And now:[EMAIL PROTECTED] (S.I.S.I.S.) writes: CBC radio news out of Vancouver has just announced that an hour long demonstration which halted operations at the Penticton Airport, involving approximately 100 participants has ended, after the city of Penticton agreed to extend the time limits on a scheduled transfer of Okanagan lands from Transport Canada to the City of Penticton. The transfer, originally to take place today has been postponed so that further negotiations with all parties can take place. Please demand that the Okanagan Nation's legitimate grievances be negotiated to their satisfaction. Transport Minister of Canada: David Collenette - mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] or mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] City of Penticton, Chamber of Commerce: - mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] 1. Press statement from Penticiton Indian Band 2. Press statement from Greg Gabriel (Gabriel Family heirs) 3. Mainstream report :-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-: URGENT ACTION REQUEST - PENTICTON AIRPORT DISPUTE Be advised that the Penticton Indian Band is organizing a Demonstration at the Penticton Airport Site at 9:00 AM, Wednesday, March 31, 1999 The Penticton Indian Band apologizes for the short notice and thank you in advance for sending supporters to the demonstration, issuing letters of support and/or any other support you can offer. Following is the Press Statement issued by the Penticton Band and one by the Gabriel Family Heirs for your perusal in developing letters of support. For more information please contact Chief Stewart Philip at the PIB office tel. (250) 493-0048, fax: (250) 493-2882 or @ cell # (250) 490-5314 Penticton Indian Band, RR #2, Site 80, Comp. 19, Penticton, British Columbia V2A 6J7 Telephone (250) 493-0048 Fax (250) 493-2882 Press Statement, March 30, 1999 Angry Band members of the Penticton Indian Band have directed the Chief and Council of the Band to immediately reject the proposed Penticton Airport Transfer process in its entirety. Band members have directed the Band Council to immediately engage the high-profile aboriginal rights law firm of Mandell-Pinder to pursue any and all legal options to challenge, not only the validity of the federal government's National Airports Policy, but also the original expropriation of the Airport Lands. Further, Band members directed the Chief and Council of the Penticton Band to immediately begin to plan and organize both a short-term and long-term direct action campaign for the purpose of frustrating all attempts on the part of both the City of Penticton and Transport Canada to transfer the Airport Lands to the City of Penticton. Finally Band members instructed the Chief and Council to immediately solicit support from Bands within the Okanagan Nation, throughout the Province of BC and across Canada. Chief Stewart Philip OKANAGAN NATION :-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-: PRESS STATEMENT: PENTICTON AIRPORT LANDS TRANSFER CITY OF PENTICTON FROM: GREG GABRIEL (GABRIEL FAMILY HEIRS) On behalf of the Gabriel family, I am pleased and would like to thank the members of the Penticton Indian Band for their support and decision to reject and oppose the signing of the Transfer Agreement for the Penticton Airport Lands. At the General Band Meeting on Monday, March 29, 1999 it was evident that the Penticton Band members will not sit idly by and allow the city and Transport Canada to steal any lands that we have an interest in without our involvement or approval. I am pleased that the people in attendance gave our council clear instructions to publically oppose any transfer agreement and to also put out a call for support from our Okanagan Nation, other BC Bands, and other Bands across Canada. Band members directed the Band Council to take whatever action necessary in order for us to be heard. It seems we are always forced into this position before our concerns are taken seriously. We must once again make it clear that this has been a long outstanding issue that my family has been struggling with for generations and has fought against for years. Our family still maintains the utmost confidence in the Penticton Band Council and their leadership, and thank them for their hard work and efforts in attempting to ensure our interests were being considered and protected. It is very unfortunate that the political will was never there to negotiate honestly and in good faith by the city or Transport Canada given the position put forward by the city, and certain city council attitudes toward our community. We now know that their agenda was never to consider our interests or concerns at all. I would like to personally thank City Councillor Mike Pearce for his statement in the March 26th Penticton Herald. It is with those types of statements and attitudes that encourages my family and other Band Members "to dig in" even deeper and fight this issue even harder. It is a lesson we will long remember in any and all future negotiations of Band issues that may involve the city or other government agencies. Greg Gabriel (Gabriel Family Heirs) Phone: (250) 492-2190 Cellular (250) 490-7250 :-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-: NATIVES GROUND AIRPORT TALKS April 1, 1999, The Province, by Suzanne Fournier [S.I.S.I.S. note: The following mainstream news article may contain biased or distorted information and may be missing pertinent facts and/or context. It is provided for reference only.] The militant Penticton Indian band is threatening to turn the Penticton airport into a permanent camp to stake out the band's claim to airport land. Yesterday close to 200 band members, some in full camouflage gear, blockaded the airport at two checkpoints in a successful bid to derail a 10 a.m. signing ceremony at which Transport Canada was slated to hand over management of the airport to the city of Penticton. Chief Stewart Phillip of the Okanagan Nation called "legalized theft" a plan by Ottawa to hand over the airport -- originally part of the Penticton Indian reserve -- to the city. Transport Minister David Collenette said yesterday that he was "disappointed at the... stalled negotiations" and called for a six-week "cooling-off period" to give all parties time to talk. Said Phillip, who was also involved in the lengthy blockade of the Apex ski resort: "If our concerns are not heard, we'll be back at the airport, and this time our plan will be to set up a permanent camp, calling on support from thousands of aboriginal people across Canada. The airport was within our traditional lands and in fact was a very productive hayfield for us, until it was expropriated from us by the federal government during the war. They said after the war it would be returned to us, but it wasn't." Phillip claims the band was excluded from "any meaningful negotiations" and that the new agreement between Transport Canada and Penticton allows the city to wiggle out of future responsibility to the band if the land ceases to be used as an airport. The conflict over the Penticton airport began in 1996 when Transport Canada began talking to the city about taking over the airport. The band asked to be part of the talks but Transport Canada spokesman Rod Nelson said "we prefer two-way talks between us and the party taking over operation of the airport." Nelson said the band's interests were protected through a "reversionary" clause that would give the land back to the Indian band if it ever ceased to be used as a public airport. But Penticton then insisted on new terms that would make the reversionary clause "null and void" if the Penticton Indian band attempted in any way to affect the airport operation. Phillip said the band's bottom line is that the reversionary clause must stay and the band wants a more meaningful role in airport operation. "This could be a very long, protracted battle, because we're prepared to live at the airport until we get what we want." :-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-: SOVEREIGNTY IS THE ANSWER - CANADA IS THE PROBLEM Letters to The Province - mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. :-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-: S.I.S.I.S. Settlers In Support of Indigenous Sovereignty P.O. Box 8673, Victoria, "B.C." "Canada" V8X 3S2 EMAIL : <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> WWW: http://kafka.uvic.ca/~vipirg/SISIS/SISmain.html SOVERNET-L is a news-only listserv concerned with indigenous sovereigntist struggles around the world. To subscribe, send "subscribe sovernet-l" in the body of an email message to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For more information on sovernet-l, contact S.I.S.I.S. :-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:
