CPTnet
August 8, 2003
ASUBPEESCHOSEEWAGONG, ON: Loggers Try Negotiation

by Jerry Stein

Logging contractors visited Grassy Narrows three times this summer, ready to
negotiate with the community.

The first visit was from a logging equipment operator and his wife, who
arrived unannounced at the Grassy Narrows band office. They related the
deep economic impact that the blockades have on his families, and said,
"Abitibi lies to us too, so we need to work together." They continued,
"What do you guys want? We don't believe in clear-cutting either."
[Abitibi Consolidated has the licence to log and sub-contracts the cutting.]

Next, two loggers came to the home of a blockader and talked with two
community members. The loggers requested that the blockaders allow them to
take logs out of a recent clearcut site. One of the visitors made an
oblique threat: "I won't let you hurt my family and affect them negatively."
The two native men responded, "We ourselves are already affected very
deeply. You can beat us up. You can even kill us, but that doesn't make it
right. We're unemployed and have nothing left to lose."

The third visit came from one of the owners of another lumber operation,
Devlin Timber. Simon Fobister, Grassy Narrows Chief, Steve Fobister, deputy
Chief, and Jerry Stein, CPT, were present at the meeting in the band
office. Again the question came, "What do you people want?" However,
rather than waiting to listen, Devlin Timber brought a detailed written
proposal of how they would like to work with the community in lumbering.
When one of the band leaders reiterated the desire for no more
clear-cutting, the man from Devlin was noticeably taken aback, but quickly
replied that he could probably do clearcutting in smaller parcels. The
Devlin spokesperson tried three times to get the band leaders to agree to
get back to him about the proposal within two weeks. They avoided
committing themselves.

In general, the loggers are being squeezed and want to make a deal with the
band so they can keep clear-cutting with no substantive change. Whereas
the Anishinabe blockaders say the Canadian immigrant society has taken their
half or more of the resources granted them by Treaty #3, now natives must
protect their half, which the same Treaty grants them. Grassy Narrows First
Nation wants to use the land in traditional, sustainable ways. The
blockaders do not feel the need for governmental or industrial
legitimization of their rights.

The logging industry wants a concrete alternative to the standoff.
Blockaders simply say, "No more clear-cutting." "We've been telling you
what we want for 100 years. You know forestry science. You come up with a
plan different from clearcutting."

"Our plan is our principles," said one community leader.