Federal ministers give wildfires update
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National Post
29 minutes ago
- National Post
Jasper points to 'mischaracterization' of wildfire report after Alberta premier calls for apology
OTTAWA — The top administrator in Jasper, Alta., downplayed claims Friday that a report his town commissioned into last summer's devastating wildfire was about blaming the province for making things worse, after the premier called on the town to apologize. Article content Jasper Chief Administrative Officer Bill Given told the National Post that the initial media coverage of the report hasn't given the full picture of its contents, although he said he stands by the report. Article content Article content 'As with any comprehensive report, looking at any one part of it in isolation can easily lead to a mischaracterization of the overall content,' said Given in an interview. 'I would encourage everyone to take a look at the report in its entirety, so they have a clear understanding of what its intended scope is (and) what was out of scope.' Article content Given also stressed that there were 'a lot of strengths' in the wildfire response, including contributions from the province. Article content Several news outlets on Thursday, the day the report was released, highlighted some elements of the report that said the Alberta government had complicated firefighting efforts when it added itself to a previously established command structure set up between the town and Parks Canada. Article content Smith called both the report and its coverage in the media 'disheartening' on Friday, saying the province was unfairly characterized as a clumsy interloper in wildfire relief efforts. Article content 'The report and the media response not only appears politically motivated, it is also misguided, given its selective framing and failure to acknowledge the tireless work of provincial emergency personnel and leadership,' wrote Smith in a statement co-signed by three of her cabinet ministers. Article content Article content She also said that the report glossed over the federal government's complicity in the fire, specifically its failure to clear out highly flammable dead trees and other combustible debris from the area over the years. Article content Article content Smith said at an unrelated announcement about Alberta's Heritage Fund that she hoped the town would apologize for the report's contents. Article content 'Provincial involvement added complexity to the response, as the Province of Alberta, though not jurisdictionally responsible to lead the incident, regularly requested information and sought to exercise decision-making authority,' reads one line. Article content The report also says that the province's involvement created 'political challenges that disrupted the focus of Incident Commanders, leading to time spent managing inquiries and issues instead of directing the wildfire response and reentry.'
CBC
30 minutes ago
- CBC
Sask. First Nations chiefs meet with prime minister about Bill C-5
First Nation leaders from Saskatchewan were in Gatineau, Que., just across the border from Ottawa, on Thursday to meet with Prime Minister Mark Carney. They discussed Bill C-5, which is aimed at fast-tracking national infrastructure projects.
CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Sask. First Nations leaders among those at summit with prime minister about Bill C-5
Saskatchewan First Nation leaders were among those in Gatineau, Que., this week for a summit with Prime Minister Mark Carney designed to allay concerns about Bill C-5, which is aimed at fast-tracking national infrastructure projects. The bill already passed before the summit. Grand Chief Brain Hardlotte from the Prince Albert Grand Council (PAGC) was in attendance. He described it as an interesting day, but said he left even more confused about what the bill means for PAGC communities. "Without discussions, I wouldn't really call this a consultation," Hardlotte said. "Consultation happens before anything, any development, or in this case legislation." Harlotte compared the bill to the Natural Resource Transfer Agreements (NRTA) signed between Canada and the Prairie provinces in 1930, without First Nations consultation. He called the NRTA, "a direct threat to Indigenous sovereignty, our treaty rights and longstanding responsibilities under international law." He used Uranium City, in Saskatchewan's far north, as an example of what can happen when governments and corporations act without Indigenous oversight. Hardlotte said mining companies extracted everything, then left a mess of abandoned mine sites and polluted lakes. "Our people are hunters, fishers, and trappers and these are treaty rights," Hardlotte said. "Because of the NRTA our rights have been eroded, and violated, and all the injustices that have been done to our people are because of this legislation." Chief Marcel Head from Shoal Lake Cree Nation was also present for Thursday's summit in Ottawa. He said his community needs to benefit from the natural resources and minerals that are extracted from it. "We never gave up our land, we never gave up our resources when we signed the treaty," he said. "It is time that Shoal Lake stand up, along with Red Earth Cree Nation, to take back what is rightfully ours, and start benefiting from the resources that have been historically extracted out of our traditional territory." Head noted that this year marks the 150th anniversary of the signing of Treaty 5, and said the spirit and intent of the treaty was not only to share the land, but also the resources. "Do we see that today among both levels of government? No," Head said. Contention and distrust John Desjarlais is the executive director of Indigenous Resource Network, an organization that advocates for workers, business owners and communities who support Indigenous inclusion in the natural resources sector. He said Bill C-5 prioritizes Indigenous participation in major projects. "[The bill] is a strong signal. It's certainly a statement of platitude. I think it's on the government to take action and build further trust with First Nations, Metis, and Inuit communities," Desjarlais said. He said First Nations across Canada have had a variety of experiences with government through the years, many of them bad. "There is a lot of contention, there's a lot of distrust," he said. At the same time, he said there are good examples of how the country can move together in good faith. "We've seen a lot of recent project developments," he said. "I think we can learn more in terms of achieving consent, achieving equitable involvement where Indigenous people are much more meaningfully involved, and in some cases co-governing and co- managing infrastructure projects." He said First Nations deserve to benefit from development and that Bill C-5 could help with that. "It's economic reconciliation," said Desjarlais. "Indigenous communities are tired of burying the environmental risk … and should be involved in the management of that risk and of course the reward."
