Office of the Wet'suwet'en
Member Bands
Hagwilget Village Council
Location
: East side of the Bulkley Canyon, 2 km north of New Hazelton and 8 km east of Hazelton, in northwestern B.C. (Two reserves on 159 hectares.)
Number of Band Members: 689 (Source: Registered Indian Population by Sex and
Residence December 2006, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada)
Moricetown Band Administration (also Kya Wiget)
Location
: Halfway between Smithers and New Hazelton — 34 km from each — in northwestern B.C. (Seven reserves, 1,075 hectares.)
Number of Band Members: 1,787 (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
: The Office of the Wet'suwet'en represents the traditional Wet'suwet'en hereditary governance system and is negotiating a treaty on behalf of the Wet'suwet'en.
Location
:The Hagwilget and Moricetown bands are located within a 40 km radius of Hazelton
Total band members
: 2,447 (Source: Registered Indian Population by Sex and Residence 2001, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada)
Negotiations
The Office of the Wet'suwet'en entered the treaty process in July 1994, and is now in Stage 4 of the six-stage process, negotiating an agreement in principle.
In April 2000, the Wet'suwet'en, Canada and British Columbia signed a political accord committing them to work together on land, resource and economic development. The accord has been a major focus of the Wet'suwet'en negotiations. Although most initiatives under the accord have focused on the forest sector, tourism, land-use planning and fisheries initiatives are also being discussed.
The Wet'suwet'en and British Columbia have also had an ongoing bilateral relationship through the Accord of Recognition, Respect and Reconciliation, which was signed in 1994.
Current activities
The Economic Initiatives Committee is composed of Wet'suwet'en forest industry representatives, the government of Canada and the government of British Columbia. It is working on economic initiatives in lands and resource sectors.
Planned meetings
As dates are established for open public meetings, they will be publicized through the local media.
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Final Agreements
Principle
