The Cariboo Regional District (CRD) saw success at the North Central Local Government Association’s (NCLGA) Conference and AGM with two successful resolutions. The resolutions deal with the effects of treaties on Crown tenure and license holders, and the second addresses consultation with local governments for industrial projects.
The first resolution submitted by the CRD, highlights the potential impacts of treaties on Crown tenure and license holders. Currently the governments of British Columbia and Canada are in the process of negotiating treaties with First Nations in British Columbia. The resolution calls for the NCLGA to lobby treaty negotiators and the provincial and federal governments to increase transparency in negotiations and provide meaningful consultation with all affected third parties. It also calls for a minimization on the impact to those third parties related to water rights, and all tenures on Crown land as well as compensation to impacted third parties.
The second resolution deals with the consultation with local governments for industrial projects within their respective jurisdictions. Currently, the provincial legislation requires consultation with potentially affected First Nations as part of the permitting process for resource extraction and other industrial projects. However, there is no such requirement for adjacent communities and local governments to be consulted. The resolution requests that the NCLGA and Union of British Columbia Municipalities lobby the provincial government to implement regulatory requirements for local communities (rural or municipal), and for local governments to be consulted in the permitting process, at the same level as First Nations, in all aspects of the potential impact. Consideration must include environment discharge; water, air and noise impacts; social and economic impacts; emergency preparedness and response plans; communication plans as well as reclamation and closure plans.
Both resolutions will now be taken to the resolution floor at the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) Conference and AGM, September 26-30, 2016 in Victoria.
During the NCLGA Conference, the Cariboo Chilcotin Regional Hospital District also took the opportunity to meet with the Northern Health Authority to be updated on the capital projects underway or being considered within the North Cariboo.
The NCLGA conference and AGM took place from Wednesday, May 4 through to Friday, May 6 in Dawson Creek, B.C. More information about the event can be found online at nclga.ca
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