Forest Consultation And Revenue Sharing Agreement

The forestry strategy has six objectives to increase First Nations participation in the forest sector and their role in the management and management of forest areas and resources. While the B.C government has signed excellent reconciliation agreements with nations such as the Sekani Carrier, Babine Lake and the Sheshelh Nation, most First Nations are not being offered the same opportunities and resources. Forest consultation and revenue-sharing agreements are revenue-sharing agreements based on a revenue-sharing model developed by the B.C. government that does not wisely share forest revenues from First Nations territories. In some cases, First Nations have only $35,000. The second objective of the forest strategy demonstrates the need to increase and revise the current revenue-sharing model to more equitably share revenues from forest areas within First Nations territories. Over the past five years, B.C has shared between $32 million and $45 million in revenue generated through forest and income sharing agreements with First Nations. However, over the same period, the province raised between $600 million and $1.2 billion in stump revenues, of which only three to five per cent were shared with First Nations. Taking into account the $12 billion to $13 billion that the forest industry has contributed to provincial GDP since 2015, the amount shared with First Nations is less than one per cent.

Reconciliation requires a new tax relationship with First Nations that supports economic reconciliation, government capacity and the proper distribution of the benefits of forest and resource development. It`s not a question of gaming recipes. The forestry sector has an important role to play in reducing the socio-economic gap. B.C. must act to ensure the equitable sharing of forest incomes with the First Nations economy, is the collective economic response to the lasting legacy of the systematic exclusion of Aboriginal peoples in the development of natural resources in Canada. It is the correction of this truth that will support the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and Law 41. In November 2019, the government of the b.C government is to develop and implement an action plan to achieve the objectives set out in UNDRIP by passing Bill 41. In order to create a collective pathway, it is necessary to take action that will lead to significant changes in the forest revenue-sharing model in order to share equitable benefits from forests and resources with First Nations.

The Common Agenda: The Implementation of the Commitment Document Agreed by the Government of B.C. and bc First Nations Leadership Council, identifies the forestry sector as one of the priority areas for legislative, policy and regulatory reform changes. As part of this amendment, Ministry B.C Ministry of Forestry, Land, Resources and Rural Development has committed in 2018 to develop a revised .C B. First Nations Forestry Strategy (the „Forest Strategy“) at regional engagement meetings with First Nations. To support the implementation of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (Bill 41), the current model of forest income sharing must be increased from less than five to 50%. A judicious sharing of forest revenues with all First Nations – not just a few – supports stewardship, economic reconciliation, and will help First Nations become full partners in the forest sector and create a stronger and more diverse sector in British Columbia. It`s steward. Forest Tenure Opportunity Agreements and Forest and Range Agreements have been replaced by forest and revenue sharing agreements.