First Nations Fisheries

In February 2018, the Government of Canada introduced two Bills:

• “An Act to enact the Impact Assessment Act and the Canadian Energy Regulator Act, to amend the Navigation Protection Act, and to make consequential amendments to the other Acts ” (Bill C-69), and
•  “An Act to Amend the Fisheries Act and other Acts in consequence” (Bill C-68).

The Bills are currently in the Senate. For additional background information on the proposed legislation visit www.canada.ca/environmentalreviews.

INFORMATION SESSIONS

To help support your review of the Bills, you are invited to attend one of the information sessions for Indigenous peoples. The information sessions will be delivered by teleconference with simultaneous webcast of the presentation materials. There will be one session in English and one in French; each including opportunities to ask questions.

Representatives from the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (CEAA), Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), Transport Canada (TC), and Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) will each give a brief presentation and status update on their policy and regulatory work related to the Bills, including upcoming engagement opportunities.

The Interdepartmental Task Team on Environmental and Regulatory Reviews will moderate the call and give an overview presentation, which includes information on amendments to the Bills in the House of Commons.

DATES AND TIMES

• French language Open Call – Tuesday, October 16

13:00 – 15:00 Eastern Daylight Time / 10:00 – 12:00 Pacific Daylight Time

• • Click here to register for the French Language session

• English language Open Call – Wednesday, October 17

13:00 – 15:00 Eastern Daylight Time / 10:00 – 12:00 Pacific Daylight Time

• • Click here to register for the English Language session

Instructions for how to attend the session will be emailed after you have registered.

AFTER THE SESSION & NEXT STEPS

There will be an opportunity to ask questions after each department’s presentation. However if you have additional questions, you can email them to: ec.equipetravail-taskteam.ec@canada.ca

Open call sessions are expected to occur every 2 to 3 months.

The FNFC Water for Fish fresh water initiative hosts monthly “Water Wednesday” teleconference calls/webinars with BC First Nations on a variety of topics relating to freshwater planning, management, and governance. It is an opportunity to learn from experts and other First Nations.

Topic for December 12, 10-11 AM PT: First Nations Women Advocating Responsible Mining and Report on Mining Law Reform

For more information and to register, please visit the Water for Fish Events page at: https://www.fnfisheriescouncil.ca/initiatives/water-for-fish/events.

Note: This call was originally scheduled for Dec 10, but was rescheduled to December 17, 2018 due to meeting conflicts.

The FNFC hosts a monthly update conference call on the second Monday of each month from 1:30pm to 3:00pm. The calls are open to all BC First Nations (Tier 1). The FNFC provides updates on our work, and also requests local/regional updates on fisheries work from participants. The dial-in information is sent out via the FNFC Tier 1 email list prior to each call. For more information please email us at info@fnfisheriescouncil.ca.

The FNFC invites interested BC First Nations to participate in Tier 1 regional workshops to advance dialogue related to First Nations fisheries socioeconomic interests. Building on the recent FNFC economic survey, these workshops will focus on informing the development of a fisheries socioeconomic valuation method and understanding the broader priorities and issues of BC First Nations relating to advancing their fisheries related economic priorities.

January 21, 2019 – Terrace

January 23, 2019 – Prince George

January 24, 2019 – Vancouver

Meeting locations TBD.

The content of each workshop will be the same, so participants are advised to attend the workshop closest to the region in which they work to facilitate discussion of region-specific topics and issues.

Limited travel funding is available (must apply in advance).

For questions please contact Business and Economic Development Advisor Astrid Niemann-Zajac at 778-379-6470.

The FNFC invites interested BC First Nations to participate in Tier 1 regional workshops to advance dialogue related to First Nations fisheries socioeconomic interests. Building on the recent FNFC economic survey, these workshops will focus on informing the development of a fisheries socioeconomic valuation method and understanding the broader priorities and issues of BC First Nations relating to advancing their fisheries related economic priorities.

January 21, 2019 – Terrace

January 23, 2019 – Prince George

January 24, 2019 – Vancouver

Meeting locations TBD.

The content of each workshop will be the same, so participants are advised to attend the workshop closest to the region in which they work to facilitate discussion of region-specific topics and issues.

Limited travel funding is available (must apply in advance).

For questions please contact Business and Economic Development Advisor Astrid Niemann-Zajac at 778-379-6470.

The FNFC invites interested BC First Nations to participate in Tier 1 regional workshops to advance dialogue related to First Nations fisheries socioeconomic interests. Building on the recent FNFC economic survey, these workshops will focus on informing the development of a fisheries socioeconomic valuation method and understanding the broader priorities and issues of BC First Nations relating to advancing their fisheries related economic priorities.

