Friends of the Lubicon
485 Ridelle Ave.
Toronto, ON M6B 1K6
tel: (416) 763-7500
fax: (416) 535-7810
e-mail: fol@tao.ca
Below are two newspaper articles regarding negotiations.
Thursday, November 4, 1999
Edmonton Sun
Lubicon postpones talks
GRANDE PRAIRIE -- Lubicon Lake Indian Nation leadership has postponed negotiations with the Alberta government until it can sort out some issues with Ottawa.
"There are still some problems that need to be sorted out bilaterally with the feds," band adviser Fred Lennarson said.
Provincial negotiators were scheduled to participate in the talks this week. But the Lubicon don't want to start discussions with the province while they still have significant federal issues to settle, Lennarson said.
The band's land claim dates back almost 70 years. The Lubicon wants a 246-square-kilometre reserve about 450 km northwest of Edmonton.
The latest round of negotiations began 18 months ago with Brad Morse, an Ottawa legal professor, heading the federal team. Morse called the cancellation "a hiccup" in plans.
Talks on Monday focused largely on finalizing terms of reference to get some wells
drilled, to locate a water source for the planned reserve community near Lubicon Lake.
An environmental study completed this spring found the lake unfit to serve the new community.
Proposals on reserve construction and financing continue to be discussed at every meeting, Morse said. "We don't regard any issue as insoluble or at a crisis point," he said.
3 November, 1999
Grande Prairie Daily Herald-Tribune
Ominayak unilaterally calls off land claim talks
DEB GUERETTE
Herald-Tribune staff
Lubicon Lake Indian Nation leadership called off a planned negotiation session with the province Tuesday.
Lubicon chief Bernard Ominayak made the decision after a day of talks with federal negotiators Monday.
"There are still some problems that need to be sorted out bilaterally with the feds," band advisor Fred Lennarson said from Peace River Tuesday night. The Lubicons don't want to move into discussion with the province while they still have significant federal issues to settle, Lennarson said.
Ominayak extended an apology to the province for the postponement "until matters can be worked through" bilaterally, he said.
Chief federal negotiator Brad Morse called the cancellation "a hiccup" in plans.
Draft proposals on a number of bilateral issues continue to be worked on and discussions with the province are necessary to further settlement progress, Morse said Tuesday from Edmonton on his way back to Ottawa two days early.
"It's impossible to resolve all of the issues that are of interest to Canada and the Lubicon without Alberta's presence and participation," Morse said. While the bilateral parties are "taking a slightly different approach on how we should proceed" on some issues, discussions continue, he said.
There are "a couple issues we haven't been able to resolve at the technical committee level that are going back to the main table," he also said.
Discussions Monday focused largely on "finalizing terms of reference to get some wells drilled" - to locate a water source for the planned reserve community near Lubicon Lake.
An environmental study completed this spring found the lake unfit to serve the new community.
Proposals on reserve construction and financing continue to be discussed "at each and every meeting," Morse said.
"We don't regard any issue as insoluble or at a crisis point," he said. Estimates made last November that an agreement in principal on the comprehensive settlement would be completed in 1999 seem over-optimistic, he admits.
"I can't see how we can still do that... I'm sure we are all disappointed and frustrated this was not all done months ago," Morse said.
Frustration is "extremely high everywhere you look - both sides of the table," Lennarson says.
Not enough progress has been made on key agreements between Canada and the Lubicon since a negotiator acting for the province attended an introductory meeting with them in July, he said.
"There are a number of things that were supposed to be done, that just aren't done," Lennarson said.
Morse was appointed to negotiate the almost 70-year-old claim in July 1998. Provincial negotiators were scheduled to participate in the talks Tuesday and today.