Tag Archives: Mineral Tenure Act

Indigenous Nations, Industry

BC at a Crossroads: Indigenous Leaders Defend Declaration Act Amid Mining Shift

By John Wirth, Alberta Native News, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

(ANNews) – Indigenous leaders in British Columbia are calling on the provincial government to stand firm on the Declaration Act following a landmark court ruling and a 45% drop in new mining claims. As the province transitions to a new mineral tenure system in 2026, a debate is erupting over whether Indigenous rights are inflaming economic uncertainty – or curing it.

The tension follows a major December 2025 Court of Appeal ruling in the Gitxaała case. The court confirmed that the Declaration Act is not just a symbolic collection of goals, but a law that applies to all provincial decision-making – including the controversial Mineral Tenure Act (MTA).

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Indigenous Nations

Court decision recognizes UNDRIP as law, but leads province to look at revising legislation

By Nora O’Malley, Ha-Shilth-Sa, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

First Nations in B.C. may be entitled to raise their UNDRIP rights if they are not adequately consulted on natural resource projects within their territory, following a precedent-setting B.C. Court of Appeal decision released on Dec. 5.

Ehattesaht Chief Counsellor Simon John says the court decision “provides important legal recognition of UNDRIP as a tool to help ensure that First Nations’ interests are respected and their role in decision making is realized.” 

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Indigenous Nations, Politics

No ‘Team Canada’ without First Nations land rights, BC leaders say

Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

First Nations leaders say they must be part of “Team Canada” — and decision makers on resource projects — to combat looming U.S. tariffs as they head into a key annual summit with the B.C. government.

Eby’s opening remarks at a press conference for the ninth B.C. Cabinet and First Nations Leaders’ Gathering on Tuesday focused on the province working closely with Indigenous leadership to address challenges, such as housing affordability, the toxic drug crisis, global inflation and the threat of the U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade tariffs. 

However, chiefs with the First Nations Leadership Council made it clear that making headway on rights and title issues, decision-making around resource projects and aligning B.C. laws with the province’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA) were their priorities over the next two days. 

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Indigenous Nations, Industry

Mining companies are snapping up claims to develop Indigenous land. But what happens when a nation doesn’t consent?

By Matteo Cimellaro, Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Reconciliation isn’t the only thing threatened when mining exploration companies fail to get consent from Indigenous nations, says one ethical investor.

Provinces — and the junior mining companies that obtain exploration permits connected to a nation’s ancestral territories — ignore consultation with Indigenous Peoples at their own peril, as the oversight can set the stage for future conflict, court challenges and delays, hampering any future economic development before it begins.

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Indigenous Nations, Industry

First Nation launches court challenge testing B.C.’s legal commitment to recognizing Indigenous rights

By Matteo Cimellaro, Canada’s National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

An online form and $58.75.

That is what it takes to claim a mining stake in the traditional territory of the Gitxaała Nation, according to a written submission to the B.C. Supreme Court. At no point in the process does the mining claim, accessed through a provincial portal, ask the individual or company applying for it to consult with the nation. 

For this reason, the Gitxaała Nation is challenging B.C.’s Mineral Tenure Act in a case that will test whether the province’s legal commitment to recognizing the rights of Indigenous Peoples has the teeth to change laws. 

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