A northern First Nation has taken out ads to advise non-Indigenous people not to hunt moose on their traditional territory and ask them to return moose tags, which are issued by the province, to Natural Resources Minister Jamie Moses.
The notices placed by Pimicikamak Okimawin (Cross Lake) in today’s Free Press, Thompson Citizen and the Opasquia Times say the First Nation will not recognize the hunting tags that were issued for game hunting areas 9A and 10, which includes part of their territory.
Pimicikamak “does not provide any consent or permission for use of the licence” issued by the province, and that any use of the licence in that location violates Treaty No. 5 and the Northern Flood Agreement, the ads say.
Moose hunting season begins Sept. 16, runs till mid-October, and resumes for two weeks in December.
The notices cite treaty rights that give the First Nation priority to hunt moose on its traditional land, for members’ own use.
The community says the resource needs to be conserved.
It points to a section of the flood agreement that says the province cannot issue licences or permits for hunting and fishing in the area without meeting First Nation officials and receiving their expressed permission.
Pimicikamak had asked the provincial government not to issue moose tags to non-Indigenous hunters in its territory. Instead, the province announced it would cut back on the number of hunting licences this year by 75 per cent — to 100 from 400.
On Aug. 26, Pimicikamak asked the Court of King’s Bench to cancel all licences that permit non-Indigenous moose hunting on its territory.
The injunction asks the court to enforce the First Nation’s treaty and Northern Flood Agreement rights.
The Manitoba Wildlife Federation has also gone to court, asking it to weigh in on the province’s decision to reduce the number of moose tags issued to non-Indigenous hunters for the upcoming season.
The fishing and hunting advocacy organization has asked the Court of King’s Bench for a judicial review of the government’s decision to issue a maximum of 100 licences for moose hunting in northern game areas.
The court has set aside Nov. 12-13 to hear the Pimicikamak Okimawin application and request for an injunction as well as the Manitoba Wildlife Federation application for judicial review. The matters will be heard back to back.
The hearing will be too late for the first hunting period that runs from Sept. 16 to Oct. 13. Any injunction only would be applicable against the second season, Dec. 2 to Dec. 15.
Pimicikamak Chief David Monias was unavailable for comment Friday.
carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca
Carol Sanders
Legislature reporter
Carol Sanders is a reporter at the Free Press legislature bureau. The former general assignment reporter and copy editor joined the paper in 1997. Read more about Carol.
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