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Hamilton Spectator
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
B.C. First Nations fear protests and conflict over fast-track legislation
First Nations leaders in British Columbia say proposed legislation to fast-track resource projects will likely lead to protests and litigation should the provincial government push the law through. Robert Phillips with the First Nations Summit says the B.C. government's proposed legislation, known as Bill 15, to approve infrastructure projects more quickly was done unilaterally, causing frustration and upset among First Nations leadership. He says there will be conflict, litigation and protests if the B.C. NDP fails to 'kill the bill' without engaging with First Nations on potential amendments. Phillips and other First Nations representatives and municipal leaders spoke at a joint news conference to outline opposition to the legislation, which Premier David Eby says is needed to combat the threat of tariffs imposed by the United States under President Donald Trump. Phillips says First Nations chiefs feel 'betrayed' by the province for trying to push through the laws without proper consultation, calling it a regressive step on the road to reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples. First Nations and the Union of B.C. Municipalities are calling on Eby's government to abandon the bill as written and commit to consultation to conform to obligations under the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 22, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
B.C. First Nations fear protests and conflict over fast-track legislation
First Nations leaders in British Columbia say proposed legislation to fast-track resource projects will likely lead to protests and litigation should the provincial government push the law through. Robert Phillips with the First Nations Summit says the B.C. government's proposed legislation, known as Bill 15, to approve infrastructure projects more quickly was done unilaterally, causing frustration and upset among First Nations leadership. He says there will be conflict, litigation and protests if the B.C. NDP fails to 'kill the bill' without engaging with First Nations on potential amendments. Phillips and other First Nations representatives and municipal leaders spoke at a joint news conference to outline opposition to the legislation, which Premier David Eby says is needed to combat the threat of tariffs imposed by the United States under President Donald Trump. Phillips says First Nations chiefs feel 'betrayed' by the province for trying to push through the laws without proper consultation, calling it a regressive step on the road to reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. First Nations and the Union of B.C. Municipalities are calling on Eby's government to abandon the bill as written and commit to consultation to conform to obligations under the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 22, 2025.
Winnipeg Free Press
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
B.C. municipalities join First Nations in criticism of tariff bills
VICTORIA – Municipal leaders from across British Columbia have joined First Nations to ask the provincial government to withdraw or delay proposed legislation to fast-track major projects in response to U.S. tariffs. But the president of the Union of B.C. Municipalities says there's no sign the government is changing course, after Infrastructure Minister Bowinn Ma fronted an online meeting last Friday with more than 120 local officials. Union president Trish Mandewo says members want the bill delayed until proper consultation can take place or 'cancelled altogether.' That echoes the concerns of First Nations leaders who met Premier David Eby last Thursday and said they were deeply disappointed by the government's refusal to withdraw the proposed legislation, which they described as unilateralism. Mandewo says local officials' response to their own meeting with Ma, which was also attended by parliamentary secretary for transit George Anderson, was the same as the First Nations leaders. The government's Bill 15 would accelerate public and private infrastructure projects, while Bill 14 is aimed at streamlining permitting for renewable energy projects. Mandewo says the government 'is not really addressing the concerns that are being brought forward,' and there were so many questions for Ma at the meeting that it ran out of time to hear them all, with ministry staff asking participants to send further questions by email. She says the government did not adequately consult municipalities during the drafting of Bill 15, and local leaders 'didn't see justification for the province giving itself the powers' to override municipal processes as proposed by the legislation. Ma says in a statement issued after the meeting that the 'discussion was valuable and local governments understandably had many questions about this new legislation.' The statement adds that Bill 15 allows government to deliver public infrastructure projects like schools and hospitals 'more efficiently' in partnership with municipalities. Mandewo says the union does not 'want to block anything' while hoping the government returns to proper consultations, citing previous concerns about housing bills that were hurried through the legislature in 2023 and 2024. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 21, 2025.
CBC
05-05-2025
- CBC
WATCH LIVE: UBCIC, victims' families make announcement on deaths of young Indigenous women, girl
On Red Dress Day, the families of two young Indigenous women and an Indigenous girl whose bodies were separately discovered in Metro Vancouver in 2022, alongside Justice For Girls and the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs will make announcements regarding the deaths of 20-year-old Tatyanna Harrison, 24-year-old Chelsea Poorman and 13-year-old Noelle O'Soup.
