British Columbia

Haida celebrate title agreement that enshrines right to control their own destiny

Peter Schulte / February 18, 2025

The Big Tide Haida Title Lands Agreement affirms that the Haida have Aboriginal title over all of the Haida Gwaii islands’ lands, beds of freshwater bodies, and foreshores to the low-tide mark. It will transition the Crown-title land owned by Canada to the Haida people, granting them an inherent legal right to the land. Gaagwiis Jason Alsop, president of the Council of the Haida Nation, said the agreement was the culmination of “well over 100 years of political mobilization by the Haida Nation.”

Aerial view of modern water cleaning facility at urban wastewater treatment plant. Purification process of removing undesirable chemicals

Tofino, B.C., to stop discharging untreated sewage into the ocean

Peter Schulte / August 23, 2024

The District of Tofino has opened its first wastewater treatment plant, with officials calling it a “major milestone” for the community of around 2,500 people. The facility, which took around two years to build, will enable the district to end its decades-long practice of sending raw sewage into the ocean.

British Columbia agrees to hand title of a million acres of land back to the Haida Nation

Peter Schulte / April 16, 2024

For centuries, the Haida people have known that the impenetrable forests and bountiful waters of Haida Gwaii – “the islands at the boundary of the world” – were both a life-giving force and their rightful home. Now, after decades of negotiation, the province of British Columbia has come to the same conclusion: the title over more than 200 islands off Canada’s west coast should rightfully be held by the Haida Nation.

View of mountains and water in British Columbia

British Columbia, Canadian government, and First Nations announce $1 billion conservation agreement

Peter Schulte / November 3, 2023

The Canadian federal government has signed its first major nature agreement with a province and First Nations to mutually support protecting 30% of lands and waters by 2030. The agreement is meant to protect old growth forests in the B.C., support the recovery of at-risk species, and restore ecosystems.

National Museum of Scotland returns stolen totem pole to Nisga’a people after 100 years

Peter Schulte / October 2, 2023

It was a historic “rematriation” for the Indigenous nation of around 600 people in what is now known to many as Canada’s British Columbia. The return of the Ni’isjoohl pole could also set a precedent in a broader repatriation movement gaining steam around the world.

Haida celebrate title agreement that enshrines right to control their own destiny

Tofino, B.C., to stop discharging untreated sewage into the ocean

British Columbia agrees to hand title of a million acres of land back to the Haida Nation

British Columbia, Canadian government, and First Nations announce $1 billion conservation agreement

National Museum of Scotland returns stolen totem pole to Nisga’a people after 100 years

Humpback whales make massive comeback on North American West Coast

Caribou herds in British Columbia have tripled in less than a decade

British Columbia becomes first Canadian province to remove criminal penalties for possession of some hard drugs

British Columbia ties highest in Canada minimum wage increases to inflation

British Columbia doctors can now prescribe a year-long pass to Canada’s national parks