The Minister of Aboriginal Relations in BC says great strides have been made on the number of agreements signed with First Nations in the province.
John Rustad has the numbers.
“A decade ago we had virtually no agreements to 100 two years ago and now we have over 350 signed with First Nations so we are making great progress.”
With more agreements being signed the number of aboriginal people graduating from high school or in the workforce has gone up.
A lot of the pacts signed with the BC Government have ties to LNG opportunities.
He says one other accomplishment took place in 2015 on one of the major roadways.
“The change of Highway 16 to a Class A was very significant in terms of safety improvement for winter driving as all of these are important because it helps the economy along with goods and to make sure people can go back and forth feeling safe.”
Some long-standing Treaty and Non-Treaty files could also be tackled with the federal government next year.
Rustad adds additional training in the education sector is also a priority for 2016.