Lands Department
Welcome to this new department being developed once the Land Code becomes effective. The Land Management Department is still under development and will be the place where Land Management and the Land Office will be operated from. This introduction is to share the new developments taking place and particularly the Draft land Code being prepared for a community Vote in October 2025.
Currently all land management is being done by the Indigenous Services Canada under the authority of the Indian Act. There is some allowance, direction and consultation of Skidegate Band Council but it is not self-management.
Skidegate First Nation
Land Governance
If approved by our membership, our draft Land Code will replace the large part (over 33%) of the “Indian Act” that currently controls our lands. With our land code, the authority to govern our reserve lands will return to Skidegate Band Council.
A First Nation developed and led agreement, called the Framework Agreement on First Nation Land Management, enables Indigenous Councils to resume governance over their reserve lands through their own land law when their community approves it through a vote. Skidegate Band Council is one of 217 indigenous councils’ signatories to this agreement.
Already,124 First Nations across the country have chosen to implement land laws. Canada can no longer make decisions about their lands, natural resources, or environment.
Benefits of Our Land Code
- First real recognition of Skidegate Council’s right to manage our reserve lands and resources
- Removal of reserve lands sections from the “Indian Act”
- Community control over all 11 Reserves’ land management and development
- Inclusion of all members in important decisions
- Increased accountability to our members
- Enhanced ability for Skidegate to protect our environment
A Land Code DOES NOT:
- Affect additions to reserves or land claims
- Increase provincial or municipal jurisdiction
- Affect taxation or tax exemption
- Affect Treaty/Indigenous rights
- Affect the work of the Council of Haida Nation respecting the non-reserve rights.
