Beaver Lake Cree get more support for their lawsuit

An Alberta First Nation law suit against the governments of Alberta and Canada launched in 2008 is receiving support from U.K.-based The Co-operative Group, to help the First Nation's fight against tar sands projects encroaching on treaty lands.

The court challenge launched early in 2008 by the Beaver Lake Cree Nation against both the Canadian and Alberta governments has the intention of protecting the land from oil and gas developments that are encroaching the reserve. The band asserts that

"the ensuing damage to wildlife habitat areas has been devastating and irreparable."

The lawsuit is based on Treaty 6, which includes lands in central Alberta and Saskatchewan. At the time of signing, Beaver Lake’s ancestors were assured that the newcomers

“would not interfere with [their] daily life” and that they would be able to continue making their living from hunting, trapping and fishing."

The Beaver Lake Cree Nation is now receiving support from a United Kingdom co-operative bank called The Co-operative Group. The bank just gave the Cree Nation another $100,000 towards the lawsuit. Earlier this year, when pledging their support, the UK organization had given the Beaver Lake Cree $90,000. A further donation will be made in August. Situated at Lac La Biche 240 miles northeast of Edmonton, Alberta, The Cree Nation launched their lawsuit last year after declaring themselves the caretakers of the land. There are two purposes behind the lawsuit; to enforce their Constitutionally protected rights to hunt, trap and fish; and to protect the ecological integrity of their territories. Last month, lawyers for Alberta filed a pre-trial motion, asking the court to strike most of the band's lawsuit as "frivolous" and an "abuse of process." They said the dispute should have been solved through an appeals process with the Energy Resources Conservation Board, not at court. There is a vague possibility that the Bear Lake Cree Nation lawsuit might gain a little unexpected help from a U.S. Defence Authorization Bill passed in 2007. According to IPSnews.net, "Section 526 of the bill bars U.S. federal agencies such as the military and the postal service from buying synthetic or unconventional fuels if they create more greenhouse gases emissions than conventional fuels." While there is proof that the recovery of crude oil from the tar sands creates more greenhouse gasses than any other type of oil production, thus far the United States has not followed through on its own legislation.