Resources
Additional Information
Useful Links
Want more information? Below is a list of useful links and resources generated by the Wei Wai Kum Kwiakah Treaty Society and an archive of resources produced by the organization.
Treaty Information
WKTS Completed Agreements
Liq’wala
Other Agreements
- Forest Consultation and Revenue Sharing Agreements
- Strategic Engagement Agreements
The Indian Act
United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
Members-only Information
The information and materials shared in the Members-only section is for WKTS Nations members.
If you are a member, please log in below to view Treaty information and updates, videos, news and meeting recordings.
These materials are provided to educate and inform our members about treaty issues, the status of the treaty negotiations and community updates. This information is not for the general public and should not be shared with anyone not a member of the WKTS Nations.
Have additional questions? Contact us info@wkts.ca
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FAQ
General
A. WKTS is in Stage 5 of 6 of the BC treaty process, “Negotiation to Finalize Treaty.”
A. We are currently negotiating jurisdiction of lands, waters and resources, as well as a land and cash settlement.
Money/Cost
A. As of April 2018, Nations are fully-funded to negotiate treaties. Canada’s 2019 budget announcement included loan forgiveness for all previous treaty debt.
A. Each Nation will receive a land and cash offer. These are still being negotiated.
STATUS/ RIGHTS
A. If the treaty is signed, we will still have status cards and continue to be eligible for programs and services available through Indian Affairs. With a treaty, the Nations will also gain the opportunity to develop and add programs and services of their own. There is some confusion about past treaties because members from those Nations still had status cards but their status cards didn’t work to get tax exemptions. So, if we sign a treaty, our members who are status will keep their status cards and still be able to use them for tax exemptions. We will also keep all our programs and services but will also add to them.
A. Aboriginal rights are essentially the right to hunt, fish, trap and gather for food, social and ceremonial purposes. Aboriginal title is ownership of lands we can show we have occupied “exclusively” for a very long time. Exclusive ownership is difficult to prove, particularly because of overlaps. These rights become expanded under the treaty.
Under the treaty, we get full ownership of the Treaty Settlement Lands and self-government. Wei Wai Kum rights and title will not be extinguished through treaty – they will be asserted and exercised in accordance with the treaty.
A. Everyone who meets the enrollment conditions (ancestry, real connection to the community) has the right to be a citizen. The Nation can decide to extend citizenship to others.
LANDS/ RESOURCES
A. Fee simple land means lands that are fully owned by the Nation. Federal and provincial law recognizes this as the highest form of land ownership.
Indian Reserve lands: The Indian Act (Sec. 18(1)) states that reserves are “held by Her Majesty for the use and benefit of the respective bands for which they were set apart, and subject to this Act and to the terms of any treaty or surrender, the Governor in Council may determine whether any purpose for which lands in a reserve are used or are to be used is for the use and benefit of the band.” In other words, Canada owns reserve lands and allows us to use them as long as the Minister agrees with said use.
Treaty Settlement Land: Sometimes called “fee simple plus” because it is ownership plus jurisdiction. We will own our Treaty Settlement Lands. We will have law-making authority on our Treaty Settlement Lands and we will develop them as we determine.
Wei Wai Kum and Kwiakah are exploring retaining reserve lands to maintain land code and taxation authorities. We have committed to our members that a treaty will enhance and add to what we have, rather than take away, and that includes taxation and jurisdiction under the First Nation Financial Management Act and the First Nations Land Management Act.
