The Lands and Resources department is responsible for receiving and processing referrals related to forestry, mines and mineral exploration among other lands related developments. In addition to referrals, the Lands and Resources department is also involved in the Environmental Assessment Process for NewGold’s Blackwater Gold Project.

New Gold, owner of the proposed Blackwater Gold project, is currently in a coordinated Environmental Assessment process. This process involves a review from both the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency  (CEAA) and the British Columbia Environmental Assessment Office (BCEAO).

An environmental assessment is a planning and decision-making tool. The objectives of an environmental assessment are to: minimize or avoid adverse environmental effects before they occur; and incorporate environmental factors into decision making. New Gold must satisfy the requirements from both CEAA and BCEAO regulatory bodies before the Blackwater Gold project can proceed beyond exploration.

Use & Occupancy is an extremely important aspect of the Lands and Resources department. Knowledge of how and where a First Nation uses the land – moose, fish, water etc., or the location of sacred areas – allows leadership to make informed decisions when it comes to proposed development throughout the territory. We were fortunate enough to have industry leader Terry Tobias come to the community in 2012 and conduct a Use and Occupancy map survey for our community. Since then,  Neil Gauthreau, Natural Resources and New Gold Liaison, has become a trained research associate for Terry and is able to conduct additional map surveys for the Nation.