Seven weeks after the province deferred controversial amendments to the Land Act that would have allowed shared decision-making over Crown land, the province has formally recognized the Haida Nation’s jurisdiction over Haida Gwaii.
An agreement signed April 14 between the Council of Haida Nation and BC constitutes formal recognition of Aboriginal title by the Crown and sets the stage for a transition of ownership and jurisdiction of Haida Gwaii from the Crown to the Haida Nation.
The Council of Haida Nation and BC have worked on formally recognizing Haida Aboriginal title since 2021 and will implement the title in stages.
As part of the agreement, private property rights will not be affected nor will highways, airports, ferry terminals, health care or schools. BC laws will continue to govern local governments and public infrastructure.
The guarantee of private property rights addresses a key concern that surfaced in discussions around the changes proposed to the Land Act earlier this year.
Those changes would have given First Nations across the province more autonomy in public land agreements in line with the province’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA), passed in 2019.
However, BC ranchers were concerned about how changes would impact range tenure agreements on Crown Land and a lack of clarity around potential impacts to 95% of the province’s land base led to speculation.
The impact of the changes on Haida Gwaii is unknown.
BC Cattlemen’s Association president Brian Thomas declined comment pending further information.
The association has not been advised of impacts to grazing tenures or other aspects of ranching operations in the archipelago.
Country Life in BC reached out to Hereford breeder Don Richardson of Richardson Ranch in Tlell, but he was unavailable for an interview prior to deadline.
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