100 Mile House's friendly, social & entertaining online news source!

By LeRae Haynes

“I don’t think we’re getting overly excited about the announcement that the province has approved of the Prosperity project,” stated Anahim Chief Joe Alphonse. “Right from the get-go we knew that this would be the province’s position. I think the provincial review is a waste of time and energy—an absolute farce. We have no confidence in their process: it’s a rubber stamp for industry and they’ve lived up to the billing.

(Photo: Chief Joe Alphonse, file photo.)

“We’ve always focused our attention on the federal review process---they are the group where all our concerns lay. They’re the ones that brought this project to a halt in the 1990s. They’re the group that Taseko had the most problems with,” he continued.

“I think it’s disrespectful of the government of BC to put that out into the media when the federal government isn’t ready to announce their decision,” stated Chief Marilyn Baptiste, Xeni Gwet’in Band Chief.

“Going into the federal environmental process, I was very skeptical,” she continued. “My fear was similar to the ones I had in the provincial process—that we put out our concerns and opinions and get nowhere. I have to really commend the Federal Environmental Assessment panel for doing the job they’re doing---they have been holding Taseko accountable.”

Chief Alphonse said that the provincial process is viewed by Taseko as a way to manipulate the federal process, adding that the federal process uses actual figures, instead of relying on public opinion.

“The province has absolutely no honour in dealing with aboriginal rights and titles,” he said. “It’s disappointing in this day and age, but it’s not really a surprise: the province is still in the dark ages.”

“There was a day when we could count on the government to protect our fish, our grizzly and our clean and unpolluted water,” Chief Baptiste continued. “If you poured chlorinated water into the Fraser River you would be fined, and now the provincial government is going to destroy and impact our wetlands and pure lakes and rivers for decades to come.”

She said that the Xeni Gwet’in community has recently begun a climate change project---the only one in the area. “There is a huge, world-wide concern with climate change and with the environmental impact,” she said. “It’s crucial that we stand up and protect what we have.”