Latest news with #TerryTeegee
CBC
3 days ago
- Business
- CBC
Indigenous leader pulls out of B.C. trade mission to Asia over Bills 14, 15
Social Sharing B.C. Premier David Eby said Saturday that he is confident that recent opposition from First Nations to infrastructure fast-track legislation will not affect his ability to attract investment from Asia. Eby's remarks came a day after B.C. Assembly of First Nations Regional Chief Terry Teegee pulled out of the premier's trade mission to East Asia, citing continuing criticism from Indigenous leaders on the passing of Bills 14 and 15, two pieces of legislation aimed at speeding up certain infrastructure projects. Bill 15, the Infrastructure Projects Act, is aimed at fast-tracking public sector projects like schools and hospitals, as well as private projects, such as critical mineral mines, that are deemed provincially significant. Bill 14, the Renewable Energy Projects (Streamlined Permitting) Act, will speed up clean energy projects across the province. Teegee and other First Nations leaders said the bills — which narrowly passed in legislature this week — have inflicted "profound damage" on the province's relationship with Indigenous communities. WATCH | Bill 15 faces backlash: Eby's mining announcement overshadowed by backlash to controversial Bill 15 6 days ago Duration 2:07 Premier David Eby has unveiled his plan to speed up mining development to boost B.C.'s economy. But as Katie DeRosa reports, the announcement was overshadowed by growing opposition to a controversial bill. "While the Premier seeks to strengthen B.C.'s economic relationships in the Indo-Pacific region and promote investment in major natural resource projects, his government has simultaneously undermined the very rights and relationships that are foundations to sustainable economic development in First Nations territories," reads the statement from the B.C. Assembly of First Nations. In a separate statement, Teegee said the passing of the new bills is the direct reason he decided not to join the trade mission. "How can we participate in trade missions to promote resource development when this government has just rammed through legislation that tramples our rights and threatens our territories?" he said. "During uncertain times, it's imperative that First Nations actively shape economic relationships that impact our lands, peoples, and futures." But Eby said he has promised First Nations leaders that his government will ensure "strong Indigenous partnerships" and strong environmental protections despite the bills passing, as long as he is premier. The premier made his comments on the eve of his departure on a 10-day trade mission to Japan, South Korea and Malaysia. "We do have to move faster," he said, citing opening of the Blackwater gold and silver mine Friday as an example of a project that can be completed faster than expected with First Nation partnership is involved. "This is a mine that ordinarily would take four or five years to build," Eby said. "It was completed in 18 months, including a significant transmission line 160-plus kilometres through some pretty challenging terrain, all of it completed in 22 months." Eby said that international investors need to understand that they must have "strong partnerships with Indigenous people [in B.C.]" and high environmental standards in order to see their projects move quickly in the province. "So what we're seeing is nations becoming full economic partners in the projects, proponents of the projects, as well as participating in the oversight to ensure land protection." Eby said the province will work hard to demonstrate its commitment to ensuring Indigenous partnership, and Teegee's withdrawal from the trade mission is a clear sign that more work needs to be done on that front. "Words will not be sufficient," he said. The B.C. delegation to Asia comes amid a continued push to diversify the province's trading partners amid an ongoing trade war with the U.S. due to President Donald Trump's tariff threats. On Friday, Trump threatened to impose 50 per cent tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, posing a major threat to Ontario and Quebec's economies in particular. "The expertise that we have here, the market access and other pieces, mean that as the president ramps up his attack on core industries in Central Canada, it redoubles the importance of what we have to do here in British Columbia to support the national economy," Eby said.
