BC Today – Daily Report January 27, 2020

Quotation of the day

“Our commitment is to lasting reconciliation.”

A “potential message point” prepared for Premier in March 2019 ahead of his ​ ​ attendance at a ceremonial feast meant to launch a renewed reconciliation effort with the Wet’suwet’en.

Today in B.C.

On the schedule There are just two weeks to go before the spring sitting begins — MLAs will return to the legislature on February 11 for the speech from the throne. Budget day is February 18.

This week, many MLAs will be in Prince George for the BC Natural Resources Forum. The BC ​ ​ Liberal Party will host a reception at the Ramada Plaza Hotel this evening; Liberal Leader ​ ​ and local MLAs (Prince George—Valemount) and Mike ​ ​ ​ ​ Morris (Prince George— Mackenzie) will attend, along with other members of the Liberal ​ caucus.

The forum’s Celebrating Natural Resources banquet takes place on Tuesday evening.

On Wednesday, the Resource Ministers’ Breakfast will feature Forests Minister Doug ​ ​ Donaldson, Indigenous Relations Minister Scott Fraser, Environment Minister George ​ ​ ​ ​ Heyman and newly minted Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources Minister . ​ ​ ​

Later that day, Premier John Horgan will deliver a lunchtime keynote speech and the NDP will ​ ​ host an evening fundraiser at the Fortune Palace Restaurant. NDP cabinet members and ​ ​ representatives of the party’s Prince George riding associations will attend.

How a coordinated effort from the NDP failed to establish trust with Wet'suwet'en First Nation Last week, Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation Minister Scott Fraser headed to Smithers ​ ​ to meet with the five hereditary chiefs of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation who oppose the Coastal GasLink (CGL) pipeline.

Premier John Horgan, who said he could not find time for a face-to-face meeting with the chiefs ​ ​ during his recent tour of northern B.C., sent his minister in the hopes of smoothing over relations with the chiefs, who rejected his offer of a teleconference.

But the meeting didn’t happen. Minister Fraser was “not an appropriate party for a ​ nation-to-nation discussion,” according to the chiefs, who reiterated their request for the premier ​ ​ to meet with them in person.

The chiefs have called Horgan’s decision not to visit during his northern tour disrespectful. The premier has countered that he can’t “drop everything ... to come running when someone is ​ ​ saying they need to speak with [him].”

Sentiments on both sides appear to have soured since last year, when the province and the Wet’suwet’en chiefs committed to renewed reconciliation efforts

Internal government documents obtained by BC Today via freedom of information request ​ ​ illustrate a yearlong coordinated effort by the province to cultivate closer ties with the First Nations group — one that seems to have borne little fruit.

Renewed reconciliation In February 2019 — one month after 14 people were arrested by the RCMP for blocking a forest service road on Wet’suwet’en territory in violation of a court order — the B.C. government and the Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs released a joint statement announcing “the start of a new ​ ​ reconciliation process” aimed at remedying “decades of denial of Wet’suwet’en rights and title.”

“Both parties believe that the time has come to engage in meaningful nation-to-nation discussions with the goal of B.C. affirming Wet’suwet’en rights and title” per last year’s statement.

A key piece of the government’s strategy in pursuing the renewed reconciliation effort was hiring lawyer , at the time an NDP MP representing Victoria. Rankin was chosen for his ​ ​ ​ “expertise in constitutional law, his knowledge of the Wet’suwet’en people and history, and relevant case law, and his experience as a negotiator,” the Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation said.

According to the FOI’d documents, Rankin agreed to do the work pro bono, with the Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation covering travel and other costs.

His role was to “represent the Province in the discussions with the Office of the Wet’suwet’en” and “guide and design the reconciliation discussion process.” By the end of February 2019, Rankin announced he would not seek reelection in the year’s October federal vote.

A feast for new beginnings On March 16, 2019, Rankin — along with the premier, Fraser and his deputy minister Doug ​ Caul — attended a ceremonial feast (bahtlats) hosted by the Wet’suwet’en Laksilyu clan in ​ Smithers.

The hereditary chiefs, Wet’suwet’en house and clan members, and staff from the Office of the Wet’suwet’en also attended.

The event signalled the “commencement of a reconciliation process to advance a ​ nation-to-nation relationship based on trust, mutual respect and recognition of rights and title,” according to an internal communications document produced by the province’s Government Communications and Public Engagement (GCPE) team. It was also an opportunity to formally introduce Rankin as B.C.’s representative to lead the discussion going forward.

“This is a formal and highly symbolic event and an opportunity to clearly communicate the Province’s goals and expectations for the betterment of all Wet’suwet’en and all British Columbians,” reads the document.

