First Nation one step closer to managing its title lands

“We’ve got a big vision we’re all as a nation working toward, and how we get there is just a matter of process,” Tsilhqot’in National Government vice-chairman Roger William said.

The new deals involve guide outfitters, emergency and wildfire response, road maintenance and land access for private property owners. The Tsilhqot’in has extended existing guide outfitter licences for one year, banning increases in guiding quotas in 2015 and allowing fees to be paid to the province and remitted to the nation.

WILLIAMS LAKE — A B.C. First Nation is one step closer to exerting control over its territory after a historic Supreme Court decision, with the announcement of several agreements with the province. The high court’s decision last year meant the Tsilhqot’in Nation became the first in Canada to win title to its land, west of Williams Lake in the Interior.

The nation and the province issued a joint statement Friday saying they’ve had constructive talks in recent months on how to implement the ruling, resulting in several new interim deals.