It has often been said that water is the life blood of humans. Therefore, it is little wonder that anxiety over water levels in the Qu'Appelle Valley are a source of growing concern between Indian bands, the federal government, the province, and cottage owners at Crooked, Echo, Pasqua and Round lakes.

On May 10, 2003, the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority alerted cottage owners, recreational boaters and other residents of the Qu'Appelle Valley that they may experience lower than usual water levels because of a dispute over responsibility for paying compensation to Indian bands for the use of water control devices that create flooding on Indian land in the area. The public was further informed that water supply intakes for cottages and farms may become unusable and the low water levels may also create water quality problems.

For more than 60 years, the water level of these lakes has been systematically controlled. In 1942, the federal government installed water control devices as part of their Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration (PFRA) program to regulate water levels. Regrettably, the> installation and use of the devices flooded adjacent Indian lands.

In keeping with the times, the federal government did not consult with the impacted Indian bands. And while, the PFRA did agree to compensate the impacted Indian bands, compensation was never paid. This led to the creation in 1979, of the Qu'Appelle Valley Indian Development Authority (QVIDA).

The QVIDA took their claim for past and future compensation to the Indian Claims Commission (ICC). In 1998 the ICC ruled in the QVIDA's favour, on the basis that the flooding of their land was considered an illegal trespass and ruled the federal government must pay compensation. ICC also ruled the federal government was responsible to pay any additional compensation to the Indian bands should flooding continue.

The federal government paid some of the compensation and entered into discussion with the Indian bands to determine compensation for future flooding. The Indian bands offered the feds a Treaty Water Resource Permission Licence - access for the right to flood Indian land from April 2002 to April 2003 - for a price of $12-million. The federal government refused to pay this amount and talks broke down.

Due to the stalled negotiations cottage owners and area community members are essentially held hostage. Although the Indians may have cause for demanding $12-million to continually flood their land, it is their neighbours who must bear most of the burden and suffer the consequences for the ongoing delays.

The federal government is now insisting that the Saskatchewan government get involved in the dispute. But what the federal government really wants is for Saskatchewan taxpayers to share in the $12-million Treaty Water Resource Permission Licence. Luckily, the provincial government is standing firm in its position that this dispute is between the Indian bands and the federal government and that Saskatchewan has not been part of the negotiations to date, and nor does it intend to become involved.

It appears the federal government is shrinking from their responsibility and looking at the Saskatchewan government - a.k.a the Saskatchewan taxpayers - to cough up some money to settle this dispute. The bottom line is that cottage owners, the Indian bands, and now the province of Saskatchewan are all victims of 60 years of bumbling incompetence on the part of the federal government.

This issue is entirely between the Indian bands affected and the federal government. This is one bill the taxpayers of Saskatchewan should not be pressured into paying. Sorry Ottawa, the bill's all yours.