Holiday lights are shining a little greener this winter in several remote First Nations communities that are making big strides to reduce their reliance on diesel fuel.

The Great Bear Rainforest (Forest Management) Act is set to take effect Jan. 1, 2017, following the enactment of regulations that bring the act into force and fulfill government’s commitment to ecosystem-based management in the Great Bear Rainforest.

Saulteau First Nations and the B.C. government have reached a new agreement on the Coastal GasLink natural gas pipeline project to help ensure that the Saulteau community can participate in and benefit from B.C.’s LNG opportunity.

Over the past year, more than 1,000 First Nations members throughout the province have received skills training through programs supported by B.C.’s Aboriginal Skills Training Development Fund and delivered close to home.

British Columbia’s First Peoples’ Cultural Council is using innovative technology to make over 100 First Nations languages available on mobile devices.

Reconciliation is at the heart of National Aboriginal Day, and the Haisla Nation turned the word into action this year through a partnership with the B.C. government, North Growth Foundation, and Reconciliation Canada.

British Columbia is leading the way in creating conversations on reconciliation by partnering with Reconciliation Canada and the Academy of System Change to create a new program that will help leaders live, work and breathe values that promote respect and understanding between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people.

History was made last month when a Talking Stick from the Songhees First Nation was presented to our Speaker of the Legislature, the Honourable Linda Reid. This was an important example of the B.C. government’s commitment to reconciliation and an embodiment of what reconciliation means.