After six years of work, the Miawpukek Mi'kamawey Mawi'omi is hoping to make a deal with the province for a 20-year forest management agreement that could see its people reclaim traditional grounds.
According to Greg Jeddore, forestry manager for the reserve’s Natural Resources Department, the land agreement would encompass more than 200,000 hectares, running from the Gander River to Through Hill, the west country of central Newfoundland.
This area has a significant value for the Miawpukek community as trapping grounds, a meeting place for ceremonies, and an area of caribou migration, says Jeddore. From this area the Miawpukek collected food, medicine and tools, he added.
Jeddore said having ownership of the land would continue to provide that support, as it would turn over control of timber to create economic opportunities, while maintaining the province’s goals within the foresty sector.
An agreement would also allow the reserve’s stewardship guardians to patrol the land, making sure provincial, federal and Indigenous laws are being followed.
However, Gerry Byrne, the province’s minster of Fisheries and Land Resources, said a deal is far from done.
Byrne acknowledged discussions have taken place, but told The Central Voice an agreement is still in the preliminary stages.
The biggest concern that needs to be addressed, he said, is how it might impact softwood lumber tariffs on exports to the United States.
Currently, Newfoundland and Labrador can export softwood lumber to the U.S. tariff free.
Byrne said this is because work surrounding the timber industry, such as road construction and silviculture, is done with public resources on public land.
Turning over the control of land to another entity, he said, may jeopardize that status.
“The U.S Department of Commerce may view a 20-year forest management agreement to be the equivalent of privately-held land,” explained Byrne.
Trading tariff free allows Newfoundland and Labrador to be competitive in the softwood market, he said, noting 20 per cent of the province’s lumber is exported to the United States.
The province is interested in pursuing opportunities with the Miawpukek, said Byrne, but the right approach is needed.
“There’s a lot of work to do, and we are anxious to do it, but we are not in a position where a decision will be coming in the immediate near future,” he said.
“We have to be very, very, careful in anything that we do when it comes to our lumber industry to avoid putting ourselves in a situation where we create an environment where the U.S. Department of Commerce says we are now subject to tax.”
