Colonial & Indigenous Water Governance in Unceded Indigenous Territories in British Columbia
Leila Harris and Rosie Simms, University of British Columbia
![Colonial & Indigenous Water Governance in Unceded Indigenous Territories in British Columbia](https://cwn-rce.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/CWN-EN-Harris-WEPGN-2016.jpg)
The goal of this research was to better understand the complex interactions between First Nations and colonial water governance in British Columbia, including: how colonial water governance frameworks have impacted different First Nations; barriers and opportunities for First Nations in the existing system; and the potential implications of a shift towards collaborative watershed governance. This focus is particularly relevant in light of recent legal and governance changes in BC, with the new Water Sustainability Act and a growing emphasis on pursuing collaborative watershed governance approaches. Further, the Supreme Court of Canada has clearly established that disregarding Aboriginal rights is no longer acceptable; First Nations thus need to have a meaningful role in water governance moving forward.