LANDS DEPARTMENT MESSAGE

As the Lands Director of the Tahltan Central Government (TCG), I am pleased to contribute to this Industry Review to provide an update on the Lands Department’s operations with respect to the protection, management, and stewardship of Tahltan Territory.

Connor Pritty Lands Director

The Tahltan people have a deep connection to the land and the environment that sustains the Tahltan way of life. Tahltans have been practicing sustainable land use and resource management since time immemorial, based on Tahltan knowledge, values, and principles, which have been passed down from generation to generation and are an essential part of Tahltan identity and culture.

Today, Tahltan Territory continues to face unprecedented challenges to the environment and the Tahltan way of life. Drawing on the knowledge, values, and principles to guide decisions and actions within Tahltan Territory will continue to be the foundational pillar of the TCG’s Lands Department. We have been actively working with governments and industry representatives to protect the environment and ensure that development in territory is sustainable and respectful first and foremost of Tahltan rights and title. This can be seen through significant progressions such as the signing of the consent agreement process for the Eskay Creek Revitalization Project, where the Tahltan Nation is a true consent-based decision-maker for the project’s environmental assessment being undertaken at the provincial level.

To support the further advancement of the Tahltan consent agreement and the advancement of the Tahltan-led environmental assessment process, we have also developed the Tahltan Impact Assessment Policy. This policy provides overall direction to the Lands Department on the process of conducting impact assessments and providing recommendations on proposed projects in Tahltan Territory to Tahltan Leadership to support consentbased, informed decision-making.

We have also recently completed the Lands Department’s “Stewarding Tahltan Lands for Future Generations” Strategic Plan. This strategic plan will cover the next three years of activities and focus on initiatives that progressively develop and support the long-term vision of achieving successful protection and stewardship of Tahltan lands based on Tahltan laws, knowledge, and worldviews for future generations. The successful implementation of this plan will be essential for the Lands Department over the next three years. It is an “umbrella” that includes a number of key strategic goals that support natural resource management in Tahltan Territory and the advancement of Tahltan jurisdiction, decision-making and protection of significant areas for future generational use.