The Blueberry River First Nations (BRFN) has, for a few years now, been locked in a dispute with the B.C. government over oil and gas development on its land. These tensions came to a head in 2021 when the BRFN won a landmark court case against the province as the B.C. Supreme Court ruled that Blueberry River First Nations were not properly consulted.
The 2021 verdict led to the signing of an Implementation Agreement in 2023 which generated hope things could be done differently in an area rich in natural resources.
The agreement laid out how the province and the BRFN aimed to build a “new collaborative, long-term and evolving relationship in relation to land, resources and economic development in respect of the claim area.” This agreement was praised by many as a way to placate industry interests while also aiming to protect constitutional and treaty rights. This goodwill was, however, not to last.
