By Email August 31, 2018 CEAA Reference No. 65505 in THE
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By Email August 31, 2018 CEAA Reference no. 65505 IN THE MATTER OF FRONTIER OIL SANDS MINE PROJECT JOINT REVIEW PANEL Submission of the ClearwaterRiver Band No. 175 to the Joint Review Panel Affidavit of FLORA POWDER Darlene Gladieu-Quinn TRIUNE LAW Terrace Office Tower 833, 4445 Calgary Trail NW Edmonton, AB, T6H 5R7 <contact information removed> Submitted to: Frontier Oil Sands Mine Project Joint Review Panel Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency 160 Elgin Street, 22 nd Floor Place Bell Canada Ottawa, ON, K1A 0H3 Email: [email protected] - 2 - I, Flora Powder, of Fort McMurray, Alberta, MAKE OATH AND SAY: 1. I am a councillor of the Clearwater River Band No. 175 and my sister, Maryann Powder, is Chief. John Malcolm is the Band Manager. We will be present at the hearing to give evidence on these matters. 2. My sister and I are status Indians as defined under the provisions of the Indian Act. We represent the living members of the Clearwater River Band #175. We obtained this authority through members who can connect their ancestry to the paylists of the Band. Descendants must provide conclusive proof supported by birth certificates, baptismal certificates, marriage certificates and other genealogical supporting governmental documentation to prove ancestry. Membership application forms clearly state that the applicant member provides us with the necessary authority to represent the collective Aboriginal and Treaty rights of the Clearwater River Band. 3. We have taken steps of filing litigation in the Federal Court in action T-436-15. Attached as Exhibit "A" is the Statement of Claim, filed. An application by Her Majesty the Queen in right of Canada to strike the Statement of Claim was dismissed, the Order of which is attached as Exhibit "8". 4. Jean Powder, one of the Plaintiffs in our action, filed evidence regarding our claim in the form of an Affidavit sworn October 25, 2016, filed in action T-436-15, which is attached as Exhibit "C". 5. Jean Powder was cross examined on this Affidavit with an interpreter during a Special Hearing before the Federal Court on March 20, 2018:which was video taped. I have the DVD's from the Hearing in my possession and will be bringing these to the joint panel hearing. Attached are transcripts from the hearing which have been done for the purpose of presenting our position in the Frontier Oil Sands Mine Project application, and for ease of reference, attached as Exhibit "D". 6. Jean Powder testifies that she moved to Uranium City during the 60's and ?O's. Uranium City is on the mid-east end of Lake Athabasca and overall, about 172 km from Fort Chipewyan. This is basically the same broad area where Jean had trapped as a child and certainly the Frontier/Teck Mine is where she trapped as a child until she married. She testifies as to the hunting, trapping and fishing in the area from birth in 1929 until easily the 1980's. 7. Jean Powder further testifies that she lived on the Clearwater lf¥:lian Reserve until 1952 with her family where she hunted, fished and trapped. She also attests that there is a graveyard area that has not been maintained and needs to be protected and restored. - 3 - 8. Jean Powder is available to give evidence at the hearing before the Joint Panel. She will need an interpreter who speaks Plains Cree. 9. Attached as Exhibit "E" is a Geological Report on the Bitumen Potential of the Clearwater #175 Indian Reserve conducted on October 30, 1968 which supports our claim for royalties the Band is entitled to from industrial activities and their proponents. 1 O. I make this Affidavit in support of our objection to the approval of the Frontier Oil Sands Mine Project, or, in the alternative, that Teck Resources Ltd. be directed to resolve all of the unresolved and serious issues regarding the development of the Frontier Oil Sands Mine Project on our Traditional Lands, as outlined in our Submission. 0 SWORN BEFORE ME at the City of ) FortMcMurray, in the Province of Alberta, ) <Original signed by> this R day of August, 2018 ) <Original signed by> ) ) ) A Commissioner for Oaths in and ) FLORA POWDER for the Province of Alberta ) Christine M. Burton Barrister & Solicitor NotaryPublic Commissioner for Oaths in and for the Provinceof Alberta THIS IS f:XHIBIT "A" IN THF, AFFIDA VJT OF FLORA POWDER SWORN Christine M. Burton AUGUST M, 2018 Barrister& Solicitor <Original signed by> Notary Public ammiss!oner for Oaths in and for the Province of Alberta A Commissioner of Oaths in and for Alberta Federal Court Action No. T-!/3.b..