{"id":87448,"date":"2023-04-26T16:19:00","date_gmt":"2023-04-26T20:19:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsroom.carleton.ca\/?post_type=cu_story&p=87448"},"modified":"2025-08-19T09:37:06","modified_gmt":"2025-08-19T13:37:06","slug":"new-agreements-first-nations-bc-government","status":"publish","type":"cu_story","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/story\/new-agreements-first-nations-bc-government\/","title":{"rendered":"New agreements between First Nations and B.C. government a step toward fulfilling Canada’s treaty\u00a0obligations"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n
\n\n \n \n \n \n
\n\n
<\/div>\n \n
\n
\n\n

\n New agreements between First Nations and B.C. government a step toward fulfilling Canada's treaty\u00a0obligations\n <\/h1>\n \n <\/header>\n <\/div>\n\n \n <\/path>\n <\/path>\n <\/svg>\n <\/div>\n\n \n\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n

This article is republished<\/a> from The Conversation under a Creative Commons licence. All photos provided by The Conversation<\/a> from various sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Treaty 8 First Nations<\/a> and the government of British Columbia have recently concluded two historical agreements on Treaty Land Entitlement<\/a> and land and resource management<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These agreements are expected to better honour the provincial government\u2019s treaty obligations, significantly change how land is managed and how natural resources are developed in the First Nations\u2019 traditional territories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yahey v. British Columbia<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The agreements were signed in January as a result of the verdict of the Yahey v. B.C.<\/em> case<\/a>. In 2015, Blueberry River First Nation sued the B.C. government for failing to adequately address the effects of industrial development in the nation\u2019s traditional territory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oil and gas extraction, logging, mining, construction of hydroelectric power plants, roads and pipelines and other disturbances have had a detrimental impact on the land, ecosystem and the ability of Indigenous people to live their daily lives and maintain their cultural practices<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Treaty 8 encompasses an area of more than 841,000 square kilometres. It comprises parts of northeastern British Columbia, northern Alberta and portions of Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories. It is the largest land area covered by a treaty in Canada<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/a>
A map of Western Canada showing the area of Treaty 8 shaded in green.<\/span>
\n(Native Land Digital)<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Treaty 8 created reciprocal rights and obligations, which the province violated by allowing industrial development without seeking the Nations\u2019 approval. In 2021, the B.C. Supreme Court sided with Blueberry River First Nation<\/a>, saying that by authorizing industrial development, the province breached its treaty obligation to the First Nation and failed to ensure that they could keep living according to their traditional mode of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Restoration fund<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The new agreement signed with Blueberry River First Nation<\/a> provides economic compensation for land restoration activities. A $200 million restoration fund is to be established by June 2025 to support land restoration efforts after decades of industrial exploitation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moreover, the agreement provides for an ecosystem-based management approach<\/a> for future land-use planning in Blueberry River First Nation\u2019s most culturally relevant areas, and also limits new oil and gas development projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/a>
Marc Miller, the federal minister of Crown-Indigenous relations, says the Canadian government has disrespected the First Nations for 100 years.<\/span>
\nTHE CANADIAN PRESS\/Adrian Wyld<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The individual agreements<\/a> signed with other Treaty 8 First Nations<\/a> share the same commitments. The province and First Nations agree to work together to honour Treaty 8, heal the land and ensure certainty for natural resource development in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Honouring Treaty 8 is at the core of another historical agreement<\/a> recently concluded by the federal government and five Treaty 8 First Nations: Blueberry River, Doig River, Halfway River, West Moberly and Saulteau.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Treaty Land Entitlement<\/a> agreement solves a long-lasting claim on lands that were not assigned to First Nations when they signed Treaty 8 in 1899<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It gives back<\/a> 443 square kilometres of land to five Treaty 8 Nations while ensuring a $800 million payment from the federal government. Marc Miller, the federal minister of Crown-Indigenous relations, called the payment<\/a> \u201ca bill that has gone unpaid for more than 100 years by the government of Canada.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Resource exploitation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Northeastern B.C. is expected to experience a significant boom in resource exploitation activities in the near future due to the abundance of gas in the Montney Play<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Montney Play is one of the biggest shale gas formations in Canada and a large portion of the traditional territory of the Blueberry and Doig River First Nations is located in the Montney Play<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n