First Nations announce old-growth logging deferral on Vancouver Island
A group of First Nations say they have reached an agreement to defer old-growth logging in parts of southwestern Vancouver Island for the next two years.
The Huu-ay-aht, Ditidaht, and Pacheedaht First Nations say they informed the B.C. government on Saturday of their plan to hold off on old-growth logging in the Fairy Creek and Central Walbran areas while the nations develop long-term resource stewardship plans.
"For more than 150 years they have watched as others decided what was best for their lands, water, and people," said the Huu-ay-aht First Nation in a statement Monday. "This declaration brings this practice to an immediate end."
B.C. Premier John Horgan acknowledged the province had received the deferral notice Monday. The government has not yet indicated whether or not it will endorse the decision.
"We understand the request must be addressed expeditiously, and we will ensure a prompt response," said Horgan in a statement Monday afternoon.
"Our government is committed to reconciliation. True reconciliation means meaningful partnerships," Horgan added. "I know the three nations are ready to enter into these discussions in a spirit of good faith, and with a goal of achieving a mutually satisfactory resolution. Our government is as well."
Protesters have been blockading forestry roads in the region since August, preventing forestry company Teal-Jones from accessing the area to harvest trees. In April, the B.C. Supreme Court granted an injunction to Teal-Jones to have the blockades removed.
Teal-Jones told CTV News on Monday that it will adhere to the First Nations’ decision to defer logging in the Fairy Creek and Central Walbran regions.
"We will abide by the declaration issued today, and look forward to engaging with the Pacheedaht, Ditidaht, and Huu-ay-aht First Nations as they develop Integrated Resource Forest Stewardship Plans," the company said in a statement.
"Teal-Jones acknowledges the ancestral territories of all First Nations on which we operate and is committed to reconciliation," the company added.
Pacheedaht First Nation Chief Councillor Jeff Jones said the three nations "look forward to building a future based on respectful nation-to-nation relationships with other governments that are informed by Indigenous history, Indigenous knowledge, Indigenous rights, and Indigenous priorities."
"We ask that all peoples both Indigenous and non-Indigenous learn and move forward together and that by working together we can realize a future that is fair, just, and equitable," Jones added.
The First Nations say the deferral applies to new road construction in the Fairy Creek area, which will cease immediately, however some maintenance and deactivation work may continue for safety and environmental reasons.
The nations say forestry operations in other parts of their territories will continue without disruption and they are asking protesters not to interfere with these approved operations.
The protesters said the announcement from the Indigenous leaders is "far short of what we need" in a statement Monday on Twitter.
"We have yet to see the exact maps but regardless it will allow for continued industrial logging of old-growth forest across southern Vancouver Island," according to the Fairy Creek Blockade account.
Since the RCMP began enforcing the injunction against the blockades in late May, more than 165 people have been arrested, mostly for obstruction and breaching the injunction.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
Families shocked after Niagara Falls hotel cancels bookings made year in advance of solar eclipse
After having the foresight to book their Niagara Falls hotel rooms more than a year in advance, several families planning to take in the solar eclipse next month were shocked to find out their reservations had been cancelled.
B.C. rescuers face 'high likelihood' of failure to reunite orphaned orca with pod
The race to reunite an orphaned orca calf that’s stuck in a shallow lagoon with a neighbouring pod has entered its fifth day, and a marine scientist says the clock is ticking.
Video shows police interrupting auto theft in progress outside Toronto home
New video footage obtained by CP24 shows the attempted theft of a vehicle in a North York driveway earlier this month that was ultimately interrupted by police.
Majority of Canadians believe in life after death: Angus Reid survey
A new survey from the Angus Reid Institute has found that a majority of Canadians believe in some form of life after death, a proportion that has held steady for decades.
MyPillow, owned by U.S. election denier Mike Lindell, formally evicted from Minnesota warehouse
A court ordered the eviction Wednesday of MyPillow from a suburban Minneapolis warehouse that it formerly used.