Tag Archives: UNDRIP

Indigenous Nations, Industry

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

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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

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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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Family, Indigenous Nations

Indigenous couple fights for the return of their newborn daughter, taken by MCFD

By Anna McKenzie,  The Discourse, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter.

Every day for more than a month, Sonja Hathaway sat with her newborn baby Amella in the hospital, speaking to the infant in her Dene language. 

Despite the feelings of being watched, Sonja and her husband Philip diligently spent time at the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at the Victoria General Hospital to feed and care for their daughter. 

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Parks

‘A huge achievement’: Vision for vast network of West Coast marine protected areas unveiled at last

National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The blueprint for a vast network of marine protected areas across the northern third of Canada’s West Coast is being unveiled after more than a decade of work.  

A group of 17 coastal First Nations and the Canadian and B.C. governments have crafted a draft action plan for the BC Northern Shelf MPA Network — covering 100,000-square-kilometres of ocean — and released it for public input Thursday. 

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Community, Indigenous Nations

Jody Wilson-Raybould awarded Order of B.C. for being ‘a force for change’

National Observer, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Jody Wilson-Raybould is among 14 outstanding British Columbians awarded the province’s highest honour on Monday for exceptional contributions to society. 

The Order of British Columbia is often granted in the twilight of an illustrious career, but Wilson-Raybould, Canada’s first federal Indigenous justice minister and twice-elected regional chief of the BC Assembly of First Nations, is just hitting her stride as she continues to be a force for reconciliation in Canada. 

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