8th Fire

Whose Land Is It Anyway? (1x3)

: 20, 2012

There's no getting around it. Land is the biggest sticking point in the relationship between Aboriginal peoples in Canada and the "settler" population. Who owns it, benefits from it, gets to say when, if and how it gets developed? These questions are all the more crucial because the lands in dispute sit on a treasure-trove of resources, which the world is eager to buy from Canada. But don't despair. This episode of 8th FIRE, full of breathtaking HD landscapes and compelling characters, explores the creative ways of working this out. Clarence Louie, the dynamic Chief of the Osoyoos Indian Band, is convinced the answer for his people is self-reliance and economic development. And his reserve in BC's gorgeous Okanagan Vally seems to illustrate just that. The band owns the First Nations winery in North America and Nk'Mip Cellar wines have won many international awards. Justin Hall--a young man in the community--has been part of the wine-makers' team since 2010. In Northern Manitoba, the Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation has embarked on a courageous experiment by partnering with Manitoba Hydro, the same company which, just four decades ago, flooded out their ancestral lands. The community believes that the new revenue-sharing agreement embodied in the Wuskwatim hydroelectric project will lead to sustainable economic development. ANCN Chief Jerry Primrose admits that "people expect great things from this project." Will the Wuskwatim dam succeed in meeting their expectations? In Iqaluit, we drop in during the Toonik Time festival. Inuk businessman Harry Flaherty strolls through the crowd, celebrating the onset of spring. He is proud of his people's accomplishments. The Inuit of Nunavut have realized their dream of establishing their own territory. Nunavut is rich in natural resources, but there are many debates about how they are to be administered and used. Harry Flaherty believes that the resources should be developed, but not at any price. In 1975, the James Bay C