7 QUOTABLE QUOTE "Our land is being raped without our knowledge and consent." - Sam Gull on clear- cutting See Page 3 1995 Canada's National Aboriginal News Volume 12 No. 22 February Publication $2.00 plus G.S.T. where applicable To receive Windspeaker in your, me just B.C. kills Kemano project send yc 1! order in the ;.S.T. By Susan Lazaruk deal was negotiated in secret, is that it is disappointed and The land still floods every Windspeaker Correspondent without full information on the wants to meet with government spring and summer and area riv- effect the project would have on to discuss the shutdown of the ers remain 30 per cent below nor- VANCOUVER salmon runs and with an exemp- project, which is also called mal levels. There were plans for 15 E tion for any environmental as- Kemano II and was to provide Alcan to complete the nearby EDA TA To stop West Coast salmon sessment studies. Alcan with more hydro power for Kenney Dam to restore water lev- from going the way of East Coast "If the federal government its smelters. els and stop flooding, something cod, the B.C. government pulled refuses to do its parts by revers- The Cheslatta Carrier Nation Cheslatta hopes will happen so NAMI the plug on the giant Kemano hy- ing its decision, my government is applauding the decision, but it's they can return. (Alcan has yet to dro project in northwestern B.C. will be forced to step in with leg- doing so cautiously, said Mike comment on the fate of the dam). The move delighted environ- islative action," he said. Robertson, a senior researcher "In time, that's the plan of the ADDR mentalists and area Natives but The shutdown sets up a battle with the band in Grassy Plains. people, to take control of their left business groups and affected royale over who should compen- "It's fine to cancel the project, land and start long -term rehabili- workers spitting mad. sate the aluminum company for but we're still waiting to hear tation of the rivers and lakes," he CITY/ Premier Mike Harcourt killed the $535 million it's already sunk what's going to be done about said. Alcan's $1.3- billion Kemano into the megaproject. Kemano I," he said. The Cheslatta are also worried POST Completion Project Jan. 24, citing Harcourt insisted Ottawa is li- Outstanding issues from the about the future of the hydroelec- worries over the harm lowered able, but federal Fisheries Minis- first phase include treaty and land tric project, now a gigantic half - water levels resulting from the ter Brian Tobin accused B.C. of claims and flooding. completed hole carved out of the PHON_. huge dam would do to salmon playing politics, saying it had the When Kemano I began in the side of the mountain. stocks in the Fraser River system. power to revoke Alcan's licence, 1950s, the Cheslatta were forced 'We're afraid it might turn into $10 charge on all "We won't take that chance" granted by the Socreds. to surrender their land and move a Kemano III," said Robertson. NSF Cheques with the salmon, Harcourt told a "To start this game of trying to to Grassy Plains because of con- But he said next time he's cer- Vancouver news conference. reconstruct past history and try to tinual flooding. Homes on their tain his people will be included $40 for all subscriptions He called on the federal gov- say, 'We're going to make the de- land were burned. in the process. outside Canada ernment to end its 1987 agree- cision but somebody else will pay And since then the site of the "They sure learned a less on ment, signed by Brian Mulroney 's the cost,' is not, I don't think, a village, including ancient burial how to deal with a megaproject Feb 95 Conservatives, B.C. Social Credit constructive or responsible ap- grounds of 50 of their ancestors of this size," he said. "(The situa- and Alcan, to to 88 proach to this issue." PUBLICATION MAIL REGISTRATION #2177 use up per cent on the shores of Cheslatta Lake, tion) is a result of 15 years of hard POSTAGE PAID AT EDMONTON of the Nechako River. He said the The company's only comment have flooded 80 times. work by the Cheslatta." PAGE 2, FEBRUARY 1995, WINDSPEAKER News WHAT'S INSIDE Man charged with murdering missing women Arts & Entertainment By Dina O'Meara began when human bones were Walker, with the anthropology de- tal records 18 -20 after an acquaintance Windspeaker Staff Writer discovered protruding from a shal- partment of the University of Sas- called the RCMP to say she hadn't low grave approximately 16 kilo- katchewan. been seen in several years, while Business 24 -25 metres southwest of the city in "He was the catalyst