DEPARTMENTS
Lands & Resources
Preserve, Protect, Plan & Manage
As stewards of the traditional territory, the job of the Kitselas Lands & Resources Department is to preserve and protect Kitselas lands and resources. We plan and manage all potential developments and impacts to ensure sustainable use for current and future generations.
We take an open, responsible and holistic approach in all the work we do, while respecting history and culture, and asserting Kitselas Rights and Title. We are a progressive, passionate and supportive team that adapts well to change. We value continued personal and professional growth with the aim of buildingcapacity within our department and the Nation as a whole.
The work of our department empowers Kitselas Nation and facilitates a new era of indigenous self-governance. By celebrating and communicating our department’s successes, we demonstrate the true capabilities of First Nations to positively affect land and resource management and decision-making. This authorizes a new model of co-management that relies on First Nations knowledge and contributions.
Kitselas Land Use Plan
Anyone wanting to build on or develop a business on Kitselas Reserve Land, must talk to the Kitselas Lands & Resources department.
And any new development, or expansion or relocation of existing development, on Kitselas Reserve Lands must adhere to the Kitselas Land Use Plan. Examples of projects that require input from the Land Use Plan include:
- Residential development (homes and subdivisions)
- Commercial development
- Industrial development
- Infrastructure development
- Community facilities
- Resource extraction activities (i.e. forestry and mining)
The Land Use Plan is a living document, created with the input of community members, staff and external experts. The plan was most recently updated and completed in 2019.
Lands & Resources Policy
The Kitselas Lands & Resources Department is guided by the Kitselas Lands & Resources Policy. This policy is a statement of the principles and processes for land, water and resource management in the Kitselas traditional territory. It is predicated on Kitselas First Nation aboriginal rights and title. It is also based on the teaching of our elders that ownership carries with it a responsibility for stewardship and sharing.
This policy carries with it an invitation to non-native people in our territory to participate in a process of reconciliation. If you hold interests in the lands, water and resources in the Kitselas First Nation territory, granted to you by other governments, we wish to talk to you about ways in which those interests can be used to better serve your needs and those of the Kitselas First Nation.
For governments, this policy sets out certain criteria, which we can use to forge more balanced and effective inter-governmental working arrangements, ensure meaningful consultation and appropriately engage the honour of the Crown in all our dealings regarding lands, water and resources.
This policy does not constitute a blanket approval for land, water and resource decisions that have been made in the past in which the Kitselas First Nation did not participate. Those decisions and the tenures or interests that have been created from those decisions need to be dealt with through individual processes involving the Kitselas First Nation, the responsible governments and the various tenure holders in our territory.
Consultation & Engagement
The Consultation and Engagement Division of the Lands & Resources Department ensures that Kitselas Rights, Title, and community interests are represented, upheld and protected throughout the Traditional Territory in accordance with the Kitselas Lands Resources Consultation and Engagement Policy.
Through consultation with the federal and provincial governments, and engagement with proponents, the team strives to facilitate discussions that achieve consensus among all parties, thereby allowing Kitselas to make informed land use decisions. As a result, we and the community can be confident that Kitselas will benefit from all proposed land use decisions, and that Kitselas Rights & Title, and the lands and waters of our Traditional Territory are protected.
Resource Stewardship
The Resources Stewardship division is responsible for the management and protection of fisheries, forests, wildlife, water and cultural heritage resources within the Kitselas Traditional Territory. With Kitselas community values at the forefront, we monitor, assess, collect data and record resource information to ensure on-going and sustainable use of the Traditional Territory’s lands and waters by current and future land users. Through science and stewardship, the work of this team establishes Kitselas’ role as a resource authority while providing technical advice to inform regional management decisions in government-to-government discussions.
Reserve Lands Management
The Reserve Lands Management division of the Lands & Resources department aims to ensure that the direction of development on reserve lands meets the needs and desires of Kitselas community members. Following procedures set out by the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (CEAA), we ensure projects on Kitselas lands are planned and managed in a careful and precautionary manner so that they do not cause significant adverse environmental effects.
The Reserve Lands Management division performs all individual land holdings under the Kitselas Reserve Lands Management Act. Responsibilities include: land transfers, assisting with survey requests, researching individual land titles, recording oral history, updating titles, resolving internal boundary disputes, performing encumbrance checks and managing general inquiries. We register all Kitselas certificates of allocation, land transfers, leases, permits, easements, and rights of ways, as well as issue tax notices and collect property taxes. Taxes go towards programs and services provided to the Kitselas community members such as: water and sewer, fire protection, garbage collection, BC Assessment and transit services.
Contact the Kitselas Lands & Resources Department for more information about any of these programs or services.
Kitselas Lands & Resources Information