Huckleberry Mine Trespassing on Wet'suwet'en Lands
Wet'suwet'en First Nation
For Immediate Release
December 17, 2012
Wet'suwet'en Territory, Broman Lake, British Columbia, Canada – The Wet'suwet'en First Nation is extremely concerned that the owners of Huckleberry Mines Ltd. (HML) are jeopardizing the rights and title of the Wet'suwet'en First Nation (WFN) because they have not signed any new agreement allowing them to pass through WFN lands. HML has breached a 1997 agreement that it had with the Wet'suwet'en First Nation, and HML is not negotiating in good faith with WFN, which threatens the Huckleberry Mine project.
Chief Karen Ogen stated: “Huckleberry Mines has breached the agreement we had with them, and they don't think they need to negotiate with us anymore. They're wrong and they are trespassing on our lands. We will use all means necessary to prevent their vehicles and equipment from being on our lands.”
For the last several weeks the Wet'suwet'en First Nation has been monitoring the traffic on a road passing through the Felix George IR7 to tally the movement of Huckleberry Mines equipment and employees that trespass WFN lands. The Wet'suwet'en First Nation has been trying to reach agreement with HML, but HML seems content with its unlawful practices by violating WFN laws.
“The Wet'suwet'en First Nation is not against development within our territory, so long as our laws are respected and followed,” stated Chief Karen Ogen. “These companies that do not meaningfully come to agreement with our First Nation risk legal and direct action from our people.”
The Huckleberry Mine is an open pit copper/molybdenum mine owned by Imperial Mines (50%) and a consortium of Japanese companies including Mitsubishi Materials Corporation, Marubeni Corporation, Furukawa Co. and Dowa Mining Co. Ltd. The mine life has been expanded to 2021 and an estimated 424 million pounds of copper may be mined.
The Wet'suwet'en First Nation has unceded title and rights protected under the Section 35 of the Canadian Constitution, and inherent Aboriginal rights and title, which are acknowledged under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
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Contact Information:
Chief Karen Ogen: 1-250-698-7307
Link to WFN territory map: http://darac.sg-host.com/wp-content/uploads/wetsuweten/Wetsuweten_First_Nation.pdf
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The Wet'suwet'en First Nation is extremely concerned that the owners of Huckleberry Mines Ltd. (HML) are jeopardizing the rights and title of the Wet'suwet'en First Nation (WFN) because they have not signed any new agreement allowing them to pass through WFN lands. HML has breached a 1997 agreement that it had with the Wet'suwet'en First Nation, and HML is not negotiating in good faith with WFN, which threatens the Huckleberry Mine project.