First Nations Fisheries

For more information about the Assembly of First Nations, please visit www.afn.ca.

For more information about the BC Assembly of First Nations, please visit www.bcafn.ca.

March 5-6, 2020 in Nanaimo, BC

FNFC invites First Nations from around the province to engage in a dialogue on aquaculture. Outcomes of the workshop will include strategic ideas for First Nations to advance their interests in aquaculture, and recommendations for the FNFC on how they can focus their work to support what matters to First Nations.

First Nations across BC are engaged in numerous forms of aquaculture, including shellfish farming, aquaponics, hatcheries, industry partnerships, and land-based closed containment salmon farming. Aquaculture development can be viewed as a path toward conservation, food security, and the creation of jobs to support local economies. Concerns about environmental threats, as well as significant socioeconomic opportunities, generate significant discussion among First Nations about the many potential impacts and benefits of aquaculture. This workshop will not serve as a debate of the many sides of the industry, but instead will focus on how BC First Nations can advance their interests related to aquaculture, and explore opportunities for collaboration with other Nations, industry, and other levels of government.

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REGISTRATION (by Friday, February 14):

Online registration for this event is requested. Please register online by Friday, February 14, 2020 here: https://www.createsurvey.com/s/3Cz46Y/

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TRAVEL SUBSIDIES (by Friday, February 21).

A limited number of travel subsidies will be available to assist participants who would like to attend the Aquaculture Forum. Please note these are limited travel subsidies for up to 2 participants per community or organization. Funding is limited and requests are approved on a rolling basis, so early application is recommended.

Please apply for travel subsidy online by Friday, February 21, 2020 here: https://www.createsurvey.com/s/aBiHQD/

If you plan to apply for travel subsidy, please review the FNFC Travel Subsidy Guidelines here:

https://www.fnfisheriescouncil.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/FNFC-travel-guidelines-_-march-2020-aquaculture.pdf

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For more information, please contact FNFC Project Coordinator Nina Nichols at nina@fnfisheriescouncil.ca

Thank you, we look forward to seeing you at the Aquaculture Forum.

The Forum is hosted by the Fraser River Aboriginal Fisheries Secretariat (FRAFS). Please visit www.frafs.ca or contact Communications Coordinator Allison James at frafs15@gmail.com for more information.

For more information about the Island Marine Aquatic Working Group (IMAWG)  please visit www.imawg.ca or email smorin.imawg@gmail.com.

For more information about the Lower Fraser Fisheries Alliance, please visit their website at www.lffa.ca.

For more information about the Lower Fraser Fisheries Alliance, please visit their website at www.lffa.ca.

For more information about the Upper Fraser Fisheries Conservation Alliance, please visit www.upperfraser.ca.

For more information about the Island Marine Aquatic Working Group, please visit www.imawg.ca.

The Forum is hosted by the Fraser River Aboriginal Fisheries Secretariat (FRAFS). Please visit www.frafs.ca or contact Communications Coordinator Allison James at frafs15@gmail.com for more information.

This webinar is hosted by the POLIS Water Sustainability Project. It will showcase a panel of emerging student researchers working on priority topics related to water law, policy, and governance.

To register: https://poliswaterproject.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=389657c8f0bdbc7fc5e9dc59d&id=24d7048901&e=c4b1ae2f00

TOPIC: Groundwater Licensing under BC’s Water Sustainability Act and Impacts to First Nations Rights (for First Nations only)

To register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1970184505488955148

Geneviève Layton-Cartier, FNFC Water for Fish Project Coordinator, will discuss how the BC Government is issuing non-domestic groundwater licences under the Water Sustainability Act. Geneviève will also explain potential impacts to First Nations rights and how communities can to establish criteria for reviewing groundwater referrals in order to assess the potential impacts of new water withdrawals on their rights and territories.

To register: https://poliswaterproject.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=389657c8f0bdbc7fc5e9dc59d&id=3c774820ba&e=c4b1ae2f00

In this webinar, Rosie Simms (POLIS), Zita Botelho (Watersheds BC), and Tim Morris (BC Freshwater Legacy Initiative) will provide an overview of sustainable funding as a crucial building block for any watershed governance initiative. Grounded in the current, unprecedented time of COVID-19, the speakers will explore the continued priority of a Watershed Security Fund and possible direction for government stimulus spending. They will also offer a sneak peek at emerging work identifying Opportunities for Watershed Stimulus in British Columbia

May 27, 2020 from 10-11 AM PT: Effective Practices for Land Use Planning by First Nations in BC (for First Nations only)

To register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/626545013303421198

In this webinar, Gwen Bridge, Chief Executive Officer with Gwen Bridge Consulting, will present the updated second version of the New Relationship Trust (NRT) report Updated Effective Practices Guide – Land Use Planning by First Nations in BC. Gwen was hired by NRT to update the report with Gregory Kehm, Principal with Gregory Kehm Associates, and Krista Robertson, a Mandell Pinder associate.

For more information about the First Nations Summit, please visit their website at www.fns.bc.ca.

For more information, please visit www.imawg.ca.

July 8, 2020 from 10-11 AM PT: BC Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act and Expectations for Water Sustainability Act Reform (for First Nations only)

To register: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIkdumrrTIqGdY-dpqtfYFwYiBaSVHFpJYR

In this webinar, Rosie Simms, Water for Fish Interim Manager, will present and ask for feedback on a draft discussion paper that identifies reforms required to begin the process of bringing the Water Sustainability Act (WSA) into conformity with the BC Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA). FNFC has been working on this paper since December 2019 with Mandell Pinder and a small group of water law experts.

The FNFC Water for Fish Initiative, in collaboration with B.C.’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy, is convening First Nations and provincial government staff and executive in Phase II of the “Working Together on Water Initiative” to continue to explore and implement a new Water Sustainability Act engagement framework in summer 2020. Two half-day online meetings that will build on one another will take place on July 16th and 23rd (for First Nations only).

To register: contact Genevieve Layton-Cartier at Genevieve@fnfisheriescouncil.ca

The FNFC Water for Fish Initiative, in collaboration with B.C.’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy, is convening First Nations and provincial government staff and executive in Phase II of the “Working Together on Water Initiative” to continue to explore and implement a new Water Sustainability Act engagement framework in summer 2020. Two half-day online meetings that will build on one another will take place on July 16th and 23rd (for First Nations only).

To register: contact Genevieve Layton-Cartier at Genevieve@fnfisheriescouncil.ca