The Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council would like to thank CUPE 118 for its generous contribution of $1,000 to the Elk slaughter reward for information that will lead to the arrest and prosecution of the person or persons responsible for the illegal and unjustified Elk kills in Nuu-chah-nulth territories.
CUPE 118, which represents City of Port Alberni employees, Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District employees and Tofino and Ucluelet municipal employees, presented a cheque to NTC President Debra Foxcroft and NTC Vice-President Ken Watts March 25 on Tseshaht Territory, where the remains of many of the slaughtered elk were found.
“We want to thank the members of CUPE 118 for their generous donation towards the NTC Elk reward initiative,” said President Foxcroft. “We are honored to accept your support. It means a lot to us. We are confident that with this ongoing support from the local communities and our Nations, with all of us coming together in partnership on this important and common issue, that we will come to a positive outcome to resolve this by a getting a conviction for the senseless slaying of Elk . Together we can work to protect one of our most precious resources for now and for our future generations. Kleco, Kleco.”
Second Vice President for CUPE 118 Ryan Foster said one of the union’s members had brought the issue forward at a recent meeting, and after discussion, it was decided that the initiative to bring the person or persons responsible for the Elk slaughters to justice was an important thing to throw their support behind.
“We have members that hunt and fish and enjoy the outdoors. This is something that affects all of us and our enjoyment of that,” said Foster. “Hopefully we can bring those that are responsible to task for their actions. Unfortunately, the Elk herd was at the point where we could have possibly taken one or two, and now that looks like something that’s not going to be possible for quite some time. It’s a shame, really,” said Foster.
This brings the total for the reward to $32,000, one of the highest Conservation rewards in Canada. The 14 Nuu-chah-nulth Nations committed an initial $25,000 on Dec. 3, 2013. On Jan. 14, the Coastal British Columbia Guide Outfitters Association committed an additional $5,000 to the reward, and Port Alberni business Pearson Kal Tire committed an additional $1,000.
“We are truly honoured to see both businesses, citizens, non-aboriginal people and union members standing with Nuu-chah-nulth in the protection of wildlife within the hahoulthee (territories),” said NTC Vice-President Watts. “We would like to thank CUPE 118 for their support and we hope that this contribution will raise awareness and lead to the arrest and conviction of anyone who has slaughtered any of these Elk.”
The Nuu-chah-nulth Nations are committed to protecting and conserving the wildlife and fisheries resources in their territories. They are committed to working with BC Conservation officers to apprehend and prosecute the individual or individuals responsible for these illegal and unauthorized Elk kills. Further, Nuu-chah-nulth First Nations are committed to building a partnership and collaborative working relationship with the BC Conservation Service.
The illegal slaughter of Elk bothers people, said Foster. “Everybody I know likes to do things right and play within the rules and when you see somebody who goes out and does something like that, it frustrates you.”
The directors of the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council met recently to discuss the reward and have determined to extend, not only the deadline indefinitely but also increase the area covered to all the territories of the Nuu-chah-nulth Nations. Much information has been provided to the Conservation Officers Service and they continue their various investigations.
People with any information are encouraged to contact the Report All Poachers and Polluters Tip Line at 1-877-952-RAPP (7277)
A volunteer NTC Wildlife Rewards Committee is being established. A duty of this committee will be to develop a Terms of Reference and Policy for the distribution of the reward(s).
For more information about this release, please contact Ken Watts, NTC Vice President at 250-724-5757.
