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2TuesdayDecember92014POLITICSFIRSTNATIONSNEWSBRIEFSFortLiardRCMPseizesignicantamountofmarijuanaRCMPinFortLiardhaveseizedwhattheyarecallingasig-nicantamountofmarijuanaafterstoppingavehicleaspartofamotorvehiclecheckstopjustoutsidethecommu-nityonDec.3atapproximately800p.m.ThreeindividualsfromFortLiardwerearrestedforpossessionofmarijuanaandchargesarependingagainstthesuspectsundertheControlledDrugsandSubstancesActforPossessionforthePurposeofTrafcking.TheindividualswerereleasedUpHerePublishingtomergetwoagshippublicationsYellowknifesUpHerePublishingLtd.willmergeitstwomagazinesUpHereandUpHereBusinessintooneproductstartinginthenewyear.InanotetoitsreadersthecompanyexpressedthetwowerebothtellingthesamestoryoneofanentrepreneurialNorthernpeopleexcellingagainstgreatodds.UnitedunderthenameUpHerethemagazinewillaimtobalancestoriesfrombusinessandpoliticstoscienceandart.ThemovecomessevenyearsafterUpHereBusi-nesslaunchedasamergerofFarNorthOilandGasandCanadianDiamondsmagazines.StantonHospitalcallsforsaferworkingconditionsHospitaladministratorsatYellowknifesStantonHospitalaremakingmovestoensurethefacilityisasaferplacetoworkfollowinganincidentfromseveralweeksagowhenapatientbecameviolentwhileintheemergencyroom.Currentlegislationonlyallowsthehospitaltohiresecurityguardswhocande-escalatesituationswithoutforce.Thehospitalsunioniscallingforachangeofpolicytoallowsecurityguardstostepinphysicallywhennecessary.AworkplaceviolencecommitteewithassistancefromtheRCMPisexaminingstructuralchangesfortheemergencydepartment.MOONLIGHTMADNESSOpenLateforMoonlightMadnessEnjoyexceptionalholidaysavingsandextendedshoppinghours.ThisisourBIGGESTsaleoftheyearNorthernStoreFortSmithNT867-872-2568FridayDecember12from900a.m.-MidnightPeelwatershedSupremeCourtquashesgovernmentlanduseplanByMEAGANWOHLBERGItwasawatershedmo-mentforFirstNationsintheYukonandNorthwestTerritoriesghtingalegalbattleagainsttheYukongovernmentsproposedlanduseplanforthePeelregionlastweekInanhistoricrulingonTuesdaymorningYukonSu-premeCourtJusticeRonaldVealeruledthattheYukongovernmenthadeffectivelyusurpedtheplanningpro-cessandtheroleoftheLandUsePlanningCommissionwhenitabandonedtheFinalRecommendedPlanandin-troduced-andapproved-itsownplanforthemassiveYukonwatershedwithoutproperconsultationwithFirstNationsinJanuary.WhiletheFinalRecom-mendedPlanputforthbythecommissionsupportedtheprotectionof80percentofthe68000square-kmPeelwatershedtheYukongovern-mentsproposalputforthinearly2013openedup71percentoftheundevelopedre-giontoindustry.ThoughthegovernmenthadtheabilitytoapprovemodifyorrejectthenalplanVealesaiditsinterpre-tationofthewordrejectwasnotbasedonacontex-tualinterpretationofmod-erntreatieswhichsawFirstNationsrescindlandtitleforasetofpromisesthatin-cludesafairlanduseplan-ningprocess.CallingthegovernmentsprocessimpermissiblyawedVealescoldedtheterritorialgovernmentforin-terpretingthelanduseplan-ningprocesscontrarytothehonourablewayexpectedoftheCrownunderlandclaimagreements.Heorderedthegov-ernmentsownplantobequashedandruledagainstthegovernmentsproposedremedyofreturningtoanearlierphaseintheplanningprocesswhereitwouldbeabletosubmitmorespecicmodicationstothecommis-sionforconsiderationsay-ingthegovernmentalreadyhaditschancebutwastedtwoyearsonaawedpro-cessthatbetrayedthelandclaims.Toreturntheplanningprocesstothestageofpro-posedmodificationswouldpermittheGovernmentofYukontoproposeitsGov-ernmentapprovedplantotheCommissionforitsreview.ThisinmyviewwouldendorseaflawedprocesswithapprovalVealewrote.RatherthegovernmentisnowrequiredtoreturntothecommissionsFinalRecommendedPlanandisnotentitledtorevisitsomeofitsownproposedmodi-ficationsthatVealefoundtobeoverlyvaguewithre-specttocreatingamorebalancedplanandwouldultimatelyrequirethecom-missiontogobacktothedrawingboard.FirstNationscelebratelandmarkrulingThiswasahugebattleandwithyoursupportwehavewoncheeredNormanSnowshoevicepresidentoftheGwichinTribalCouncilGTCthankinghismember-shipfortheirsupport.AllGwichinshouldbeproudtodaybecauseweprotectedourtraditionallands.ThoughtheGTCisbasedintheNWTitstraditionalterritorycrossesintotheYukonallowingittoactasanintervenorinthelawsuitcarriedoutbytheTrondekHwechinandNa-ChoNyakDunFirstNationsalongwithCPAWSYukonandtheYukonConservationSocietywithThomasBergerastheirlegalcounsel.TheGTCcongratulatestheplaintiffsinthislitigationandlooksforwardtowork-ingwiththeYukonGovern-menttoimplementthecol-laborativelydraftedlanduseplanforthePeelWatershedSnowshoeconcluded.DeneNationalChiefBillErasmusremarkedthatthecourtcasewasagreatachievementforYukonandNWTFirstNations.Thisisprecedent-set-tingbecauseitsupportsatlawthatthefinallandclaimagreementssuper-cedeterritoriallegisla-tion.TheseagreementswerenegotiatedovermanyyearsbetweenthepartiesandagreeduponEras-mussaid.TheyarepartoftheCanadianConstitutionandthereforeprotectionisprovidedandprohib-itsotherstooverridetheauthorityofFirstNationgovernments.AstatementfromtheYukongovernmentindi-cateditiscarefullyre-viewingVealesdecisionbeforedeterminingnextstepsandtheimpactsonlanduseplanningandtheeconomicfutureoftheYukon.TheGovernmentofYukonremainscommittedtoupholdingtheFinalAgree-mentsitconcluded.PhotoMaryWaldenMountMacDonaldsitstothewestoftheSnakeRiverinthePeelwatershedofnorthernYukonthesubjectofaheatedbattleoverlandusebetweentheYukongovernmentandFirstNationsinbothYukonandtheNWT.YukonsSupremeCourtruledlastweekthatthegovernmentmustthrowoutitslanduseplanandreturntotheoriginalplanningprocess.