-15 FEDERAL COURT MARY ANN POWDER, .JEAN POWDER, ELMER CREE, FLORA POWDEH., ALLAN AND FLOYD POWDER AND THEIi{ CHILDREN AND THE CHILDREN OF LILA POWDER LAFONTAINE, all of the living members of the PAUL CREE BAND (also called the Clearwaterl{iver Band #175) Plaintitls and HER MA,JESTY THE QUEEN IN RIGHT OF CANADA and HER MA,JESTY THE QUEEN IN RIGHT OF CANADA as represented by THE MINISTER OF ABORIGINAL AFFAIRS AND NORTHERN DEVELOPMENT and FORT McMURH.A Y FIRST NATION De fondants STATEMENT OF CLAIM TO THE DEFENDANTS: A LEGAL PROCEEDING HAS BEEN COMMENCED AGAINST YOU by the Plaintiff. The claim made against you is set out in the following pages. IF YOU WISH TO DEFEND THIS PROCEEDING, you or a solicitor acting foryou are required to prepare a statement of defencein Form 171 B prescribed by the Federal Courts Rules and serve it on the plaintifi'ssolicitor or, where the plaintiffdoes not have a solicitor, serve it on the plaintiff,and fileit, with proof of service, at a local otlice of this Court, WITHIN 30 DAYS alter this statement of claim is served on you, if you are served within Canada. If you are served in the United State of America, the period for serving and filingyour statement of defenceis fortydays. If you are served outside Canada and the United States of America, the period for serving and filingyour statement of defenceis sixty days. Copies of the Feder11l Courts Rules, informationconcerning the local otlicesof the Court and other necessary informationmay be obtained on request to the Administrator of this Court at Ottawa (telephone 613-992-4238) or at any locate office. - 2 - IF YOU FAIL TO DP,FEND Tl IIS l'ROCEFDING, juJgment may be given against you in your nbsence anJ without further notice to you. GINAL SIGNED BY March 23, 2015 ORI BONNIE SUTER OFFICER lssucJ by: REGISTRY Registry Oflicer AdJrcss of local orticc: EJmonton Scotia !'lace Tower I Suite 530, I 0060 Jasper A venue EJmonton, i\8 TSJ 3R8 TO: 1 lcr Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada and Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada as represented by the Minister of Aboriginal i\tlairs and Northern Development i\NDTO: Port MeMurray First Nation I HEREBY� lhatthe above document IS atrue copy al theor1gln� of I filedIn 111eCoort the on ___ MAR 2 3 2015 dayol_______ _ A.O. 20_ llaledthfs dayar MAR 2 3 21m_ 2Q__ <Original signed by> BONNIE SUTER REGISTRY OFFICER - 3 - CLAIM I. The Plaintiffs arc all the living descendants of the Paul Cree !land (Clearwater River Band No. 175) and arc all Cree and Chipewyan peoples and tL� such "Indian" within the meaning of section 91(24) of the Constitution Act, /867, the Imperial Order-in-Council of June 23, 1870, the Cons/i/11/ion Act, 1870, and are aboriginal persons within the meaning of the Constitlllion Act, I 982. 2. Paul Cree had two wives with two boys who lived, Alexis, son of the first wifo and Raphael Cree, son of the second wife. The two families (Alexis and Raphael's families) made up the membership of the original Paul Cree Band (Clearwater River Band No. 175) whose Reserve No. 175 originally stated to be in Township 87, Range 7, West of the 4U• Meridian was actually located in Township 88, Range 7. West of the 4th Meridian comprising 2,261.80 acres, was set aside by Privy Council Order 1570 dated May 12, 1921, having been surveyed in I 915 and 1916. Reserve No. 175 covers portions of Sections 27, 26, 25, 22, 23 and 24 of Range 7. 3. Raphael Cree, son of Paul Cree, married Louise May and had three children, Louise Cree who was raised by her Aunt and was placed in an institution in Ponoka, Jean Cree (Powder) born in April, 1929 and Elmer Cree born in January, 1932. Elmer Cree has not had any children. Jean Cree (Powder) has had five children, Lila who is now deceased, Allan, and Maryann (fatherof Lila, Allan and Maryann was Benny Powder, a Non-Status Indian), and Floyd and Flora (father of Floyd and Flora was George Powder, a Bill C-31 Indian). Lila, Allan, Maryann, Floyd and Flora all have children and grandchildren. 4. Alexis Cree was married to Mary Martin and had a daughter, Margaret. Margaret had four children of which two children lived, Maggie White and Alec Cheecham. Maggie White had one surviving child, Alvin White. Alec Cheecham did not have any children. 5. Alexander Cree, brother of the Chief of the Paul Cree Band (Clearwater River Indians), had a firstwife, Mary and at least some children one ofwhom·was Julian Cree, who was raised by Caroline Thompson afterAlexander Cree and his wife, Maryhad died. 4. 6. !\Iler !\lexanJer Cree's lirst wile. Mary dieJ, Caroline Thompson marrieJ !\lcxanJer Cree (No. 4 on the Fort McMurray/Fort McKay llanJ l'aylist from 1899 until 1911).