First Nations Concerned about the Speed of Northeast Development

Fort St John – At the invitation of the BC Oil and Gas Commission, First Nations’ leadership, staff and advisors from eight communities in Northeast BC came together to discuss BC’s proposed cumulative effects assessment initiative.
Representatives of the Oil and Gas Commission and the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations outlined a process, approach and concepts related to the initiative, including the Liard Basin Area-Based Analysis and a Northeast Region Cumulative Effects Assessment Demonstration Project.
First Nations representatives raised serious concerns regarding the intensity of existing and proposed development in their respective territories and welcomed a cumulative effects assessment initiative in Northeast BC, stating that they have been advocating for such an initiative for several years.
First Nations representatives also expressed expectations that First Nations would be full partners in the development and implementation of a northeast cumulative effects assessment initiative that would result in thresholds for industrial activity, protected areas, and the integration of indigenous and scientific knowledge and values in land use management.
Lana Lowe, Lands Director for the Fort Nelson First Nation, says, “Cumulative effects assessment is a fundamental tool for responsible land and resource management and we expect to be fully involved in any northeast cumulative effects assessment initiative from its design through to its implementation and application in our territory.”

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