On May 28, the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation announced the discovery of a mass grave with 215 unmarked burials at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. Only one month later, the Cowessess First Nation announced they had discovered 751 unmarked burials on the site of the former Marieval Indian Residential School. Both of these discoveries refute currently accessible official records, in which minimal deaths were recorded for the schools – 50 at Kamloops and 8 at Marieval. We have been reminded of the importance of Survivor testimony, as Elders, Knowledge Keepers and Survivors have provided information on mass graves and unmarked burials at sites across Canada. This news is distressing but unfortunately not shocking: these discoveries are similar to findings emerging from communities across Canada and stories of student deaths have been shared and well documented by Survivors.

TW. CW: Residential Schools

We struggle to find the right words to convey how profoundly sad, disheartening, and distressing the findings over the last few weeks have been. In this heartbreaking time, and with potentially more gravesite discoveries to follow, there are few words that fit. 

This case concerns whether Canada had justified its infringement of the commercial fishing rights of the five Nuu-chah-nulth Nations of Ahousaht, Hesquiaht, Mowachaht/Muchalaht, Tla-o-qui-aht, and Ehattesaht/Chinehkint (collectively, the “Nations”). The Nations’ commercial fishing rights had previously been declared eleven years earlier and the cumulative effect of Canada’s fishing regime was found to have infringed those rights (2009 BCSC 1494).

Numerous changes to the Canada Labour Code in 2019, 2020 and now in 2021 mean big changes for federally regulated employers across Canada. First Nations governments will need to review their Human Resources policies and practices to ensure consistency with the new requirements and to avoid incurring any potential liability for non-compliance.

In 2013, two Innu First Nations and several elected individuals (the “Innu”), filed suit in the Superior Court of Quebec against two mining companies responsible for a megaproject consisting of multiple open pit mines near Schefferville, Quebec and Labrador City, Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as port, railway and industrial facilities in Quebec and railway in both provinces.

On September 30th, 2019, the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench awarded advanced costs to Beaver Lake Cree Nation (“Beaver Lake”). Beaver Lake is a Treaty 6 signatory. While purportedly protecting harvesting rights, Treaty 6, like other numbered treaties, contains a clause allowing the Crown to “take up” lands for various purposes.

Woodward & Company invites you and your colleagues to join lawyers from across Victoria in a demonstration of unity for ambitious climate action. From 12-1pm on Friday, September 27, we will gather on the lawn of the Legislature under the banner of “Lawyers for Climate Action” and march in the Global Climate Strike. We will be dressed in business attire.

On August 12, 2019, BC’s Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation and the First Nations Leadership Council announced that, after years of negotiations, First Nations in BC will now receive their share of provincial gaming revenues.

On May 2, 2019, the BC Court of Appeal confirmed that aboriginal rights protected by section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982 may be exercised by modern indigenous collectives who descend from historic collectives that exercised the practice, custom, or tradition in that territory, if there is continuity between the practices of the modern and historic collectives. Reconciliation of pre-existing Indigenous societies with the assertion of Crown sovereignty requires the protection of those rights – even where the modern members no longer reside in the traditional area in question.

The Cowichan Nation is taking legal action in the Supreme Court of British Columbia to recover its government-owned lands near the mouth of the Fraser River in British Columbia. The case is based on Cowichan Nation Aboriginal title to approximately 1900 acres of traditional village and surrounding lands on the south shore of Lulu Island now in the city of Richmond, as well as a Cowichan Nation Aboriginal right to fish the south arm of the Fraser River for food.