McLeod Lake Indian Band
Background
Negotiating status
: Negotiating a self-government agreement within the British Columbia Treaty Commission six-stage treaty process.
Negotiating affiliation
: Negotiating independently with Canada and British Columbia. Not affiliated with a tribal council. Part of Treaty 8, an adhesion to a treaty negotiated in 1899 with eight northeastern BC First Nations and other First Nations in northern Alberta, northwestern Saskatchewan and the southern Northwest Territories.
Location
: At McLeod Lake, 140 km north of Prince George. (19 reserves on 20,053 hectares - approx. 200 square kilometres or 77 square miles)
Total Band Members
: 469 (Source: Registered Indian Population by Sex and Residence 2008, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada)
McLeod Lake Indian Band Treaty No. 8 Adhesion & Settlement Agreement
The Mcleod Lake Indian Band Treaty No. 8 Adhesion and Settlement Agreement was signed by Canada, British Columbia and the McLeod Lake Indian Band on March 27, 2000, and passed by the B.C. Legislature on June 12, 2000. The agreement provides for the McLeod Lake Indian Band to adhere to Treaty 8, originally signed in 1899 between Canada and other First Nations in northeastern British Columbia, northern Alberta and northwestern Saskatchewan and the southeastern Northwest Territories. The agreement also settled the band's litigation against British Columbia and Canada.
Under the agreement, McLeod Lake received approximately 19,810 hectares (198.1 sq. km or 76.5 sq. miles) of provincial Crown land to add to existing reserves, as well as other benefits.
Treaty 8 permits individual band members to choose 160 hectares of land in severalty and live apart from band reserves. Land in Severalty is fee simple land and is held in the name of the individual member, rather than as Indian Reserve land. Fourteen (14) Land in Severalty Agreements have been completed to date.
Negotiations
In February 2004, the McLeod Lake Indian Band statement of intent (SOI) to enter into comprehensive treaty negotiations with Canada and BC was accepted by the BC Treaty Commission and the three parties have now completed Stage 2 of the six-stage treaty process, the preparation stage of treaty negotiations.
As settlement of the land issue has already been achieved through the Treaty 8 adhesion, the SOI states that the band's intent is to negotiate a self-government agreement on its Indian reserve lands. The treaty commission is facilitating the parties in determining their expectations for negotiations, which would conform to the guidelines set out in the six-stage process.
Other Activities
In 2006, McLeod Lake Indian Band reached a five-year agreement with the Province that provides access to 175,000 cubic metres of wood in both the Mackenzie and Prince George Timber Supply Areas. The volume augments the band’s existing harvesting operations under Duz Cho Logging.
In 2008, the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources, McLeod Lake Indian Band, and the B.C. Oil and Gas Commission signed a consultation agreement that defines the roles, responsibilities and processes for consultation on oil and gas applications. The agreement replaces the 2002 consultation and is for a three-year term, with provisions for extension until April 30, 2013.
Planned meetings
As dates are established for public meetings, they will be publicized through the local media and posted on the B.C. Treaty Commission Website Negotiations Calendar.
|
Final Agreements
Principle
