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1. Government increases funding for on-reserve housing but should grant property rights

   Appeared in the Whitehorse Daily Star, April 5, 2016 In its recent federal budget, the Liberal government committed $227 million in 2016/17 to “address urgent housing needs on reserve,” noting that First Nations people living on reserve are “more likely ...

2. Mining and First Nations collaboration thriving in the land of living skies

   Appeared in the Battlefords News-Optimist, March 7, 2016 We often hear about First Nation communities in Canada opposing natural resource projects. Whether it’s an LNG plant in British Columbia or mining projects in eastern Canada, the news is full of ...

3. Aboriginal land claims—the largest deterrent to mining investment in B.C.

   Appeared in National Newswatch, March 4, 2016 British Columbia has extraordinary mineral potential. In the recent Fraser Institute annual survey of mining companies, mining executives from around the world placed B.C. in the global top 20 in terms of pure ...

4. Aboriginal rights and private property rights clash in British Columbia

   Appeared in the Waterloo Region Record, January 29, 2016 The muddy waters of aboriginal land claims and private property rights in British Columbia may have just cleared a little. On Jan. 15, the B.C. government stated its opposition to the Tk’emlups and ...

5. Federal government rewards chiefs, First Nations bands for lack of transparency

   Appeared in the Toronto Sun, December 28, 2015 On Friday, the federal government chose to lift sanctions and restore salaries for the 43 First Nation chiefs that were not complying with the First Nations Transparency Act and withholding basic financial ...

6. Tsawwassen First Nation’s proposed LNG facility could benefit all British Columbians

   Appeared in the Vancouver Province, November 20, 2015 On Nov. 16, the Tsawwassen First Nation announced its interest in building a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal on Tsawwassen reserve land, south of Vancouver. The LNG terminal would produce three to ...

7. First Nations education in Canada: comparable funding, inferior outcomes

   Appeared in the National Newswatch, November 3, 2015 First Nations education is a hot topic. With graduation rates on First Nations reserves below 40 per cent (compared to graduation rates above 80 per cent for all other Canadian students), the issue ...

8. A reason to celebrate on National Aboriginal Day

   Appeared in the Regina Leader Post and Huffington Post A small First Nations community called Whitecap Dakota, located just outside of Saskatoon, has a lot to celebrate on National Aboriginal Day. Whitecap Dakota describes itself as a modern and ...

9. Greater clarity needed on Aboriginal title and B.C.’s trillion dollar LNG plan

   Appeared in the Vancouver Province Last summer, I wrote that the Supreme Court’s Tsilhqot’in decision, which for the first time granted Aboriginal title outside an Indian reserve, was going to be a real game changer and would “increase uncertainty in ...

10. Saskatchewan attracts mining investment while land-claims disputes damage Ontario and B.C.

    Appeared in the Financial Post The mining industry contributes mightily to Canada’s economic prosperity, adding $54 billion to Canada’s GDP and employing roughly 383,000 Canadians at an average annual salary of more than $110,000 in 2013. But Canada has a ...