Maa-nulth First Nations Final Agreement

About This Project

The Claim

The Maa-nulth First Nations Final Agreement (Vancouver Island, BC) was ratified by Maa-nulth First Nations members in 2007. Provincial ratification legislation received Royal Assent on 29 November 2007. The federal government gave Royal Assent to the Maa-nulth First Nations treaty (Bill C-41, 2009) on 18 June 2009. The Maa-nulth First Nations treaty legally took effect on 1 April 2011.

Maa-nulth First Nations:

• Huu-ay-aht First Nations
• Ka:’yu:’k’t’h’–Chek’tles7et’h’ First Nations
• Toquaht Nation
• Uchucklesaht Tribe
• Ucluelet First Nation

The Maa-nulth Final Agreement is the first modern-day treaty on Vancouver Island. It includes:

• Fee simple title to 254,459ha of land
• Constitutional authority for each Nation to determine how they will govern themselves under the treaty
• Law making authorities that the Maa-Nulth can exercise on their own lands
• The ability to enter into land-use planning protocols with local governments
• Ownership, control and management of forestry and all range resources on treaty settlement lands, as well as ownership of subsurface resources
• Joint management (with Canada) for land use, wildlife, environmental assessment and water regulation, wildlife harvesting rights
• $119.8 million in capital transfers, lump sum payments, and specific purposes outside the treaty
• $10.7 million annually in resource revenue, health, social services and education.^[54]

The Survey

To date, Underhill has completed three contracts under this agreement. These surveys were done under the BC Land Title Act and the BC Land Act and were for Pre-Effective Lands. In 2009–10, surveys were done for the Toquaht Nation, Uchucklesaht Tribe, and Ucluelet First Nation.

http://www.maanulth.ca/