The government of British Columbia hosted a community meeting surrounding the Columbia River Treaty in Revelstoke Tuesday night to provide updates on negotiations and discuss community interests Revelstokians hold.
The meeting, held at the Revelstoke Community Centre on June 19, was hosted in hopes of better representing the interests of community members in negotiations on the treaty.
Revelstoke is one of nine locations throughout the interior of B.C. to host a community meeting through June.
Executive director for the Columbia River Treaty Review Kathy Eichenberger says the meetings aim to include community voices that weren’t present when initial negotiations were made in the early 1960’s.
“I’ve lived in small towns, and I know it can be hard to be heard in Victoria,” says Eichenberger. “This time we want things to be different.”
First signed in 1961 and ratified in 1964, the water management agreement between the United States and Canada does not have an expiration date. However, either nation can terminate the treaty any time after September 16, 2024 with 10 years notice.
Talks are currently ongoing with the United States to modernize the treaty, with the first round of negotiations occurring on May 29-30 in Washington, D.C.
RELATED: Canada, U.S. to begin Columbia River Treaty negotiations on May 29
Senior policy advisor with Global Affairs Canada Stephen Gluck says the initial meeting acted as a primer for future discussions
|
|
| Stephen Gluck, a senior policy advisor with Global Affairs Canada, gave updates on the ongoing Columbia River Treaty negotiations with the United States from a federal perspective(Nathan Kunz/Revelstoke Review) |
“Essentially this was our opportunity to just go in and engage with the U.S. team for the first time,” says Gluck. “While we’ve been working on these issues on the Canadian side and the U.S. side and we occasionally mix in various quora, this was actually an opportunity to get the two side together and just start the discussion.”
Gluck says the initial meetings focused on high level elements, such as flood control and power generation as well as early discussions on ecosystems.
Discussion at the Revelstoke meeting centred around a number of concerns on local and larger scale levels going into further negotiations.
Following news that three Indigenous First Nations groups from the southern B.C. Interior would be excluded from treaty talks, a question was raised to Gluck regarding what First Nations engagement will look like going forward.
RELATED: First Nations excluded from Columbia River Treaty talks
While Gluck acknowledged the exclusion of Indigenous representation at the meetings, he says future negotiations aim to consider input from First Nations in the overall position through separate consultation.
“We understand that there was much disappointment in terms of not being actually at the table with the U.S.,” says Gluck. “Going forward, we actually don’t see a change in how we’re engaging with First Nations. We intend and hope to keep working with them — meeting with them regularly, getting their input, getting their advice, feeding into the process that is Canada’s overall position…Not having them at the table with the U.S. isn’t taking anything away as far as we’re concerned with having them continue to input into the process that’s brought to the negotiations.”
Questions were also raised on the U.S.’s willingness to negotiate compensation for the benefits Canada provides.
Gluck, however, was stern on the point that continued compensation will be a requirement going forward.
“The way we see it, and what we’ve already articulated to the U.S. is that they receive a hell of a lot of benefits from this Columbia River Treaty,” says Gluck. “For us, there’s no question—we’re going to have to receive compensation going forward.”
Similarly, discussions on the benefit of Canadian water supplying American irrigation and supporting the agricultural industry was also considered.
Both Gluck and Eichenberg acknowledged that the benefits provided by the treaty for the U.S. have expanded beyond what was considered in the original agreement, and negotiations should reflect this.
“We are looking at all the benefits the U. S. are enjoying beyond flood control and power generation, which were the original ones,” says Eichenberger. “We believe the benefits are not shared equitably right now. That the U.S. is benefiting more than we are right now.”
“If there is a deal on the table that doesn’t work for us, we can issue a termination notice.”
According to Gluck, conversations surrounding the importance of salmon reintroduction in the Columbia have also been occurring, with both sides acknowledging the importance of the topic.
Gluck says working groups have been assembled by the Columbia Basin Trust to look into the feasibility of salmon reintroduction.
He says the federal government is also engaging with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to find a way to work with First Nations on the reintroduction.
“Salmon is important, and we can’t just ignore it.”
Eichenberger also touched on the fact that flexible negotiations are crucial, as changes to the significance of certain aspects which have guided the treaty, specifically in power generation and the value of water, may change as new disruptive technologies emerge.
“The ability to create and distribute energy will increase, but we don’t have the ability to create more water,” says Eichenberger. “So let’s not lock ourselves in.”
Feedback from Tuesday’s meeting will now be compiled into a summary report by the provincial government and considered for future negotiations.
Earlier on Tuesday, Kootenay-Columbia MP Wayne Stetski spoke in the House of Commons on the Columbia River Treaty, saying consultation of basin residents and First Nations are crucial in the negotiations.
“The people of Kootenay—Columbia believe that environmental priorities, including the restoration of salmon, must be incorporated into the renegotiation of the treaty,” Stetski said in the House of Commons on June 19.
“I urge and invite the federal government negotiators to visit our region, and really listen to those impacted so that we can get the best possible deal for British Columbians and all Canadians.”
The next round of official meetings is set to occur between August 15-16 in B.C.
According to Gluck, the process of negotiation is expected to carry on for the foreseeable future, with no deadline set. Meetings are scheduled to occur between both sides every eight to 10 weeks.
@NathanKunz1nathan.kunz@revelstokereview.comLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
