"Band Council wants to control money flowing to Confederacy"

Six Nations Haudenosaunee Confederacy has negotiated a draft agreement with Samsung Corporation but may find itself in a fight with the band council for what it calls a "paternalistic and colonialist move."

The Confederacy's Haudenosaunnee Development Institute has negotiated a $250,000 annual cash payment and return of 500 acres of land within 20 years.

The agreement, Hazel Hill says, secures the land and builds on "no relinquishment of our treaty or land rights."

She said the Confederacy has told Samsung it has no issue with the $50 million agreement the company has negotiated with the band council.

The Confederacy had sought a $10,000 per megawatt fee for Samsung's 250 megawatt project that would average out to $2.5 million a year or about $50 million over 20 years.

"We told Samsung their negotiated agreement with the band is approximately what we would have been seeking without agreeing that the band has any authority over the lands, the Confederacy Chiefs acknowledged good could come to the community depending on how the $50 million is used and if it is used to directly benefit the people."

But Hill said the band is jeopardizing that $50 million agreement by demanding any monies the Confederacy negotiates has to flow through the band council.

"It came to a head at our last negotiation discussions. Samsung said the band council is insisting any money for the Confederacy comes to them as part of their package deal in one community benefits agreement and they will decide how the Confederacy money will be used."

Hill said "the band council has put their $50 million Samsung deal at risk, by trying to take away from the Confederacy any financial benefit it is negotiating for its people."

Hill called the move "paternalistic. It's colonialistic. We instructed Samsung to meet with their minority partner and instruct the band council they are not going to control the Confederacy."

"We have concerns about the band council's transparency when we learn of these issues through negotiations with an outside company and then are also told the band is launching its own company, Six Nations Futures as a holding company. But the community hasn't been told. We know nothing about it and had to find out about it from Samsung."

She said "the Confederacy is negotiating agreements on a principal based process that secures the future of our coming faces."

She said, "our people want land. We have negotiated the return of 500 acres over 20 years. Our people said land was first and foremost in any discussions. We are ensuring our treaty rights are not jeopardized and ensuring compensation for the use of our land going forward. The original idea of our chiefs going back generations."

Instead she said Samsung said band council was insisting on controlling all money. "He (Samsung representative) even had a flip chart to show it."

She said Confederacy has made it clear to Samsung their "discussions are based on a treaty lease agreement that respects and protects our future."

She said the Confederacy agreement secures land, and will go after the crown (Canada/Ontario) for any loss or infringement of Six Nations treaty rights and territory.

She said Confederacy is having difficulty with Hydro One who continues to refuse to meet with the Confederacy.

"They are meeting with band representatives but said they won't meet with the Confederacy unless the band is there but then won't provide the same guarantee to the Confederacy."

She said Hydro One is infringing on Six Nations land and treaty rights and is refusing to consult.

She said the HDI is negotiating with Next Era for a similar land and treaty rights agreement.

But she said the Confederacy will be entering into a mediated process with Capital Power after the company sought and was granted an injunction last week when protesters stopped work on two of its sites being developed on lands Six Nations has an interest in.

But Hill said Capital Power is going ahead with building while mediation takes place. "We have a problem with that."

She said Confederacy is insisting on time restrictions.

"Our people were ready to go shut the project down the day after the injunction so we have to find a balance and a mediation process is hopeful."

She said several other negotiations are underway.