http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/
Mining might well be “the greatest chance of building something,” when it comes to economic development in Kaska territory, says the chief of the Liard First Nation.
However, George Morgan says agreements with mining companies need to significantly change. Morgan was speaking Wednesday at an economic development conference in Watson Lake, in what he called unceded Kaska territory. The conference delegates represent First Nations, municipalities and the territorial government.
“We understand there may be hundreds of billions of dollars of minerals in Kaska traditional territory. There’s enough to keep us all busy for the next 200 years. But only if we work out mutually beneficial agreements,” Morgan told the conference.
Morgan said different Kaska nations consider about 380,000 square kilometres to be their total traditional territory, spanning the B.C./Yukon border. The entirety of Yukon, for comparison, is about 480,000 square kilometres.
The Liard First Nation has never signed a land claim agreement. Morgan said the First Nation is open to mining on its traditional territory but said agreements will need to provide more to the First Nation.
For the rest of this article: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/yukon-economic-development-conference-1.4625914