for the Napope, of Duck Lake, was iden- early October 1994. The body, since identification," said RCMP Cpl. tified after the drawings were re- SASKATOON identified as Calinda Waterhen, 22, Jerry Walker. "It was through his Careers 29-31 leased in November. Both had been of Loon Lake, was the first of three people they were able to make reported missing by their families A Saskatoon man has been ar to be discovered within a 60 -metre composite sketches of the victims. two years ago. Waterhen was the Computers 26 rested in connection with the mur- radius. All we had were bones, and unless last to be identified. ders of three Saskatchewan RCMP subsequently discov- you're an expert, a bone is just a "Three months ago we had women whose skeletal remains ered the bodies of Eva Taysup, 28, bone." Drew Hayden Taylor ... 9 non -identified remains and no were found in a farmer's field just and Shelly Napope, 16, two weeks The sketches were circulated to leads," said Wilde, RCMP crime outside of Saskatoon. after a hunter found Waterhen's the media and published across the prevention co- ordinator. "Now Sports 21 -23 The Jan. 19 arrest came after an body in an area locally known as province, as well as nation -wide they're identified and we have a intense four -month investigation "Bare Ass Beach ". through Wind- speaker. The re- suspect." involving RCMP and city police, a Since the bodies were in an ad- sponse was huge and within John Martin Crawford, 32, has forensic anthropologist and more vanced state of decay and had been weeks the victims were named. been charged with three counts of FOCUS ON HOUSING than 3,000 "tips ". disturbed by animals, police for- Taysup, of the Yellow Quill Re- first degree murder. He remains in The trail leading to the arrest warded their skulls to Dr. Ernie serve, was identified through den- custody at press time. Affordable, functional homes are still only a dream for many First Aboriginal AIDS program defunct Nations peoples. We By Penny Gummerson take a look at some Windspeaker Contributor bands and "When we first heard of the cut, we were serving about 70 clients - organizations that are when we went out of business, we had 130. And this is probably a working to make that VANCOUVER conservative figure in terms of the actual problem that's out there." dream a reality for their Nearly 130 Lou Demerais, executive director, people. Aboriginal down- - town eastside Vancouver residents, Vancouver Native Health Society who are HIV- positive or have See Pages 10-15. AIDS, must now look outside of their community for specialized WOMAN OF STEEL health care and social services. individuals down here writing let- conservative figure in terms of the "It doesn't make sense for the The Vancouver Native Health ters to convince Premier (Mike) actual problem that's out there." government to look at AIDS and Society's HIV /AIDS Home Health Harcourt, who Irma White -Patmore doubles as our Last spring provincial commu- HIV problems strictly as medical Care program closed its doors Jan. MLA in this area, that the program nity AIDS organizations, number- problems," said Demerais. 'There didn't think twice about 13 due to lack of government fund- is critical and we have been com- ing about 46, asked for $7 million are a whole lot of other social is- the obstacles she ing, according to the society's ex- pletely ignored." for the fiscal year to provide ad- sues that people are forced to live might face as a Native ecutive director, Lou Demerais. Funding for the program was equate services for people living with once they're diagnosed with "Our small single mother on grant of $55,000 pro- cut back this fiscal year by nearly with HIV /AIDS. The groups re- HIV - housing problems, educa- vided for this fiscal year by the 70 per cent, eliminating a nursing ceived $2.75 million. In June, B.C. tion, social services to name a welfare when she - Ministry of Health is gone,' said position and leaving only one so- Health Minister Ramsey approved few - so why not spread the sec- decided to establish Demerais. "In light of a growing cial worker to look after client's the recommendations of the B.C. retariat membership across some herself in a trade. Eight number of Aboriginal people in the social needs while facilitating AIDS Secretariat on the allocation of the other ministries?" years later, she can area who are being diagnosed with medical services, said Demerais. of an additional $625,000 to corn - The program looked after a va- HIV, the provincial government "When we first heard of the cut, munity AIDS groups.