Jagrup Brar, Minister of Mining and Critical Minerals –

“Clear land-use planning provides critical certainty for investors, communities and our fast-growing mining sector. This clarity is essential to continue to responsibly build our industry while creating good, family-supporting jobs, supporting reconciliation and protecting the beautiful province we all call home.” 

Tamara Davidson, Minister of Environment and Parks –

“This work shows what’s possible when we all come together to protect the places that matter most. I look forward to hearing the results of the public engagement process that is starting. Together, these projects aim to balance the protection of B.C.’s ecosystems and cultural values with sustainable economic opportunities for communities, so people and nature can both thrive.”

Rick Van Nieuwenhuyse, chief executive officer, Contango Silver & Gold –

“Contango and its wholly owned subsidiary, Dolly Varden Silver, fully support the process and direction for the conservation of the Meziadin watershed and its critical salmon habitat. We see this land-use planning work as providing important clarity for our company and others working in the region on where it is appropriate to invest in the exploration and development of critical minerals in northwest B.C.”

Steven Petrofes, general manager, Red Chris Mine, Newmont –

“Northwest B.C. represents a world-class mining district, and unlocking its full potential depends on working in genuine partnership with host communities. By identifying and respecting areas of strong cultural significance like the Klappan in Tahltan Territory, we can focus exploration and development where projects have the greatest chance of success, from discovery through to production. The recent provincial approval and Tahltan consent for the Red Chris Block Cave project, which is expected to contribute tens of billions of dollars in GDP to the B.C. economy, demonstrates that the strongest and most sustainable outcomes are achieved through shared visions.”

Scott Lendrum, CEO, Giga Metals –

“Giga Metals welcomes the collaborative efforts of the Kaska Nations and the Province of British Columbia to create greater certainty for responsible resource development. We believe this work demonstrates how meaningful engagement and thoughtful land-use planning can support both environmental conservation and opportunities for projects such as Turnagain to deliver long-term benefits for local communities and British Columbia.”

Cronin Exploration –

“Cronin Exploration is encouraged that the proposed Dene K’éh Kusān Conservancy will ensure that important cultural and ecological values are safeguarded, while supporting continued exploration and mining activities in the remainder of the project area. We view this agreement as a strong step towards the continuous development of mutually beneficial relationships between stakeholders of development and land stewardship.”

Aleesha Switzer, acting conservation director, land and freshwater program, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society-BC –

“Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society-BC welcomes the draft Kaska-B.C. Land-Use Plan and applauds the partnership between the Province and Kaska First Nations behind it. This plan demonstrates that conservation and economic development can advance side by side. It will protect one of the province’s last remaining intact and roadless wild places, an area critical for biodiversity, cultural connection and our natural heritage. We’re equally encouraged by long-awaited progress for the Meziadin River Watershed and Klappan Plan’s Sacred Headwaters zone. We look forward to continued engagement as B.C.’s Northwest Strategy advances.“

Louise Pedersen, executive director, Outdoor Recreation Council of B.C. –

“Outdoor recreation and tourism play an important role in northwest B.C., supporting local economies, community well-being and connection to the land. The Outdoor Recreation Council of B.C. welcomes continued public engagement on land-use planning in the region and encourages recreation groups and outdoor users to learn more and share their perspectives through this process.”  

• Through engagement with stakeholders, industry and other rights-holding First Nations and a review of existing land-use direction, Kaska First Nations and B.C. have confined the geographic scope of updated land-use direction to the proposed Dene K'éh Kusān conservancy (which would cover 3,065,128 hectares) and the Dease-Liard Sustainable Resource Management Plan (SRMP) area, which covers 2,338,443 hectares.
• The remainder of the project area (48%) will continue to rely on existing land-use plan direction. The focus of the planning work in the Dene K'éh Kusān and the Dease Liard SRMP is based on the feedback from industry, communities, First Nations and interest holders.
• The proposed Dene K'éh Kusān and updates to the Dease-Liard SRMP have been guided by the following goals:
  • further incorporate Kaska and other Indigenous perspectives into land-use planning and use both Western science and Indigenous knowledge
  • incorporate input from stakeholders and communities
  • improved permitting timelines and reduced uncertainty and risk for proponents through clear and transparent guidelines
  • improve management for wildlife, riparian areas and large river corridors
  • make land-use zones, objectives and strategies in existing plans consistent
  • shift from managing individual landscape values toward a more integrated land-use management approach
• The Kaska-B.C. Land Use Planning Project was launched in June 2025. Since then, the Kaska-B.C. project team has engaged with the public and other interested parties through the project’s website, orientation sessions and a public survey, as well as virtual dialogue sessions with interest holders (in the fall of 2025) that included the gathering of statements indicating their interests in the plan area.
• Kaska First Nations and the B.C. government have continued additional engagement as requested, as indicated in the Interim What We Heard Report: https://www.planninginpartnership.ca/api/document/6a42d519c58ea4483bc13451/fetch/Kaska-BC_Land_Use_Planning_Interim_WWHR_-_FINAL_2026-06-25.pdf
• The original timeline for completing this project has been extended by mutual agreement to ensure that the public, communities, industry and interest holders can provide input. The engagement process will continue into the fall of 2026. 

