Raven's Eye

The Splatsin First Nation near Enderby will share revenues from the Cranberry Creek hydroelectric project, located 25 km south of Revelstoke, thanks to a new agreement with the province. “The Cranberry Creek area is of high cultural value to Splatsin and the Secwepemc Nation,” said Wayne Christian, chief of Splatsin. “This agreement confirms our interests in the resources of the area. We…

Three days after the federal government granted approval to the $7-billion Enbridge Northern Gateway oil sands pipeline, a group of women in Gitgaat First Nation held the first — albeit symbolic — blockade of the controversial project.

It is no doubt the first of many to come, as opposition continues amongst many First Nations in the province, who say they will never back down and allow…

The First Nations Panorama Implementation Project team in BC has won a national eHealth award for ground-breaking work creating new pathways to technology and access to better health services for First Nations in the province. The Innovation in Adoption of Health Informatics award was given to the Panorama team at the 2014 COACH eHealth Conference Informatics Awards Gala. BC First Nations…

The Nak’azdli Band at Fort St. James celebrated the completion of the Nak’al Bun (K-7) Elementary School June 13. About 150 students from kindergarten to Grade 7 will have access to a school that features a dedicated cultural room, an industrial kitchen and educational garden filled with traditional medicinal plants. Investments also modernize the facility through sustainable technology, such…

On June 5, the Federal Court of Appeal dismissed Canada’s challenge of a decision by the Specific Claims Tribunal that the Kitselas First Nation had validly established that the Crown breached its legal obligation as a result of the non-inclusion of a 10.5 acre parcel of land in a reserve initially identified in 1891. Canada applied for the judicial review on March 21, 2013 when the Tribunal…

British Columbia is home to 203 unique First Nations and 34 languages with 61 dialects and is known as a “hot spot” by language experts, an epicentre of staggering linguistic diversity.
The Royal BC Museum and the First Peoples’ Cultural Council celebrate this fact with a feature exhibition, Our Living Languages: First Peoples’ Voices in BC, opening on June 21 for a three-year engagement…

Haisla Nation Chief Councillor Ellis Ross and Kitimat Mayor Joanne Monaghan celebrated a recent land sale as a step forward for the Kitimat region, the Haisla Nation and the province.
   
The sale of the former District of Kitimat hospital lands by the Province to the Haisla Nation significantly enhances the relationship between the three governments, and will enable new economic…

Aboriginal Tourism BC (AtBC) has launched a full-service travel agency dedicated to the business and leisure needs of companies, First Nations bands, organizations and individuals throughout Canada. Developed as a social enterprise, Aboriginal Travel Services will use the latest technology, including a comprehensive online booking platform, that will provide the best rates with airlines,…

The Gitxsan hereditary chiefs have set a deadline
of June 21 for the governments of Canada and British Columbia to withdraw offers of land and rights claimed by Gitxsan to the Kitselas and Kitsumkalum. The hereditary chiefs will stop discussions on proposed pipeline development if the Crown chooses to ignore this deadline, reads a press release. Agreements in Principle signed last spring…

The First Nations Education Steering Committee
is “deeply disappointed” that Bill C-33, the so-called First Nations Control of First Nations Education Act, is an updated version of the October 2013 proposal for legislation that was resoundingly rejected by First Nations. Tyrone McNeil, president of FNESC, said “Bill C-33 will effectively displace our BC First Nations Education System…

British Columbia rescinded an Order in Council after
First Nations reacted with anger. The Order would have removed regulations requiring environmental assessments for natural gas developments, ski resorts and year-round resorts. The decision was made without any consultation with British Columbians, including First Nations. Government and industry officials were asked to leave the Shale…

Replace beads and trinkets with fair offers
and environmental guarantees. That’s the message to governments and multinational corporations from a conference called Value it: Connecting the dots, which will run May 2 and May 3 in Westbank First Nation. The conference is being organized by Indigenous Nations Economies and Trade (INET) in partnership with Grand Chief Ron Derrickson to help…

The Wickaninnish Sand Dunes near Ucluelet in B.C.’s
Pacific Rim National Park Reserve is re-opened after being closed in February 2012 when an unexploded mortar shell from the Second World War II was found. The Department of National Defense believes the risk of additional explosives being uncovered is low, though the site can never be declared hazard-free. DND conducted a geophysical…

North of Powell River, B.C., the ancient village of Tees Kwat may not have been occupied for centuries, but on March 15, Tla’amin (Sliammon) Nation’s original settlement hosted the signing of one of B.C.’s few modern treaties and a journey long in the making for the First Nation.

The final agreement with the province includes provisions for self-government, a decade of annual payments…

An incremental treaty agreement has been signed between the Province and Lake Babine Nation and will support new forestry and eco-tourism opportunities. The agreement supports economic development for the First Nation, but also demonstrates some of the benefits of treaty in advance of a final agreement. The agreement transfers to the Nation four parcels of land that will support opportunities…