Chief Councillor: Maureen Nyce
Councillor: Lisa Grant
Councillor: Deanna Gray
Councillor: Paul Gray
Councillor: Kimberly Robinson
Councillor: Joanne Ross
Councillor: Wade Smith
Treaty Process/Land Claims
The Haisla Nation did not sign a historic treaty with the Crown and is one of many First Nations in British Columbia whose traditional territory remains subject to modern treaty negotiations.[4] According to The Canadian Encyclopedia, Haisla traditional territory includes the Douglas Channel, Gardner Canal, Devastation Channel, Princess Royal Channel, and the Kitimat and Kemano river watersheds.[4] During the late nineteenth century, the federal government established reserve lands for Haisla communities near present-day Kitamaat Village and Kitimat as part of broader reserve policies implemented throughout British Columbia.[5]
In the 1950s, the Government of British Columbia approved the development of the town of Kitimat as a major industrial center. The construction of aluminum production facilities by Rio Tinto Alcan, hydroelectric infrastructure, and transportation networks occurred within Haisla traditional territory.[6] These projects contributed to increased industrial development in the region and altered land use patterns in areas historically used by the Haisla Nation.[6] In later decades, Haisla Nation participated in consultation processes and economic agreements related to regional industrial and energy development projects, including liquefied natural gas initiatives near Kitimat.[7]
The Haisla Nation entered the British Columbia treaty process in December 1993 and formally moved into negotiations in 1994. Treaty negotiations have included discussions involving land ownership, governance authority, resource management, and economic development.[8] According to the Government of British Columbia, the 2015 Incremental Treaty Agreement transferred approximately 120 hectares of provincial Crown land to the Haisla Nation as an interim measure while negotiations toward a final treaty continued. The agreement stated that it did not resolve broader Aboriginal rights or title claims.[9]
As of 2024, the Haisla Nation remains in Stage 4 of the British Columbia treaty process, known as negotiation of an Agreement in Principle, and no final treaty has been reached. The British Columbia Treaty Commission states that Haisla has overlapping and/or shared territory with Allied Tribes of Lax Kw’alaams, Gitxsan Hereditary Chiefs, Gitxaala, Heiltsuk, Nisga’a, Nuxalk, Tsimshian First Nations, and Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs.[8]
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Economic Development
The Haisla band council was described as "decidedly pro-business", supporting a liquefied natural gas (LNG) export project proposed by Apache Canada Ltd., and also gained equity in the BC LNG Export Cooperative.[10]
The Douglas Channel region has been targeted as tidewater for oil[10] and gas [11] export.
Douglas Channel Energy Partners
In 2004 the Houston-based firm Douglas Channel Energy Partners (DCEP) approached the corporate arm of Haisla band council regarding a potential construction project for a barge-based LNG facility. In 2011, HN DC LNG LP, a limited partnership, was formed for the Haisla Nation to engage in and benefit from western Canada's liquefied natural gas industry. In February 2012, the National Energy Board approved the LNG co-op’s project, "which will export up to 26 million tonnes of the supercooled gas over 20 years, with a single train that can process 125 million cubic feet of gas per day slated to begin operations in 2013."[10]
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