First Nation leader urges B.C. to maintain DRIPA as Eskay Creek mine deal is signed

VICTORIA — The president of the Tahltan Central Government says British Columbia shouldn’t change its Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, just as the First Nation and the provincial government celebrate a landmark agreement based on the legislation.

Kerry Carlick says it is not a “good idea to take anything away from DRIPA,” adding that “if anything, it should be strengthened.”

Carlick was speaking at an event in Vancouver with deputy premier Niki Sharma where they co-signed a agreement to share mineral tax revenue from the Eskay Creek mine.

The ceremony in Vancouver came after the provincial government on Monday issued an environmental assessment certificate to Eskay Creek Mining Ltd. to restart gold and silver mining at the site in northwestern B.C. after a first-of-its kind collaborative assessment process with the First Nation under DRIPA.

The provincial government has said it plans to revise DRIPA after a series of court rulings around Aboriginal title, and Sharma says the proposed amendments will respond specifically to those decisions.

Sharma says the amendments “won’t be about stepping back” from DRIPA, but about “unlocking the potential of DRIPA without leading us back to the courts.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 27, 2026.

Wolfgang Depner, The Canadian Press