Above photo: JM Photography, Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation Chief Allan Adam has yet to back down in his fight to draw a “line in the sand” blocking oilsands development from moving north into his territory.
There’s really only one word that can accurately describe the seemingly endless capacity for struggle embodied by Chief Allan Adam of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation:
Relentless.
Despite a largely fruitless 2012 pursuing battle after battle in the courts, at negotiating tables and public hearings, the leader of the northern Alberta First Nation pulled zero punches in 2013 in attempting to draw ACFN’s proclaimed “line in the sand” in an attempt to halt oilsands expansion on the First Nation’s traditional territory north of the Firebag River.
Not oblivious to the power of the giant industry they are up against, Adam and ACFN’s council have nevertheless become the thorn in the side of not only every major industry player in the oilsands region – most notably Shell – but all levels of government, with their unceasing demand for Crown-obligated consultation and respect for Treaty and Aboriginal rights.
The David-vs.-Goliath epic continued all through last year, with just as many frustrations as the year before. Unrelenting attempts to stop Shell’s now-approved Jackpine Mine expansion were blocked at every junction. Exploratory drilling went ahead without review. A suspected oil spill and a disastrous coal tailings spill on the Athabasca River received an infuriating lack of response by the Alberta government that ignored ACFN’s demands for consultation.
But while 2013 sang several defeats for the First Nation, there were just as many small successes, not the least of which included a rise in international profile achieved by the Fort Chipewyan First Nation’s increasingly vocalized struggle.
Legendary rocker Neil Young launches his sold-out “Honour the Treaties” tour this month, giving 100 per cent of ticket sales to ACFN’s legal fund and, perhaps more importantly, calling attention to what he sees as an injustice being done to Alberta’s indigenous peoples.
Every blocked avenue seems to draw a stronger stance and more fervent message from ACFN’s leadership, and that resolve is likely to only be further strengthened as high-profile celebrities buddy up with the First Nation, offering their support.
Though the struggles are just as numerous, the stakes just as high and Goliath just as gigantic, the New Year for Adam is kicking off not with a court defeat but a party in 2014. It could just be a change in perspective, but as the chief has proven, attitude is everything.