British support will help bank roll court case.

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Hobemma

Beaver Lakes Cree Nation is getting high profile support from an international source.

The Co-operative Financial Services of the United Kingdom has thrown its support, including $90,000, behind Beaver Lake Cree Nation's lawsuit, filed May 2008, alleging development from the oil sands, forestry and the local municipal government infringes upon the First Nation's 1876 treaty rights to hunt, trap and fish.

"(CFS) sought us out. They found information on line, spent several months tracking the case and checking out the law firm," said Drew Mildon, of Woodward and Company law firm out of Victoria and legal counsel for the First Nation.

"I was struck by the Beaver Lake Cree's principled stance and commitment to sustainable development and environmental protection within their traditional lands, something which fits very well CFS' ethos and values," said Colin Baines, CFS ethics advisor, corporate affairs and social goals, in an e-mail interview from Manchester with Sweetgrass.

CFS is the group of businesses that includes The Co-operative Bank, The Cooperative Insurance and The Co-operative Investments. In 1992, The Co-operative Bank launched a customer-led ethical policy, with The Co-operative Insurance and The Cooperative Investments introducing a new ethical engagement policy in 2005. Each year, CFS undertakes a major ethical campaign under the banner of 'customers who care' and this year's campaign targets toxic fuels such as tar sands.

"It is our co-operative values and our customers' ethical concerns as reflected in our ethical policies which direct which issues we campaign on and which projects we choose to support," said Baines.

While doing research, Baines came across Beaver Lake Cree Nation's Ketuskeno Declaration, which asserts the First Nation's role as caretakers of their traditional territories, and found out about the court case. He approached Beaver Lake Cree to offer assistance.

The financial aid is tremendous support, said Mildon.

"Our experience in working with First Nations is often a war of attrition. Powerful governments with deep pockets bring lots of motions against poverty stricken First Nations," said Mildon.

With the funds provided by CFS, filming of Elder depositions, to document the Beaver Lake Cree Nation's folklore and traditional way of life, and the threats to this way of life by tar sand developments, has taken place. Videos will be used both in the legal case as well as in campaigning. CFS also flew Chief Al Lameman and other senior members of Beaver Lake Cree and their legal counsel to London to launch CFS's campaign in the beginning of March. A rally was held outside of the Canadian Embassy in protest of tar sand expansion. The rally gained widespread media attention with The Guardian, Financial Times and BBC running major features.

Baines is hopeful that CFS support "will highlight what is going on and help draw attention and more support to (Beaver Lake Cree Nation's) cause. Tar sands are a global issue ... and the massive expansion plans oil companies have for them, means it is an issue no one can afford to ignore. The impacts of tar sand developments may be local but their consequences are global."

While CFS support will mean more opportunity for Beaver Lake Cree to take their fight further, Mildon said that the support is also more personal in nature. "It means so much in this early part of the case. For chief and council, who are in the middle of Alberta and Alberta's very conservative environment, to know they're getting support from international groups, to know that the world's attention is turning this way, brings them a lot of hope, gives them a real boost."

Baines said support for Beaver Lake Cree will continue beyond the initial payment and CFS is exploring what means further support will take.

The law suit is presently in case management.

"Such First Nation legal cases are possibly the best hope we have to avert the global disaster tar sands represent. We hope the Beaver Lake Cree Nation is successful and that other First Nations follow this inspiring community's lead and fight for their rights, both to protect their homeland, culture and the quality of life for future generations, and also to help the world avert dangerous levels of climate change and possibly a new mass extinction event," said Baines.

Beaver Lake Cree Nation has 900 members and is located south of Lac La Biche.

BY SHARI NARINE

Sweetgrass Writer