January 22 - 28, 2025

This week’s edition includes mining, consultation, environmental rights, fisheries and more.

 

IN THE NEWS


Land protection, policing, and mining made headlines in British Columbia

 

The Great Bear Rainforest is protected, but still being polluted | The Narwhal

What Happened to BC’s Plans for Police Reform? | The Tyee

B.C.'s new mineral claims rules criticized by those most affected | CBC News

 

Energy partnerships were front and center in the Yukon

 

Meaningful partnerships needed in mining, Yukon First Nations leaders say at 2025 AME Roundup | CBC News

 

Renewable energy was the top story in the Northwest Territories

 

Délı̨nę government exploring hydro potential on Great Bear River in N.W.T. | CBC News

 

In Alberta, consultation and water rights made headlines

 

‘Mr. Wonderful’s’ Alberta AI Plans Face Indigenous Opposition | The Tyee

Indigenous leaders say lack of oversight on tailings spills a danger to water rights | CBC News

 

Litigation topped the news in Manitoba

 

Canada’s AG asks Winnipeg court to dismiss Dakota injunction | Brandon Sun

 

Ontario news included mining assessments, justice for survivors, Treaty rights and nuclear waste

 

Terms set for Ring of Fire impact assessment | CBC News

Canada seeks to dismiss St. Anne's residential school survivors' fight for accountability | CBC News

Feds sign deal with First Nations for Ontario's Ring of Fire mining-related assessments | Penticton Herald

Northern Ontario First Nations claim billions over Robinson Treaties | Sault Star

Eagle Lake says community will be impacted by underground nuclear waste repository | APTN News

 

In Quebec, a court decision was the top story

 

Hydro-Québec fined $5M for acting in institutional bad faith toward Innu community | CBC News

 

Fisheries were front and center on the east coast

 

Federal government pitches $260M plan to increase First Nation fishing access | CBC News

Mi'kmaq chiefs in Nova Scotia reject latest federal offer for a livelihood fishery

 

FROM THE COURTS


The Court of King’s Bench of Alberta weighed in on a class action proceeding

 

Youngchief v The Attorney General of Canada, 2025 ABKB 35

 

QUOTE OF THE WEEK


(Those proposals) failed to respect and uphold our inherent rights...Our treaty right to fish is not a commercial fishery.

Chief Wilbert Marshall, Potlotek First Nation

 

OFF THE BOOKSHELF


There is such a powerful eloquence in silence. True genius is knowing when to say nothing, to allow the experience, the moment itself, to carry the message, to say what needs to be said. Words are less important, less effective than feeling. When you can sit in perfect silence with someone, you truly know how to communicate.

- Richard Wagamese, Embers: One Ojibway's Meditations (2016) 

 

HOT OFF THE PRESS


In case you missed it, check out Kate Gunn’s latest “In Brief” post about a recent New Brunswick court decision regarding the relationship between Aboriginal title and privately held lands: In Brief: Wolastoqey Nations v. New Brunswick and Canada.

 

UPCOMING EVENT


FPL's Bruce McIvor will be speaking on advancing Indigenous laws through UNDRIP at the AFN's National Forum on the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act Feb 4-5 in Vancouver.

Learn more and register @ Assembly of First Nations (AFN) – National Forum on the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (UNDA) - Assembly of First Nations

Check out and register for Bruce's upcoming online course, Law and Governance. This course is open to anyone and is part of the Haida Gwaii Institute's Micro-Certificate in Co-Management of Natural Resources.
First Peoples Law is the author of Indigenous Peoples and the Law in Canada: Cases and Commentary. Previously authored by legendary law professor Shin Imai for over two decades, the book includes hundreds of annotations of significant court decisions and federal legislation regarding Indigenous rights in Canada. We hope it continues to be a useful resource for Indigenous Peoples defending and advancing their rights across the country.
Bruce McIvor's clear, plain answers to frequently asked questions about Indigenous rights.
Faced with a constant stream of news reports of standoffs and confrontations, Canada’s “reconciliation project” has obviously gone off the rails. In this series of concise and thoughtful essays, lawyer and historian Bruce McIvor explains why reconciliation with Indigenous peoples is failing and what needs to be done to fix it.
We are providing a list of resources for anyone looking to get informed about the truth of Residential Schools shared by Survivors across the country. It is not meant to be an exhaustive list. We would welcome any feedback or recommendations.
Check out our podcast featuring conversations on the defence of Indigenous rights.
Your weekly news update on Indigenous rights from First Peoples Law.
First Peoples Law LLP is a law firm dedicated to defending and advancing the rights of Indigenous Peoples in Canada. We work closely with First Nations to defend their Aboriginal title, rights and Treaty rights, uphold their Indigenous laws and governance and ensure economic prosperity for their members.
Bruce McIvor, lawyer and historian, is partner at First Peoples Law LLP. He is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of British Columbia’s Allard School of Law where he teaches the constitutional law of Aboriginal and Treaty rights. A member of the bar in British Columbia and Ontario, Bruce is recognized nationally and internationally as a leading practitioner of Aboriginal law in Canada. Bruce's ancestors took Métis scrip at Red River in Manitoba. He holds a law degree, a Ph.D. in Aboriginal and environmental history, is a Fulbright Scholar and author of Standoff: Why Reconciliation Fails Indigenous People and How to Fix It. He is a member of the Manitoba Métis Federation.