Understanding the Tsilhqot’in Decision

Community Forest managers and Woodlot licensees met Dec. 10th  in locations across the province to hear from MFLNRO about about the complexity and possible impacts of the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) Tsilhqot’in decision on small tenures.

Neil Edwards gave a presentation which set out the process that government is developing to respond to the ruling and to keep the business of forestry going in BC.  Link to the presentation  A Q&A session followed. MFLNRO has committed to responding to all questions, to distribution of answers and to another meeting in the same format in April. Submit your questions using this form. Neil Edwards has also sent a follow up message for the BCCFA link to the letter

The SCC decision does not decide land claims or assertions of title by other Bands & First Nations (FN), but rather supports consideration of their claim to land title. Government’s first step is to understand the Strength of Claim (SoC) of FNs across the province.  The Province’s preference is to negotiate, not litigate, SoC.

Again, we encourage all CFAs to engage with their local FN to understand their interests on the CFA land base. Clarification will take time and no doubt further court cases, yet as one CFA manager was heard to say – I have been reading in your newsletter that the Tsilhqot’in decision was big. Now I get how big it really is.

A Panel Discussion on the Tsilhqot’in Decision
An important and valuable tool in understanding the history and implications of the Supreme Court of Canada Tsilhqot’in decision is this November 18, 2014 panel presentation co-hosted by the UBC Faculty of Forestry and FP Innovations. The panel includes:
Chief Roger William, Tsilhqot’in Nation
Tim Ryan, RPF, Chair, Forest Practices Board
Tim Sheldan, RFT, Deputy Minister, MFLNRO
Doug White III, LLB, Interim Director of Centre for Pre-Confederation Treaties and Reconciliation, VI University

     Link to the video presentation with slides  or  Watch the presentation on YouTube