B.C., Halfway River First Nation take steps to heal land, balance industry interests
The Province and Halfway River First Nation are taking key actions together to protect the Nation’s Treaty 8 rights, heal the land and create more predictability for everyone in northeastern B.C. who relies on resource-industry jobs to support their lives and families.
The Province and Halfway River are moving forward with implementing a landscape planning pilot to protect Treaty 8 rights, and support restoration and land-protection measures as well as sustainable development in northeastern B.C. In addition, B.C. is entering into an agreement with Halfway River to direct award a petroleum and natural gas tenure to the Nation.
“We are working collaboratively to make land, water and resource stewardship decisions and provide industry with greater predictability on where development can and can’t occur,” said Josie Osborne, Minister of Energy, Mines and Low Carbon Innovation. “We will continue work with the community to bring good jobs and build a stronger future for everyone in the region.”
The landscape planning pilot is the first development plan completed under the consensus document and letter of agreement signed between the Province and Halfway River First Nation in January 2023. It will promote and support Halfway River to pilot new operational measures to mitigate the impacts of development on the Nation’s Treaty 8 rights. It also helps the Province and Nation better manage potential cumulative effects of new development, while prioritizing the Nation’s key values, including spiritual places, connectivity, resilient landscapes, camping places, water, and food and medicine.
“The tenure award and landscape planning pilot will help to ensure that oil and gas development in these areas is sustainable and managed in accordance with the values of the Halfway River First Nation,” said Chief Darlene Hunter, Halfway River First Nation. “We look forward to our continued collaboration with industry and government on development activities within Halfway River First Nation territory, which has the potential to bring long-term benefits to our Nation.”
The new rules improve predictability for industry and demonstrate collaborative progress balancing economic development and Treaty 8 rights. Implementation of the pilot replaces recently introduced petroleum and natural gas disturbance caps, with new measures intended to more effectively address cumulative effects including:
- avoidance of direct effects, like vegetation clearing, and indirect effects, like sensory intrusion on spiritual places, trapping cabins and cultural camping spots;
- reduction in additional linear disturbance, like access or utility routes for exploration and development;
- routing linear infrastructure to avoid sensitive ecosystems and habitat features;
- air quality monitoring; and
- adherence to water use and quality maintenance in accordance with regulatory requirements and permit conditions.
“Congratulations to Halfway River First Nation and the Government of British Columbia on achieving this important milestone. We are proud to participate in the landscape planning pilot through our Attachie project and advance responsible energy development in B.C.,” said Terry Anderson, president and chief executive officer, ARC Resources Ltd. “Through long-term partnership and collaboration, we will continue to invest in the region, respect treaty rights, and support economic prosperity for First Nations and the province.”
The direct award of petroleum and natural gas tenure to Halfway River is a first-of-its-kind initiative that gives the Nation the right to determine how best to explore for and produce petroleum and natural gas resources in the tenure area, which covers approximately 34,000 hectares of Halfway River territory. The tenure agreement enables the Nation to maintain greater care and control of potential development in the tenure area, ensuring the protection of the Nation’s Treaty 8 rights and reducing the cumulative effects of development.
The direct award tenure is a commitment first contemplated in a 2017 government-to-government agreement signed by the Province and Halfway River, and reaffirmed in January 2023 under a signed letter of agreement and consensus agreement between the two parties.
Learn More:
To know more about the 2023 letter of agreement, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/environment/natural-resource-stewardship/consulting-with-first-nations/agreements/hrfn_-_letter_of_agreement_20230306.pdf