Chief negotiators for Canada, British Columbia and the Tla'amin Nation (Sliammon First Nation) today initialled a Final Agreement. This initialling marks an important step toward a treaty that would bring economic and social benefits to the First Nation and the Powell River region.

Provincial and Aboriginal leaders will honour 20 Aboriginal youth for successfully completing the 2010-11 B.C. Aboriginal Youth Internship Program, Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation Mary Polak announced.

Premier Christy Clark and Taku River Tlingit First Nation spokesperson John Ward signed an agreement that creates 13 new protected areas and provides resource development opportunities and investment certainty in more than three million hectares (approximately 11,500 square miles) in the Atlin Taku region of northwestern B.C.

A new forestry agreement and pre-treaty funding will support social and economic programs for the Tla'amin (Sliammon) Nation and restore valuable river habitat, announced Mary Polak, Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation, who visited the Tla'amin community and Powell River today.

Placing drawings and handwritten stories into a time capsule, Premier Christy Clark and Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation Minister Mary Polak joined Yale Chief Robert Hope and youth from the Yale First Nation to celebrate the introduction of provincial legislation to ratify B.C.'s third modern treaty under the B.C. treaty process.

Growing their forestry business and support for community development are two of the benefits from the Seabird Island Indian Band's new Forestry Consultation and Revenue Sharing Agreement.