I'd say he's done very well!!They are he richest province in Canada. No taxes there huh. Just think if we didn't have to sucker down to the indians, we could get at our oil too!! Wouldn't that be nice? How does he get past the guilt trip of having to bow to the indians??
money | 03.05.06 - 1:23 am | #

Money,

You may want to re-read your post and reconsider what you are saying. Just because you are online doesn't mean you should write blindly, imagine that everything you write online is going to be read at school to your kids!!!!!

As for your point, offshore oil development was delayed primarily due to environmental fears not concerns about aboriginal title. The extraction/transportation technology when the ban was put in place was in its infancy and given the incredibly harsh sea conditions in the area it was probably a good idea that they delayed development. Now that the British/Norwegians have made the mistakes and perfected the technologies in the North Sea it makes sense to try again.

As for aboriginal claims to resource rights, certainly the Haida will make a claim for the offshore oil rights but in a treaty sense they are unlikely to win as it is a resource that post-dates their ancestral claims and their verbal hsitory does not appear to have an indication that they used the resource.
Blair | 03.06.06 - 8:39 am | #

The Haida will not just cave in on this issue Blair, and time is money.

There are some pretty tricky ways now of drilling in heavy seas as well. The North Sea is pretty scarey. Also some well site prospects are more sheltered than others.

At the rate progress is being made, the value of oil might simple tail off before drilling begins. Just as well perhaps.
methinks | 03.07.06 - 11:55 pm | #