A report published by the Wilderness Committee looks at what northern B.C. community leaders need to meet the provincial goals around climate change and reconciliation with Indigenous groups.
UNBC researcher Megan Gordon spent six months interviewing 24 Indigenous and non-indigenous leaders from 21 communities across the north.
“What we heard is northerners want a new approach to development in the region that values local knowledge and supports local priorities,” project manager Peter McCartney said in a press release. “These leaders identified enormous opportunities but they need the resources, capacity and decision-making power to take advantage of them.”
Half of the participants were from local First Nations and half from local governments.
Participants includes chiefs, mayors, councillors, city managers and chief administrative officers.
Northern leaders want to see the wealth that comes from the region distributed more equitably and more power to make decisions for their communities.
“Northerners have diverse and unique needs and local leaders are the ones who know what’s best for their communities,” McCartney said. “We heard clearly they want the province to provide funding and then get out of the way.”
The report, titled Voices and Vision of Northern British Columbia, was published this morning. The Wilderness Committee is a B.C.-based non-profit group focused on wilderness conversation.
For more information, go online to www.wildernesscommittee.org.
