

The chief of the band says she’s doing her best to keep members in the loop.

 

Beverly Bellegarde knows rumours are rampant about the deal, and stresses she’ll share information when she gets it.

 

She says the First Nations still have to sit down with the province before any concrete details are hammered out.