B.C. signs ‘historic’ deal with Blueberry River First Nations

A B.C. First Nation and provincial government have signed what's being called a historic agreement towards jointly managing land, water and resource development.

A B.C. First Nation and provincial government have signed what’s being called a historic agreement towards jointly managing land, water and resource development.

The agreement, signed Wednesday with the Blueberry River First Nations in northeastern B.C., includes a $200-million restoration fund and timelines for plans to manage watersheds and oil and gas activities in parts of the First Nations’ claim area, which covers four per cent of the province.

The deal comes after a 2021 B.C. Supreme Court decision found the provincial government breached obligations under Treaty 8, signed by the Blueberry River First Nations in 1900, because it allowed development such as forestry and natural gas extraction without the community’s approval.

The court heard more than 84 per cent of the nation’s territory is within 500 metres of an industrial disturbance.

Under the new agreement, the two sides will spend the next three years creating four Watershed Management Basin plans for all natural resource sector activities in areas considered the most important to the nation.

The plans will set out old-growth forest levels, reserves, and “promote sustainable economies and resilient communities,” the government says.

In the next 18 months, they’ll also come up with three plans for oil and gas development in the area.

In the meantime, the two sides have agreed to a timber harvesting schedule outside core areas, and are limiting new land disturbances caused by oil and gas development to 750 hectares annually.