Dehcho Process talks on hold
Last Updated: Monday, March 19, 2007 | 6:39 PM CT
CBC News
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/north/story/2007/03/19/nwt-dehcho.html
Dehcho land-claim negotiations remained in limbo on Monday with the cancellation of the latest round of negotiations this week.
As well, the Dehcho First Nation announced it will not nominate any members to the two boards looking at Mackenzie Valley resource management. In the past, Grand Chief Herb Norwegian has claimed the Mackenzie Valley Resource Management Act does not apply to the Dehcho.
Neither Norwegian nor the federal negotiator was available for comment. Another round of land-claims talks is scheduled for April.
A bigger issue in the talks between the Dehcho and Ottawa is the First Nation's proposed land-use plan, which was approved by members at its assembly last June.
The proposed plan sets aside more than half of the region for conservation. But in January, the federal government refused to accept the plan as is, saying it protects too much land from development.
The proposal has since been a contentious issue at land-claim talks.
The Dehcho First Nation, which represents 10 communities in the southwest region of the Northwest Territories, is the only aboriginal group without a land-claim agreement along the route of the proposed 1,200-kilometre Mackenzie Valley pipeline. About 40 per cent of the pipeline route falls within Dehcho territory.
