On January 15, 2019, Chief Justice Veale of the Yukon Supreme Court declared that Canada has a legal obligation to negotiate a self-government Financial Transfer Agreement with Teslin Tlingit Council pursuant to their Final Agreement and sections 16.1 and 16.3 of the Self-Government Agreement.

Maegen Giltrow won two cases this year on behalf of a mother whose baby was taken away from her three days after birth. Few parents receive such representation when dealing with the children’s ministry, making it harder for them to get their kids back.

The Federal Court of Appeal quashed the approval for the Trans Mountain Expansion Project on the basis that Canada failed to fulfill its duty to consult First Nations, including the Squamish Nation and Coldwater Indian Band represented by Ratcliff & Company lawyers Matthew Kirchner, Aaron Bruce, Melinda Skeels, Michelle Bradley and Emma Hume.

The Ministry of Children and Family development has committed to an action plan in response to court rulings in favour of Huu-ay-aht First Nations represented by Ratcliff & Company.

Jane Philpott, Minister of Indigenous Services, announced in Nanaimo on Tuesday, Aug. 21 that the federal government will be providing $4.2 million in funding to support the Huu-ay-aht First Nations Social Services Project.

Blueberry River First Nations and the B.C. government try mediation as an alternative to the courtroom to negotiate Blueberry’s claim of treaty right infringement resulting from the cumulative impact of timber harvesting, natural gas extraction, roads, pipelines and other development within their traditional territory.