The feast lasted six hours and reportedly featured many mentions of the Delgamuukw decision, ​ ​ which affirmed Indigenous rights and title to lands never ceded via treaty and established oral histories as acceptable evidence for asserting rights and title. The decision has been brought up regularly by those opposed to the Coastal GasLink pipeline. ​ ​

Following the ceremony, optimism seemed to be running high on both sides. Speaking to the Terrace Standard, Horgan acknowledged the Delgamuukw case and his belief that the province ​ and the Wet’suwet’en could find “a way forward.”

“What I heard around the room, from leaders from all of the clans, was this is a hopeful beginning for what will hopefully be a resolution of a longstanding grievance between the Wet’suwet’en people and the Crown as represented by federal and provincial governments,” he said. ​

Wet’suwet’en Chief Na’moks — who also goes by John Ridsdale and serves as spokesperson ​ ​ ​ ​ for the hereditary chiefs — hailed the event as “an olive branch” from the Wet’suwet’en to the province and a chance to educate elected officials about the First Nations’ authority.

“Having the premier in our feast hall ... to make sure he fully understands where we’re coming from and where we need to go together is actually a good step in the right direction and we are not there to listen to them, they are there to listen to us,” he told the Standard. “We had to ​ ​ remind [the province] they only had presumed authority, we’ve never ever given up our authority as hereditary chiefs or as Wet’suwet’en.”

‘Not connected to any specific project’ The province made a concerted effort to keep its renewed reconciliation effort from being linked to the pipeline that the hereditary Wet’suwet’en chiefs and their supporters oppose.

The GCPE produced a strategic communications document to outline how officials should respond to questions about the renewed process. If asked whether the reconciliation process means “the CGL pipeline will not go ahead,” the official response was to say the discussions with the Wet’suwet’en “are not connected to any specific project, nor is any specific project the focus of these discussions.”

The “reconciliation-focused discussions” were meant to “establish a deeper relationship between the province and Wet’suwet’en Nation, based on respect and recognition of rights” — but not the right the hereditary chiefs claim to be asserting over the traditional territory through which the CLG pipeline would run.

Potential talking points prepared for Horgan prior to the Wet’suwet’en feast contain repeated mentions of “commitment” and “respect” — as well as notes on how the premier’s remarks would likely be perceived.

“It should also be noted that words spoken at a formal feast like this carry great weight and commitment,” reads a postscript in the speaking points.

“For too long, governments have ignored court decisions and failed to affirm Wet’suwet’en rights and title,” one point in the document says. “We are committed to working together, to find a shared path forward.”

As tensions between the hereditary chiefs, their supporters and CGL flared once again this month, Horgan has pointed out that those opposing the pipeline do not have court decisions on their side — at least when it comes to the injunction given to CGL — and said he does not believe the chiefs have the authority to block the project.

“I don’t believe they do and, more importantly, the courts don’t either, and the courts have consistently sided with Indigenous peoples when their rights and their title have been abused by governments or by industry,” he said during a January 13 news conference. “In this instance, the courts have confirmed that this project can proceed and it will proceed.”

Horgan also told reporters his government’s relationship with the Wet’suwet’en had improved after a year of regular dialogue.

Chief Na’moks agreed.

"This time last year we had guns pointed at us,” he told CBC in reaction to Horgan’s comment. ​ ​ “Any relationship where you're not looking down the barrel of a gun is a better relationship.”

Note: BC Today reached out to Chief Na’moks through the Office of the Wet’suwet’en for ​ ​ comment on this story but did not receive a response.

Today’s events

January 25 at 10 a.m. — Victoria ​ Green Party house leader (Cowichan) will make “an important announcement ​ ​ ​ about her future” with the party at Kwench Co-working Space.

Topics of conversation

● , councillor and former BC Liberal cabinet minister, has ​ ​ ​ resigned from his appointment as the province’s community liaison on caribou recovery. ​ ​ ​ Premier John Horgan appointed Lekstrom to the post last April after the government’s ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ initial approach to community partnership agreements proved controversial among residents of northern B.C. ○ But on Friday, Lekstrom said his recommendations that the province consult local government’s weren’t acted on. “It’s unfortunate it came to this point, but it ​ became very clear recently with a letter the premier had sent to the Peace River Regional District in my area stating they had no intention to change any text within the partnership agreement,” Lekstrom said during a radio interview. ○ Liberal Oil and Gas Development critic , who represents Peace ​ ​ ​ River South, said the NDP government never intended to accept any of the 14 recommendations Lekstrom put forward. “The entire process has been nothing but a sham and only confirms that his government is not sincere in properly

engaging local governments and communities,” he said in a statement on Lekstrom’s resignation. “People in rural have lost all confidence in a government that deliberately misled local governments, businesses and even weekend snowmobilers.”

