For Immediate Release May 17, 1999

Lower Mainland Treaty Advisory Committee Presents
Bill C-49 Amendments to
Prime Minister's Western Task Force

Vancouver, B.C. … City of Delta Councillor, Vicki Huntington, Vice-Chair of the Lower Mainland Treaty Advisory Committee (LMTAC) said today that the Prime Minister's Task Force must ensure that amendments concerning expropriation and consultation with local government are accepted before passing Bill C-49.

Should the Bill be implemented without these amendments, First Nations and Bands across Canada will be permitted to develop their own land codes to manage reserve lands - codes that will replace the current land management provisions (sections 53-60) of the Indian Act. These land codes set out the rules and structures that will apply to reserve lands, and once adopted, will empower the Band Councils to make laws concerning the management, development, use, possession and occupancy of their reserve land.

Councillor Huntington, along with District of North Vancouver Mayor Don Bell, White Rock Councillor James Coleridge and Chilliwack Mayor John Les made a presentation to the Prime Minister's Task Force on the Four Western Provinces during their visit to Vancouver on May 17, 1999 at 4:15 p.m. PST. The presentation relates to LMTAC's recent testimonial to the Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples regarding proposed amendments to Bill C-49.

Mayors Bell and Les and Councillor Coleridge form a special committee of LMTAC called The National Committee for Changes to Bill C-49. Their actions include working with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities to distribute letters, faxes and petitions in favour of amendments to Bill C-49.

Members of the Lower Mainland Treaty Advisory Committee raised two specific concerns regarding Bill C-49:

1. Bill C-49 includes no provisions for direct Local Government and neighbouring community contributions into the development of land codes. Given that there already is a comprehensive treaty process underway in British Columbia, the application of Bill C-49 appears to be creating a second, parallel process. Presently, in the treaty process, Local Governments sit as full members of the Provincial negotiating team and have an opportunity to provide input on treaty proposals.

2. The Bill provides no requirement for consultation with neighbouring Local Governments on land use or other issues of mutual interest, nor with non-Indian Band members living on reserve lands.

"As a result of these concerns," says Huntington, "the Lower Mainland Treaty Advisory Committee, in coordination with the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) and the Fraser Valley Treaty Advisory Committee (FVTAC), have developed a list of draft amendments to the Bill which we presented to the Prime Minister's Task Force." Such amendments include:

1. Expropriation
Define the clause dealing with expropriation of non-reserve land and apply Federal Expropriation Act guidelines which establish clear notification periods and a process for determining fair compensation.

2. Public Consultation
Develop a mechanism for public and Local Government consultation (such as the establishment of a notification and consultation mechanism) when a First Nation land-use plan affects neighbouring non-reserve lands.

3. Adoption of a Land Code
Establish the principle of reciprocal consultation between First Nations and Local Governments for proposed land uses and development permissions on adjoining lands.

As Ms. Huntington explains, "Bill C-49, the First Nations Land Management Act, needs clarification to ensure that Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal interests are treated fairly. Local Governments in the Lower Mainland have serious concerns with this Bill and we have not been adequately consulted. We believe that rushing the enactment of the First Nations Land Management Act without addressing these issues will negatively impact subsequent treaty negotiations and First Nation/Local Government relations," she said.

"LMTAC works to coordinate and represent the interests of local governments
and their constituents in Lower Mainland area treaty negotiations."

Further information, contact: David Didluck, LMTAC Executive Director
Tel: (604) 451-6179
Cell: (604) 868-1886

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