By Bob Mackin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Prince George Citizen A BC Supreme Court judge has set aside the Minister of Forests’ approval of the Skeena Sawmills forest licence transfer to a numbered company owned by the Kitsumkalum First Nation. The Gitanyow Hereditary Chiefs applied for judicial review because the licence area of the Terrace-based company includes land claimed by the Gitanyow. Kitsumkalum does not have Aboriginal rights to harvest in the area. In a Jan. 7 decision, Justice Matthew Kirchner agreed with the nine hereditary chiefs that the province failed in its legal duty to consult and accommodate Gitanyow when it approved the licence transfer to 1355387 BC Ltd. “The matter must be reconsidered by the minister following proper consultation in accordance with these reasons,” Kirchner ruled. The matter…
Register