● Both Uber and Lyft launched in on Friday morning — less than 24 hours after the Passenger Transportation Board released its approval of the companies’ ride-hailing applications. Municipal reaction to the arrival of ride-hailing in Metro Vancouver varied: the City of Vancouver issued business licences for both companies within hours while Delta councillor Dylan Kruger lamented his community being left out of the service’s ​ ​ ​ ​ launch, a situation he attributed to the government’s decision to “over-regulate” ride ​ ​ hailing. Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum told Uber to stay out of the city until the council ​ ​ ​ ​ comes up with its own regulations. City bylaw officers began handing out tickets to ​ ​ ride-hail drivers yesterday. ○ Pricing differences between the two San Francisco-based companies were quick to surface, according to Business in Vancouver. ​ ​ ​ ​

● In an op-ed published in , Independent MP Jody Wilson-Raybould ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ (Vancouver Granville) attempts to sort through the complicated situation facing both Ottawa and Victoria in cases like the one involving the Wet’suwet’en and Coastal GasLink. ○ “Reconciliation requires transitioning from the colonial system of government imposed on First Nations through the Indian Act, to systems of Indigenous ​ ​ governance that are determined by Indigenous peoples and recognized by others,” Wilson-Raybould writes. “The pipeline conflict is a stark reminder that we have not moved with enough urgency or clarity in advancing this transition.”

● As the B.C. government continues to consult with First Nations and Indigenous groups to implement its recently passed UNDRIP legislation, the president of the Northwest Indigenous Council says most First Nations people in the province are being shut out of the discussions. "[Seventy-eight] per cent of Indigenous people live off-reserve, but we're being ghosted by the powers that be," Scott Clark told CBC, adding that he attempted ​ ​ ​ ​ to attend a meeting between the First Nations Leadership Council and provincial government reps but was turned away. ○ The Northwest Indigenous Council is planning a series of forums with Indigenous people on Vancouver Island next month. Those will inform a report and recommendations the council plans to deliver to the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples and certain federal and provincial ministers.

● In 2019, 140 cases before B.C.’s Supreme Court were postponed, according to reporting ​ ​ from CBC — more than four times the 33 cases postponed in 2018. The court has seven vacancies on its bench, and the Trial Lawyers Association of B.C. blames ICBC’s "unreasonable” settlement offers for clogging the understaffed court.

Funding announcements

● MasterCard plans to launch its Intelligence and Cyber Centre — the company’s sixth ​ ​ global technology centre — in downtown Vancouver, with $49 million from Ottawa’s Strategic Innovation Fund. ​ ○ B.C. Jobs, Economic Development and Competitiveness Minister Michelle ​ Mungall welcomed the company’s decision. The province expects the centre will ​ ​ ​ create 270 new jobs and 100 student co-op positions.

● The Ministry of Education is providing up to $35 million to replace Richard McBride ​ ​ ​ Elementary School in New Westminster, and the New Westminster School District is ​ ​ ​ providing $1 million toward the project. The new school will have capacity for 505 students — 65 additional seats compared to the current school — and will include space for StrongStart, before and after school care programs, and a neighbourhood learning centre “where additional childcare spaces will be a priority,” according to the ministry. ​ ​ The new school is expected to open in 2022.

● Calisto Place, a new affordable housing development for women and children operated ​ ​ ​ by Women in Need Gaining Strength (WINGS) in New Westminster, is now open. Rent ​ ​ will be $900 per month. ○ The ministry provided a $600,000 grant and construction financing of $418,000 for the project. The City of New Westminster provided the land and covered ​ ​ municipal costs related to development and permit fees, while Baptist Housing ​ provided a $100,000 bond for the project, as well as free consulting.

● The Fair Haven Homes Society will operate Vivian Apartments, a redeveloped ​ ​ ​ ​ 138-unit, wood frame rental building in Vancouver. The building includes 114 studio units and 25 one-bedrooms — six of them featuring accessible design. Residents will begin moving in next month; 11 lived in the 50-unit building the society operated on the property before redevelopment. ○ The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing provided a $3-million grant and ​ ​ ​ ​ $19 million in construction financing for the project, while the City of Vancouver ​ provided a $1.4-million housing infrastructure capital grant and development cost exemptions totalling almost $1 million.

● A partnership between the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, the Columbia ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Basin Trust and the Kootenay Region Association for Community Living (KRACL) ​ ​ ​ converted a building on a site owned by the community association into nine affordable rental homes for people with disabilities.

○ The ministry provided a $2.3-million grant, the trust contributed $250,000 and KRACL, which will operate the new units, provided the land and received funding from the Creston Valley Gleaners Society and private donors. ​ ​

Can’t get enough of B.C. politics? Listen to this week’s episode of PolitiCoast on the mini ​ ​ cabinet shuffle and more.