[IPSM] Municipality of Delta, BC, freaking over Tsawwassen First Nation treaty

[shelly]

Sun, 9 Jan 2005 
 
      Delta's lawsuit 'inappropriate': AG 
    
      By Daniel Pi
      South Delta Leader
      dpi at southdeltaleader.com

B.C. attoney general Geoff Plant is calling the Corporation of Delta's recent lawsuit to halt treaty negotiations between the Tsawwassen First Nation and the provincial and federal governments "inappropriate and misconceived."
      
He has also said that fears of a deal being reached by mid December were unfounded but a target date of Dec. 15, 2004 had been set to resolve outstanding issues.
      
In a letter to Delta Mayor Lois Jackson dated Dec. 13, 2004, the minister responsible for treaty negotiations said the lawsuit doesn't reflect the work the provincial government has done to make the municipality feel welcome at the negotiation table.
      
Jackson fired back Dec. 20 saying Delta has never been at the negotiating table because the municipality is not required to sign off on the treaty.
      
"As a general comment regarding the treaty process, there are three negotiating parties and there will be three signatories to the TFN treaty: Canada, British Columbia and the Tsawwassen First Nations," Jackson wrote.
      
According to Plant, the munipality's withdrawal from the Lower Mainland Treaty Advisory Committee in March 2003 cut off Delta's opportunity to provide input on negotiations.
      
"(LMTAC) is the formal vehicle we have used to ensure that issues of concern to local government that arise at treaty tables...will be brought to the attention of local government," Plant said. Even with Delta no longer sitting the advisory committee, Plant said in November provincial and federal negotiators invited Jackson or another municipal staff member back to the treaty table.
      
Jackson's reply, Plant said, was she was "too busy."
      
"Contrary to the perception you have tried to create in the public mind the record shows that Delta has had numerous opportunities to be consulted and have its point of view heard," Plant said. "All too often you choose not to avail yourself of the opportunity or impede the Province's efforts in that regard. Consultation is a two-way effort and I would suggest the citizens of Delta have been poorly served by your failure to be fully engaged with the Tsawwassen treaty negotiations."
      
However, Jackson said the municipality has always been interested in the negotiations and have devoted its own staff time to helping negotiators.
      
"Much of the technical land information that you are relying on in your negotiations was directly developed and provided to your negotiators by Delta at our own expense," Jackson said.
      
On Delta's withdrawal from the advisory committee, Jackson said she preferred having direct input into the treaty process rather than through the committee because LMTAC might not share the same views as Delta.
      
At the heart of Delta's lawsuit is the concern a treaty will allow the First Nation to purchase land outside of TFN land, converting it to treaty land that would then be under the Tsawwassen band's governance. 
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