The "transfer agreement" Friday is simply a document that lays out how the 16 East Side First Nations --incorporated as the Wabanong Nakaygum Okimawin (translation: East Side of the Lake Governance) -- will get $2.5 million over five years to support a bunch of reasonable activities with the exception, perhaps, of the odd inclusion of "club memberships."

What does #22 tell us? First thing on the first page it tells us that "New development in the East Side will proceed only with the consent of affected First Nations" or First Nations that "may be affected."

The draft protocol takes that imperative and turns it on its head, declaring that any development proponent should not bother seeking a licence from the province for such operations as forestry, mining, tourism, recreation, camps, lodges, cottages, transportation, Hydro lines or trap lines until is has the agreement and "consent" of any "affected" First Nations.