Three communities of the Northern Shuswap Tribal Council and its NStQ Treaty Group voted yes Feb. 11 to continue negotiations based on their Agreement in Principle.

Canim Lake, Soda Creek and Canoe Creek/Dog Creek voted in support of moving to Stage 5, the Final Agreement, in negotiations.

“The results of this important vote show that the BC treaty negotiation process is working, and supports First Nations governance and self-determination,” said Commissioner Jerry Lampert.

Musqueam, Squamish and Tseil-Waututh First Nations have signaled their intention to purchase a 38.8-acre parcel of land in West Point Grey. The lands consist of two parcels totaling 38.8 acres, which are owned by the province. Another 52 acres, known as the Jericho lands, were recently transferred from the federal government to the three First Nations and the Canada Lands Corporation.

The B.C. government and service Employees’ Union signed a solidarity accord Feb. 4, which commits its opposition to pipelines running through 130 First Nations’ territories. Representing thousands of employees, the union affirms its support of the Save the Fraser declaration, which bans Northern Gateway or other similar pipeline projects from crossing the territories of signatory nations. The accord, said the union, was years in the making.

Kwikwetlem First Nation has filed an Aboriginal title and rights and Charter claim with the B.C. Supreme Court in an effort to ensure its title and rights over key areas in its traditional territory.

Kwikwetlem has traditional territory around the watershed of the Coquitlam River, which the Nation says has seen significant development over many years, with no end in sight.

Sipekne’katik First Nation has filed an appeal with Nova Scotia’s Minister of Environment claiming the province “failed to accommodate and engage in deep and meaningful consultation” before granting industrial approval to AltaGas Ltd. for the operation of the Alton natural gas storage pond project in Sipekne’katik traditional territory.

“There was consultation, but with a very narrow focus,” said Jennifer Copage, Sipekne’katik consultation coordinator.

John Joe Sark, a member of the Mi’kmaq Nation traditional government, is petitioning the federal government to change the name of the Port-la-Joye—Fort Amherst historic site near Charlottetown, saying it’s an insult that a national park in Prince Edward Island is named for a military general who wanted to kill Aboriginal people with smallpox. Sark wants the name of General Jeffery Amherst removed from the park name, reports the Canadian Press. Amherst’s goal was to eradicate Aboriginal peoples. He supported using blankets infected with smallpox to kill them.

Internal government documents show that it will cost $2 billion to eliminate mould and chronic overcrowding on reserves in Manitoba, about 13 times more than the $150 million the federal government promised for all First Nations across Canada this year, reports the Canadian Press.

Reports from Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada, obtained under access-to-information legislation, say the housing situation in Manitoba has worsened as infrastructure funding has been redirected to other areas.

Manitoba will change how it publicly reports the number of children in its care by excluding those who are voluntarily transferred by their guardians. More than 10,000 children are currently reported, but about 700 will be discounted once the voluntary placements are removed from the publicly-reported numbers. Other provinces don’t count their voluntary placements, which include children under customary care legislation placed with family members in First Nations communities.

People involved in Voices of the North, Northern Spirits and their friends, gathered at St. Albans Church in Prince Albert Feb. 13 to record a professional version of “Lean on Me”, dedicated to the Saskatchewan community of La Loche after the community suffered a mass shooting that killed four people and injured many others. About 40 to 50 people worked with a six-person production crew. The project is meant to keep the needs of La Loche in people’s mind for years to come.

The island community of Beausoleil First Nation in Georgian Bay, Ont. says its ferry is on its last legs. The ferry, the only access to the mainland, makes the hour-long round trip to Christian Island 14 times a day, every day, allowing people to access goods and services, as well as medical appointments. Chief Roland Monague says the 65-year-old vessel, the M.V. Sandy Graham, is no longer safe and a replacement is needed. It was purchased by the government in 1998 as an interim measure, reported the Toronto Star.