January 21, 2019 – Terrace

January 23, 2019 – Prince George

January 24, 2019 – Vancouver

Meeting locations TBD.

The content of each workshop will be the same, so participants are advised to attend the workshop closest to the region in which they work to facilitate discussion of region-specific topics and issues.

Limited travel funding is available (must apply in advance).

For questions please contact Business and Economic Development Advisor Astrid Niemann-Zajac at 778-379-6470.

DFO is inviting First Nations/Indigenous organizations to participate in a full day meeting on January 25, 2019 (9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.) with the Fraser Panel Chair and First Nations panel members to inform Canada’s negotiations with the United States on renewal of Chapter 4  (Fraser River Sockeye and Pink) of the Pacific Salmon Treaty.  This meeting follows the initial discussions held last spring in Chilliwack, Campbell River, Prince George and Kamloops as well as a Tier 1 meeting convened by the Fraser River Aboriginal Fisheries Secretariat in July.

A meeting venue in either Richmond or Vancouver will be confirmed early in the new year, and agenda and meeting materials will follow.

Please inform Melissa Warnock (Melissa.Warnock@dfo-mpo.gc.ca, 604-666-5295) if you will be attending the session and whether you will require travel reimbursement.  If you are unable to participate in this meeting and would like to discuss other options for engagement, please also let Melissa know.

The FNFC would like to invite First Nations Leaders, Fishers, Community Members, and Fisheries Managers & Technicians to participate in a two-day Tier 1 & Tier 2 regional dialogue session relating to First Nations fisheries, allocations and access. The purpose of these dialogue sessions is to provide a venue for First Nations and DFO to have broad discussions on Section 35.1 fisheries, specifically food, social & ceremonial (FSC) fisheries, and First Nations’ allocations and access to better understand how meaningful fisheries are envisioned and to find new approaches to achieve this.  See the attached correspondence from DFO for more detailed information.

The upcoming First Nation Fisheries & FSC Allocation Regional Dialogue Sessions are scheduled for:

• February 13 & 14: Nanaimo | Vancouver Island Conference Centre – 101 Gordon Street, Nanaimo
• February 25 & 26: Prince George | Uda Dune Baiyoh (House of Ancestors) – 355 Vancouver Street, Prince George
• March 4 & 5: Terrace | Best Western Terrace Inn – 4553 Grieg Ave, Terrace
• March 7 & 8: Harrison Hot Springs | Harrison Hot Springs Resort – 100 Esplanade Ave, Harrison Hot Springs

Each regional session will have Tier 1 (First Nations only) and Tier 2 (First Nations and DFO) components. First Nation participants are welcome to attend any one of the regional sessions, however the agenda for each meeting will be the same so participants are advised to attend the workshop closest to the region in which they work to facilitate discussion of region-specific topics and issues. The FNFC will consolidate First Nation input from the regional sessions and will host a province-wide engagement session at the end of March (date to be confirmed) in Vancouver/Richmond to review the results and to make recommendations for collaborative policy review and development in 2019/20.

More detailed information on the regional dialogue sessions will be distributed in early February.

Please register to participate in one of the regional dialogue sessions at: http://www.createsurvey.com/s/wcW2MJ/?

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Travel subsidies:

Limited funding is available to help support First Nation participant travel to one regional dialogue session. Participants must register for one of the regional dialogue sessions and if travel support is needed, registered participants must also complete a separate Travel Subsidy Request form.

To apply for a travel subsidy, participants must complete the Travel Subsidy Request form on-line:  http://www.createsurvey.com/s/4atang/?

Please note that completed subsidy requests must be received by the deadline of Friday February 15^th to qualify. Travel subsidies will be approved on a rolling basis, so early application is recommended.

Applicants will receive an email to confirm whether or not they have been approved for a travel subsidy.

Please review the complete FNFC Travel Guidelines (link) when applying for travel subsidy and arranging your travel.

• Funds available for travel subsidies are limited; subsidies will be awarded on an as-needed basis, and subsidy amounts (e.g. full or partial reimbursement) may vary depending on the number of funding requests received.
• Only one application per community/organization will be considered.
• Participants must attend the entire duration of the meeting to qualify (for a 2-day meeting, participants must attend both days to qualify for reimbursement)

The travel subsidy request form is not a travel claim. Participants approved for travel reimbursement will be provided with an FNFC travel claim at the close of the meeting which must completed and submitted to the FNFC within 30 days after the event.  At the discretion of the FNFC, any claim forms submitted after 30-days have lapsed may no longer qualify for reimbursement.

