November 18, 2009
By Brenda Bouw, The Canadian Press
VANCOUVER, B.C. - British Columbia is losing more than a billion dollars annually by not settling treaties with its First Nation communities, a new report claims.
The study, released Wednesday by the B.C. Treaty Commission, estimates lost opportunity costs of about $1.5 billion in 2009 alone.
On the other hand, the report says completing two treaties each year over the next 15 years could inject $3.2 billion into the provincial economy. It would also result in $5.14 billion in net benefits to First Nations.
What's more, if all 60 B.C. First Nations now in the treaty process completed treaties by 2025, they could receive financial benefits of $10.28 billion, says the report prepared for the commission by accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers.
B.C. could receive $6.4 billion after settlement costs, and total wage income could rise by more than $14 billion, the study says.
"Pace does make a difference. The more treaties you do faster, the more economic benefit you are going to receive from that," Sophie Pierre, chief commissioner of the B.C. Treaty Commission, said in releasing the report.
"The longer we wait, the longer we spin our wheels like we have been doing ... lost opportunity costs, they continue to grow."
Unlike aboriginal groups in other provinces, most bands in B.C. did not sign treaties with settlers. As a result, the province and Ottawa have undertaken modern treaty talks.
There are dozens of treaties in negotiations, but after 16 years of talks only one is in place, with the Tsawwassen First Nation, located about 40 kilometres south of Vancouver. That agreement took effect in April.
The Maa-nulth First Nations have reached final agreements, but they have not yet taken effect.
Pierre said the commission is pleading with governments, and its own First Nation communities, to work towards speeding up the process.
"We aren't asking for more money for this process," Pierre said. "We're saying the money you have already invested, you need to be smarter about how you are using this investment."
The commission said four more treaties could be finalized within months, and seven more within the next couple of years, but time is of the essence to reap the benefits.
"The status quo is not working," Pierre said.
The report comes weeks after Pierre complained the federal government is "frittering" away billions in economic opportunity by not giving its treaty negotiators a proper mandate.
She told the Common's Finance Committee in late October that, after 16 years of negotiations between First Nations and the provincial and federal governments, they're only now finding out federal negotiators don't have the power to make the decisions that lead to treaties.
She said issues around the fishery have held up at least two agreements, with the Tla'amin and in-Shuck-ch Nations.
Wednesday's report is the fourth from the commission since the treaty process began in 1992, all of which also concluded that treaties increase economic benefits.
Commission member Dave Haggart said the difference today is that the Tsawwassen agreement provides proof there are economic benefits.
"We have real numbers, whereas before it was just kind of a dream," Haggart said.
The Tsawwassen First Nation, because it's no longer part of the Indian Act, applied for government stimulus money and will get $6 million from Ottawa and Victoria to prepare land for industrial redevelopment.
Pierre also noted that when investment is made in First Nation communities, the surrounding regions benefit.
The spinoffs include increased employment and improved conditions in First Nation communities.
"Unfortunately, the opposite is not true. When a region is doing very well economically, it doesn't necessarily support the aboriginal community."