January 18, 2016
Province and NCN Sign Historic Land-use Management Agreement
The Manitoba government has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation (NCN), Premier Greg Selinger announced today.
“This important signing addresses two important goals – our government’s commitment to reconciliation with Indigenous people and our commitment to Manitoba’s boreal forest and the role of Indigenous communities in the fight against climate change,” Premier Selinger said.
The MOU lays out a clear path for the province and NCN to work together toward the implementation of a land-use plan that guides sustainable development and respects their history of safeguarding traditional territory, the premier said. He added the province will provide an additional $75,000 in support of the NCN Resource Management Board’s land-use planning activities.
“The boreal forest of Manitoba is an important resource for our people and must be managed wisely,” said Chief Marcel Moody, NCN. “We are pleased the provincial government has recognized the sustainable practices of our ancestors and we are honoured to be carrying on their tradition.”
In the MOU, NCN and the province of Manitoba identify a number of shared objectives:
- a commitment to work together to support the approval, implementation and enforcement of a system of resource management and the land-use plan within the Nelson House resource management area;
- commitments related to support for the creation and approval of work plans; and
- acknowledgement that NCN should be provided with opportunities to realize economic development and benefits.
More than 80 per cent of Manitoba consists of boreal forest, abundant with rivers, lakes, wetlands and wildlife, the premier noted. Manitoba has already passed first-of-its-kind legislation on the east side of Lake Winnipeg to implement the land-use plans.
Working with NCN, the province is looking at options to implement its land-use plan in a resource management area where resource development is actively underway and has been for decades.
The goal of land-use plans is to provide certainty for First Nations, government and industry on sustainable development in the area, encourage greater collaboration among stakeholders, provide protection for sacred and environmentally sensitive sites, and create opportunity for First Nation communities.
“Indigenous peoples have been the traditional stewards of the boreal forest,” said Aboriginal and Northern Affairs Minister Eric Robinson. “Their deep connection with the land and respect for sustainability are the reasons vast expanses of boreal forest remain intact today.”
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