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If you have questions about the regional dialogue sessions, please contact FNFC Strategic Development Manager Deana Machin (deana@fnfisheriescouncil.ca) or Communications Manager Aimee Arsenault (info@fnfisheriescouncil.ca) at 778-379-6470.

New Date! February 20, 2019 from 10-11 AM PT: First Nations Women Advocating Responsible Mining and Report on Mining Law Reform

To register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5324631744269293057

In this webinar, Jacinda Mack from the Xatśūll First Nation will present on the BC First Nations Women Advocating Responsible Mining (FNWARM) organization and its projects “Stand for Water” and the Tulalip Water Protection Declaration. Alex Etchell, a researcher with the University of Victoria Environmental Law Centre, will discuss their soon to be released report entitled Mining Law Reform: An Action Plan for Change developed in partnership with FNWARM, Fair Mining Collaborative, Northern Confluence and Mining Watch Canada. This report proposes recommendations to reform BC’s regulatory system for mining in response to growing evidence of systemic failures including the Mount Polley Mine disaster. Alex will focus especially on the recommendations related to water protection.

The FNFC would like to invite First Nations Leaders, Fishers, Community Members, and Fisheries Managers & Technicians to participate in a two-day Tier 1 & Tier 2 regional dialogue session relating to First Nations fisheries, allocations and access. The purpose of these dialogue sessions is to provide a venue for First Nations and DFO to have broad discussions on Section 35.1 fisheries, specifically food, social & ceremonial (FSC) fisheries, and First Nations’ allocations and access to better understand how meaningful fisheries are envisioned and to find new approaches to achieve this.  See the attached correspondence from DFO for more detailed information.

The upcoming First Nation Fisheries & FSC Allocation Regional Dialogue Sessions are scheduled for:

• February 13 & 14: Nanaimo | Vancouver Island Conference Centre – 101 Gordon Street, Nanaimo
• February 25 & 26: Prince George | Uda Dune Baiyoh (House of Ancestors) – 355 Vancouver Street, Prince George
• March 4 & 5: Terrace | Best Western Terrace Inn – 4553 Grieg Ave, Terrace
• March 7 & 8: Harrison Hot Springs | Harrison Hot Springs Resort – 100 Esplanade Ave, Harrison Hot Springs

Each regional session will have Tier 1 (First Nations only) and Tier 2 (First Nations and DFO) components. First Nation participants are welcome to attend any one of the regional sessions, however the agenda for each meeting will be the same so participants are advised to attend the workshop closest to the region in which they work to facilitate discussion of region-specific topics and issues. The FNFC will consolidate First Nation input from the regional sessions and will host a province-wide engagement session at the end of March (date to be confirmed) in Vancouver/Richmond to review the results and to make recommendations for collaborative policy review and development in 2019/20.

More detailed information on the regional dialogue sessions will be distributed in early February.

Please register to participate in one of the regional dialogue sessions at: http://www.createsurvey.com/s/wcW2MJ/?

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Travel subsidies:

Limited funding is available to help support First Nation participant travel to one regional dialogue session. Participants must register for one of the regional dialogue sessions and if travel support is needed, registered participants must also complete a separate Travel Subsidy Request form.

To apply for a travel subsidy, participants must complete the Travel Subsidy Request form on-line:  http://www.createsurvey.com/s/4atang/?

Please note that completed subsidy requests must be received by the deadline of Friday February 15^th to qualify. Travel subsidies will be approved on a rolling basis, so early application is recommended.

Applicants will receive an email to confirm whether or not they have been approved for a travel subsidy.

Please review the complete FNFC Travel Guidelines (link) when applying for travel subsidy and arranging your travel.

• Funds available for travel subsidies are limited; subsidies will be awarded on an as-needed basis, and subsidy amounts (e.g. full or partial reimbursement) may vary depending on the number of funding requests received.
• Only one application per community/organization will be considered.
• Participants must attend the entire duration of the meeting to qualify (for a 2-day meeting, participants must attend both days to qualify for reimbursement)

The travel subsidy request form is not a travel claim. Participants approved for travel reimbursement will be provided with an FNFC travel claim at the close of the meeting which must completed and submitted to the FNFC within 30 days after the event.  At the discretion of the FNFC, any claim forms submitted after 30-days have lapsed may no longer qualify for reimbursement.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

If you have questions about the regional dialogue sessions, please contact FNFC Strategic Development Manager Deana Machin (deana@fnfisheriescouncil.ca) or Communications Manager Aimee Arsenault (info@fnfisheriescouncil.ca) at 778-379-6470.