CTV News
3 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Eby heads to Asia on trade mission as Indigenous leader pulls out due to Bills 14, 15
British Columbia Premier David Eby said Saturday that he is confident that recent Indigenous opposition to certain fast-tracking laws will not affect the province's ability to attract investment from Asian trade partners. Eby said that international investors need to realize that they would need 'strong partnerships with Indigenous people' and high environmental standards to have fast-moving projects in B.C. He cited recent provincial work with First Nations in the northwest that outlined not only the limitations but the opportunities available to partner countries — as long as Indigenous consent and environment stewardship are achieved. 'The work that we're doing with Nations, for example, in the northwest involves doing that land use planning, identifying those areas that are no go zones, but also identifying those areas for development where things can move faster,' Eby told reporters. 'So what we're seeing is Nations becoming full economic partners in the projects, proponents of the projects, as well as participating in the oversight to ensure land protection.' The premier made his comments on the eve of his departure on a 10-day trade mission to Japan, South Korea and Malaysia. The remarks also came a day after BC Assembly of First Nations Regional Chief Terry Teegee pulled out of the trade mission, citing continuing criticism from Indigenous leaders on the passing of Bills 14 and 15, two pieces of legislation aimed at speeding up certain projects. Teegee and other First Nations leaders said the bills — which narrowly passed in legislature this week — have inflicted 'profound damage' on the province's relationship with Indigenous communities. 'While the Premier seeks to strengthen B.C.'s economic relationships in the Indo-Pacific region and promote investment in major natural resource projects, his government has simultaneously undermined the very rights and relationships that are foundations to sustainable economic development in First Nations territories,' the statement from the BC Assembly of First Nations. In a separate statement, Teegee said the bills passing was the direct cause of him pulling out of the trade mission. 'How can we participate in trade missions to promote resource development when this government has just rammed through legislation that tramples our rights and threatens our territories?' he said. 'During uncertain times, it's imperative that First Nations actively shape economic relationships that impact our lands, peoples, and futures.' But Eby said he has promised First Nations leaders that his government will ensure 'strong Indigenous partnerships' and strong environmental protections despite the bills passing, as long as he is premier. 'We do have to move faster,' he said, citing opening of the Blackwater gold and silver mine Friday as an example of a project that can be completed faster than expected with First Nation partnership is involved. 'This is a mine that ordinarily would take four or five years to build,' Eby said. 'It was completed in 18 months, including a significant transmission line 160-plus kilometres through some pretty challenging terrain, all of it completed in 22 months.' Eby said the province will work hard to demonstrate its commitment to ensuring Indigenous partnership, and Teegee's withdrawal from the trade mission is a clear sign that more work on that front needs to be done. 'Words will not be sufficient,' he said. This report by Chuck Chiang, The Canadian Press, was first published May 31, 2025.
CTV News
22-05-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
B.C. First Nations fear protests and conflict over fast-track legislation
Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, Regional Chief Terry Teegee, Robert Phillips, and B.C. Premier David Eby, left to right speak during the 2023 B.C. Cabinet and First Nations Leaders' Gathering in Vancouver, on Nov. 2, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns
CBC
27-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
B.C. introduces new mining claims framework to ensure First Nations consultation
British Columbia has introduced a new framework for consultation on mining claims, but the B.C. Assembly of First Nations regional chief says it "does not come close" to the collaborative approach outlined in the province's Indigenous rights law. In an op-ed published by the Vancouver Sun, Terry Teegee says B.C.'s law adopting the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples reflects a "duty to consent," going beyond the duty to consult First Nations on issues affecting their lands, and the new mineral framework represents "a step backward." A statement from B.C.'s Mining Ministry says the changes to the mineral tenure system were required to align with a 2023 B.C. Supreme Court ruling, which established that First Nations must be consulted at the time of claim staking. It marks a shift from the previous practice, when consultation began later, during the permitting phase for exploration. Teegee says the framework means companies can no longer register large swaths of land for mineral exploration and must now notify First Nations and request they respond. He says the shift will result in an influx of mineral applications, overwhelming First Nations offices that