New agreement between Manitoba, First Nations to change scope of forestry

'For more than a decade, we have been raising concerns about Manitoba's failure to consider protection of our treaty rights and fair resource sharing.'

On Friday, a new memorandum of understanding was signed that will change how forestry works in the Swan River Valley.

“For more than a decade, we have been raising concerns about Manitoba’s failure to consider protection of our treaty rights and fair resource sharing when making decisions about Lousiana-Pacific’s (LP) ability to cut trees from our ancestral lands,” said Chief Elwood Zastre of Wuskwi Sipihk First Nation.

Indigenous leaders say LP had been clear-cutting in the Duck Mountains without a trustworthy forest management plan.

These, and the Kettle Hills, are regions that have been crucial to Indigenous practice, Chief Derek Nepinak of Minegoziibe Anishinaabe First Nation said.

“We’re deeply connected to the Duck Mountains. It’s our heartland,” he said. “It’s where our people go to learn our language. It’s where we go to sit, and to hunt, and to pick medicines, and to understand who we are as a people.”

Under the new agreement, Minegoziibe Anishinaabe First Nation, Wuskwi Sipihk First Nation and Sapotaweyak Cree Nation will work government-to-government with Manitoba to develop a new forest management plan for the area.

It will also enforce revenue sharing with the communities, as well as penalties when LP doesn’t comply with conditions.

In an emailed statement to Global News, LP said it remains committed to its partnership with the province and First Nation communities.