Ktunaxa Kinbasket Treaty Council View Regional Map

Ktunaxa Kinbasket Treaty Council

Member Bands

Akisq'nuk / Columbia Lake First Nation
Location
: At Windermere Lake, near Windermere. (Two reserves, on 3,412.2 hectares.)

Number of Band Members: 255 (Source: Registered Indian Population by Sex and Residence December 2006, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada)

Yaqan nu?kiy / Lower Kootenay Indian Band
Location: On the Kootenay River, near Creston. (Eight reserves on 2,553.3 hectares.)

Number of Band Members: 210 (Source: Registered Indian Population by Sex and Residence December 2006, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada)

Shuswap Indian Band
Location
: On the east bank of the Columbia River, 1.5 km north of Invermere. (Two reserves on 1,246.1 hectares.)

Number of Band Members: 230 (Source: Registered Indian Population by Sex and Residence December 2006, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada)

 
?Aq'am / St. Mary's Indian Band
Location: Main community is on Kootenay Indian Reserve #1, on the west bank of the Kootenay River at the mouth of the St. Mary's River, opposite Fort Steele and approximately 15 km northeast of Cranbrook. (Five reserves on 7,850.4 hectares.)

Number of Band Members: 340 (Source: Registered Indian Population by Sex and Residence December 2006, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada)

Tobacco Plains Indian Band
Location: Adjacent to the U.S. border, approximately 12 km south of Grasmere and 60 km southeast of Cranbrook. (Two reserves on 4,417.5 hectares.)

Number of Band Members: 173 (Source: Registered Indian Population by Sex and Residence December 2006, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada)

Background

Negotiating status
: Negotiating a comprehensive treaty settlement within the British Columbia Treaty Commission six-stage treaty process.

Negotiating affiliation
: Negotiating with Canada and British Columbia on behalf of its five member bands. ?Akisq'nuk / Columbia Lake, Yaqan nu?kiy / Lower Kootenay, ?Aq'am / St. Mary's and Tobacco Plans bands are also are part of the Ktunaxa Nation Council, a tribal council registered under the Indian Act formerly called Ktunaxa Kinbasket Tribal Council. Although part of the treaty group, Shuswap Indian Band has is not affiliated with a tribal council.

Location
: Member bands are located in the southeastern corner of the province, from the U.S. border north to the Invermere area, and as far west as Creston.

Total band members
: 1,192 - Ktunaxa Kinbasket Treaty Council, 965 - Ktunaxa Nation Council (Source: Registered Indian Population by Sex and Residence October 2005, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada)

Negotiations

The Ktunaxa Kinbasket Treaty Council entered the treaty process in December 1993, and is now in Stage 4 of the six-stage process, negotiating a comprehensive agreement in principle which is intended to address all of the substantive matters required to conclude a final agreement.

The following AIP chapters were approved for public release in 2005:

  • Approval of the AIP
  • Ratification of the Final Agreement
  • Implementation
  • Amendment
  • Dispute Resolution

The following Memoranda of Understanding and Consultation Agreements were entered into with the Ktunaxa Nation Council in 2005:

  • Memorandum of Understanding to Establish an Effective Government-to-Government Working Relationship for the Management of Archaeological Resources
  • Memorandum of Understanding to Establish an Effective Government-to-Government Working Relationship for the Management of Fish and Wildlife
  • Memorandum of Understanding to Establish an Effective Government-to-Government Working Relationship for the Management of Provincial Parks
  • Memorandum of Understanding to Establish an Effective Government-to-Government Working Relationship for Energy and Mineral Development
  • Oil and Gas Consultation Agreement
  • Memorandum of Understanding to Establish an Effective Government-to-Government Working Relationship for Land Use Planning
  • Memorandum of Understanding Concerning the Management of Forestlands on the Dominion Coal Blocks between Ktunaxa Nation Council, BC and Canada

The following Treaty Related Measures were completed and/or initiated in 2005:

  • Land Model TRM - completed
  • Land and Resources Planning and Management Processes TRM - initiated
  • Analysis of Treaty Land Ownership Scenarios - initiated

The following Economic Development Agreements were completed in 2005:

  • Forestry and Land Use Planning Accord
  • Coalbed Methane Agreement

Treaty negotiations in 2006 will focus on completing the AIP chapters and the identification of the lands that will be included in the final agreement.

Other Activities

In June of 2005, the BC Government and South East Kootenay School District signed an aboriginal enhancement agreement that enables Ktunaxa Nation culture to be reflected in public schools by accepting Aboriginal involvement in the design of programs, services and curriculum delivery.

The Ktunaxa Nation Council is one of many First Nations taking part in First Voices.com, a provincial government internet based computer program designed to preserve aboriginal languages.

Planned Meetings

As dates are established for public meetings, they will be publicized through the local media and posted on the British Columbia Treaty Commission website Negotiations Calendar.