• The Meziadin River watershed is the largest sockeye salmon nursery in the Nass River system, accounting for approximately 75% of the total Nass sockeye run. These fish stocks are vital to First Nations and Treaty Nations, recreational fishers, the regional ecosystem and the broader Pacific salmon economy.
• Scientific monitoring using radio telemetry has confirmed that sockeye salmon are using additional spawning grounds in Strohn Creek, Surprise Creek and the nearshore of Meziadin lake. This shift is driven by a combination of factors: the melting and retreat of glacier ice — resulting in optimal water temperatures for spawning salmon — and successive years of drought conditions impacting traditional spawning grounds such as Hanna Creek and Tintina Creek.
• Together, these factors have led to salmon moving into previously unproductive or inaccessible reaches of the watershed. 
• If approved, the proposed expansion would protect over 71 hectares of lake and stream spawning habitat — including key nursery areas in Meziadin Lake and Strohn Creek — safeguarding over 400 hectares of wetland and over 15,000 hectares of riparian areas.
• The Meziadin River Watershed Salmon Habitat Conservation Planning Project planning team has been engaging with local governments, First Nations, industry, interest holders, communities, and the public to share information and updates about the project and seek input about their interests in the region. Feedback received through these engagement opportunities has informed the development of the draft Meziadin River Watershed Salmon Habitat Conservation Planning Summary Report.

• The Klappan Sacred Headwaters — the origin of the Skeena, Nass and Stikine rivers — is a region of great ecological, cultural and spiritual significance. It is central to the identity of the Tahltan people.
• The area supports plants and animals and contains clean and reliable water sources. The area is important for Tahltan Way of Life and spiritual and cultural practices, as well as tourism, recreation, hunting and fishing.
• The Sacred Headwaters is where most of Tahltan’s biggest villages and camps were and still are located. This area is associated with ceremonial grounds, cultural and sacred sites, and plentiful wildlife and plant life used to sustain Tahltan physically as well as spiritually.
• The former Coal License Purchase Agreement (CLPA) area is directly adjacent to the Sacred Headwaters. The CLPA area includes 100% of the former coal tenures in the Mount Klappan area, which contains significant deposits of anthracite coal. The CLPA area includes ecologically sensitive portions of Little Klappan and Spatsizi Rivers, and a high density of Tahltan cultural and spiritual values. 
• The Tahltan Nation has its own Tahltan Stewardship Plan (TSP), titled Keep Our Trails Open, which was approved at the July 2024 Annual General Assembly of the Tahltan Nation in Dease Lake (Tatl'ah). The TSP includes a permanent protection designation under Tahltan law for the Klappan Sacred Headwaters. The TSP reflects extensive engagement with Tahltan members and aligns with the long-term protection measures for the Sacred Headwaters identified in the Klappan Plan.
• The B.C. government and Tahltan have engaged local governments, industry and tenure holders, environmental and conservation organizations and interested members of the public during the development and prior to approval of the Klappan Plan. In 2018, the public was invited to provide written input on implementation priorities, ongoing public involvement, and key issues that the implementation should address. That feedback was reviewed by the Klappan Management Board and has informed the plan implementation work.
• The B.C. government and Tahltan Nation are recommending a conservancy be established under the Park Act over the Sacred Headwaters Zone A and the former Coal Licence Purchase Agreement (CLPA) area.
• Conservancies are lands that are set aside for the:
  • protection and maintenance of their biological diversity and natural environments
  • preservation and maintenance of social, ceremonial and cultural uses of First Nations
  • protection and maintenance of their recreational values
  • development or use of natural resources in a manner consistent with the purposes above