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PoliticsFirstNations9TuesdayMay72013BeaverLakecaseagainstoilsandstoheadtotrialCourtdismissesappealbyfederalAlbertagovernmentsByMEAGANWOHLBERGAttemptsbytheCanadianandAlbertagovernmentstoblockalawsuitbytheBeaverLakeCreeNationBLCNagainstoilsandsdevelopmentwereonceagaindismissedthistimebytheAlbertaCourtofAppeals.ThepanelofthreejudgesruledonApr.30thattheFirstNationslawsuitwhichal-legestheCrowninfringeduponitstreatyrightswhenitmadethousandsofautho-rizationsfordevelopmentonitstraditionalterritorycanheadtotrial.Theappealsarethereforedismissedintheirentiretytherulingstates.Thepartieswillbewell-servedbyreturn-ingtotheircasemanagementjudgefortheimpositionofalitigationplantoadvancethislitigationthroughtrial.Theclaimrstledin2008byformerchiefAl-phonseLamemanonbehalfoftheFirstNationarguesthatthecumulativeeffectsofapproximately19000au-thorizationsgrantedbythegovernmentfordevelopmentrelatedtooilgasforestryminingandotherindustrialactivitiesonBLCNterri-toryinfringedupontheirconstitutionally-protectedtreatyrights.Lamemanallegestheau-thorizationsrelatedtosome300industrialprojectshaveimpactedtheFirstNationsabilitytohuntshandtrapinthearea.LastyeartheCrownattemptedtohavepartsstruckorwithdrawnfromtheFirstNationsclaimarguingthatthelawsuitistoolargetobemanageableandassuchisfrivolousimproperandotherwiseanabuseofprocess.WhiletheAlbertaQueensBenchJusticeBrownestrucksomeportionsoftheclaimseekingtorevokeauthori-zationsforsomeorallofthedevelopmentsontheFirstNationsterritoryshedeclinedtostriketheclaimfordamagesresultingfromthegrantingofthoseauthorizations.Thegovernmentsap-pealedclaimingthejudgefailedtoprovideadequatereasonsforherdecisionandmisunderstoodthenatureoftheduciaryrelationshipbetweenAboriginalsandtheCrown.LastweektheappealscourtbackeduptheoriginalrulingstatingtheCrownsdemandfor19000separatelawsuitswasadelayingtac-ticaimedatstonewallingthecasethroughexcessiveparticularization.Thepotentialsizeofanevidentiarypoolisanin-sufcientreasontodefeatacauseofactionthecourtruled.TherespondentsareentitledtoaccesstojusticeuncircumscribedbylimitsimposedbythescopeofCan-adasallegedmisconduct.Thejudgesaddedthattherealissueathandisthecumulativeimpactsratherthaneachindividualauthorization.Tosaythereare19000individualauthorizationsoverthescopeof300proj-ectswhichsupportthere-spondentsremainingclaimsisnottosuggestthateachoftheseworkordersorin-voicesneedstobequestioneduponatlengththeirstate-mentreads.Theissueisthecumu-lativeeffectuponBLCNstreatyrights.Byanalogytosaythataconstructionclaimarisingoutoftheallegedlynegligentconstructionofahighrisebuildinginvolvesthousandsofworkordersandinvoicesdoesnotmeanthateachnutandboltwillbethesubjectofproductionorquestioninginthatlitiga-tion.Throughcasemanage-mentadiscernableshapetothislitigationcanandwillemerge.TheappealscourtalsomaintainedBLCNsrighttoargueattrialthattheCrownowesthemaduciarydutyasaresultofthetreatypro-cessandthattheyhavetherighttoharvestwildlifeforpurposesbeyondfood.OilsandsactivityontheFirstNationstraditionalterritoryinnortheasternAlbertaproduces560000barrelsperdayorroughly30percentoftheindustrysdailytotal.Thereareap-proximately35000oilandgassiteseachmeasuringabout1hectareonBLCNstraditionallands.Thecasewillnowad-vancetotrialthroughthecasemanagementprocess.StakingbanextendedforPeelwatershedByMARYWALDENTheYukongovernmenthasrenewedthemoratoriumonnewmineralclaimsandoilgasandcoalrightsforitsportionofthePeelRiverwatersheduntiltheendoftheyear.ThebanwasscheduledtoexpireMay4.EventhoughthePeeldrainsintotheNWTsMackenzieRiverbasinmostofitislocatedontheYukonsideoftheborderwhereacontroversiallanduseplanningprocessisunderway.Inatersetwo-sentencemediaadvisoryMay3theYukongovernmentformallyannouncedtheextensionitrstmentionedinlateApril.ThegovernmentofYukonyesterdayissuedanextensiontotheinterimwithdrawalfrommineralstakingforalllandsinthePeelwatershedregionsaidtheadvisory.Theinterimstakingwithdrawalwillapplytosubsurfacemineralstak-ingadministeredundertheQuartzMiningActandPlacerMiningActuntilDec.312013.UnlikepreviousreleasesonthePeelmoratoriumthisonemakesnomentionofoilgasandcoaldispositionsbutacabinetspokesper-sonconrmedtheyrestillpartoftheinterimprotec-tionpackage.WhenthebanwasrstimposedonFeb.42010itwasforayear.AtthetimethegovernmentsaidthatwouldallowthePeelplantobecompletedbeforeanyotherlanduseswerepermit-tedintheregion.Twelvemonthslaterwithnonalplaninsightitwasextendedforanotheryear.InFebruary2012thegov-ernmentrenewedthebanagainbutonlyforsevenmonthstoSept.4.InlateAugustitextendeditforanothereightmonthsuntilMay4.Thislatestextensionuntiltheendof2013isforsevenmonthsand27days.Evenstillthebanwillrunoutmorethanamonthbeforetheparallelreliefordergrantedtothehold-ersofthemorethan8400quartzclaimsintheregion.Thatsalwaysbeenre-newedayearatatimesinceitwasputinplacealongwiththestakingbanin2010.ItwasrecentlyextendeduntilFeb.42014.Undertheorderallclaimsareautomaticallyrenewedforfreeforanotheryear.Theholdersdonthavetopaytheusual100feeordoworkinlieuofpayment.WhenthePeelcommis-sionstartedworkonthelanduseplaninlate2004therewereabout1500mineralclaimsinthere-gion.Astakingrushsoonfollowedresultinginmorethan11000claimsingoodstandingby2009.Bythetimethegovern-mentsteppedinwithitsre-lieforderin2010morethan2500ofthoseclaimshadex-piredandexplorationworkhadgroundtoahalt.PublicconsultationsonthenalrecommendedPeelplanwrappedupinlateFebruary.Morethan2400writtencommentsweresubmitted.Another7500pluspeoplesignedpetitionsorpartici-patedinpostcardcampaigns.About94percentofallre-spondentsfavouredprotec-tionforthewatershed.Thisnumberdoesntin-cludeanyoftheoralsub-missionsthegovernmentreceivedduringtheopenhousespublicmeetingsitheldinYukonandNWTcommu-nitiesoverthewinter.Thosecommentsarenotpartoftheofcialpublicrecord.ThenextstepintheprocessistalksbetweentheYukonandfourPeelFirstNations-MayosNa-choNyakDunDawsonsTrondekHwechinOldCrowsVuntutGwitchinandtheNWTsGwichinTribalCouncil.TheFirstNationsarecur-rentlyreviewingallthesub-missionsthegovernmentreceivedandworkingoutascheduleforthenalroundofnegotiations.EnvironmentWatershedsYukoanextwithdstakiPeeltheaTwithdsubsuingatheQPlaceDec.UnlonthePhotoMaryWaldenMilkCreekmeetstheSnakeRiverinthepristinePeelwatershedofnorthernYukon.