MLCN Chief Happy With MOU Withdrawl

MLCN Chief Happy With MOU Withdrawl

Tuesday, December 18, 2007 at 15:02

A prominent chief says he’s confident Saskatchewan’s New Government will live up to its promise to consult First Nations before allowing developments on their traditional lands.

Chief Lionel Bird of the Montreal Lake Cree Nation says that’s why he isn’t worried about the failure of the Prince Albert pulp mill to start up again.

The former NDP government signed a memorandum of understanding with the mill’s new owner, Domtar, to restart the facility.

However, Bird notes the M.O.U. was passed without any input from his people, and that’s a mistake he feels Brad Wall won’t make.

Bird says the decision by the Sask Party to cancel the M.O.U. is a blessing for his band because it will give them a chance to work out a proper agreement when one comes along.