often face staffing and other capacity challenges, while providing "limited opportunities" for nations to stop or modify mineral permits. "The framework risks perpetuating business-as-usual practices that exclude First Nations from critical decision-making processes," he says in the op-ed. Under the new Mineral Claims Consultation Framework, the province says individuals with a Free Miner Certificate can apply for a mineral or placer claim by filing out an online application in the Mineral Titles Online system. It says the province will then consult with First Nations, then the chief gold commissioner will determine whether the duty to consult has been met and if the claim should be registered, denied, or registered with accommodations. All pre-existing claims will remain valid, and decisions will be published on the Mineral Titles Online website to ensure transparency, the province says. "Through the (new framework), we are ensuring we address our constitutional obligations, and (are) bringing certainty to the earliest stages of the mineral exploration process," Mining Minister Jagrup Brar says in the news release. "We will continue to monitor and improve the framework to ensure that it is straightforward, fair and results in timely decisions." The case that led to the new framework began in 2021, when the Gitxaala Nation filed a petition challenging the province's online mineral tenure registry, which automatically granted mineral rights on its territory without consultation. The Ehattesaht First Nation filed a similar petition in June 2022, and the B.C. Supreme Court heard the cases together the following year. The court suspended its ruling for 18 months, allowing the province time to make changes to the mineral tenure system. Teegee says in his op-ed that while the province has recognized challenges in the referral process, it has recommitted to a "flawed system ... circumventing the substantive changes necessitated by years of legal battles and the provincial government's spending (of) millions fighting First Nations in court."
CBC
13-03-2025
- Health
- CBC
Calls for government support intensify as 3rd Vancouver Island Indigenous group declares state of emergency
The Homalco First Nation is holding its fourth funeral in six months this week for a young community member who died from a drug overdose. The north Island Nation is the third Indigenous group on Vancouver Island to declare a state of emergency due to the toxic drug crisis. It is joining calls for federal and provincial government leaders to take urgent action and provide resources to help them deal with it. "This crisis is a direct result of the aftermath of residential schools and the lasting generational trauma that continues to devastate Indigenous communities," it said. "The toxic drug epidemic is not just a Homalco issue—it is a direct consequence of colonial policies that fractured families, suppressed culture, and left lasting scars on Indigenous people." In March 2024, the Gwa'Sala-Nakwaxda'xw Nations, two north Island Nations with a population of 1,100, declared a state of emergency following the deaths of 11 members. The Nation said that many died due to drug poisoning and alcohol. The Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council, which represents 14 West Coast nations with about 10,000 members on the island, declared a state of emergency in September due to the mental health and opioid crisis. One of their member communities, the Ahousaht First Nation, had declared a state of emergency two weeks prior to that, following the deaths of two young people within hours of each other in separate incidents. First Nations leader says 'we're in a crisis' Terry Teegee, regional chief of the B.C. Assembly of First Nations, says that 10 years into the toxic drug crisis, not enough co-ordinated, culturally appropriate support or resources have gone to Indigenous communities. Indigenous people, particularly women, make up a disproportionate number of the lives lost to toxic drugs. "I think we're in a crisis state with many First Nations across this province," said Teegee, who blames the generational trauma from residential schools for the depth of the current crisis. "One of the things that we're seeing sadly is almost a whole generation die as a result of the opioid crisis." Homalco Chief Darren Blaney spoke in a video posted to social media announcing the nation's state of emergency. He expressed sadness at the recent deaths of its four young members and said that Homalco leaders would be holding a community dinner on March 14 to discuss plans for addressing the crisis. "It's going to take more than chief and council to help the community to keep the drug dealers out, but also to support people when they're trying to sober up," he said in the video. "We need to have our young people be able to realize all of their potential." The leadership of the Homalco Nation and the First Nations Health Authority were not immediately available for an interview when contacted by CBC. Blaney called on the province to engage with the Homalco and other nations who have declared a state of emergency to come up with immediate long-term solutions through a government-to-government process. The CBC did not receive an immediate response from the province when asked for a comment. Blaney says he hopes to receive more funding to build a trauma centre to help prevent future deaths.
