Cariboo

Since time immemorial, the inhabitants of the Cariboo region maintained a sustainable socioeconomic system using the rich and varied abundance of natural resources of the region. Fishing in the Cariboo’s many rivers and lakes historically played a large economic role, and today recreational and sport fishing remain important, both culturally and economically.

In the 1860s, a gold rush descended on the Cariboo region, bringing prospectors from across North America eager to make their fortunes. Other entrepreneurs soon moved to the area to service the growing boomtowns. Today, resource-based industries such as mining and forestry, as well as spin-off support industries like lumber processing and trucking, continue to play a strong role in the area’s economy.

In 2014, the Supreme Court of Canada declared that the Tsilhqot’in Nation (comprised of six individual First Nation bands) held Aboriginal title to the claim area at issue. This decision rejected the notion that Aboriginal title could only exist in small intensively used spots. The Court also confirmed that Aboriginal title confers on the group that holds it, the exclusive right to decide how the land is used and the right to benefit from those uses, subject to the limits set out by the Court.

With a greater population than its northern neighboring regions (North Coast, Nechako and Northeast), the Cariboo regional economy is comparatively larger in sectors such as health care professional services, administration and manufacturing, while still being based primarily in the natural-resources sector.  The rich forestry and mining resources that formed the basis of the early settler economy continue to play dominant roles, supporting Prince George as a service and supply hub for natural resource and construction activities. The boom-and-bust nature of these industries, impacted by fluctuating commodities prices, as well as natural disturbances like the Pine Beetle infestation, have contributed to a higher degree of economic instability in the region compared to the province’s more diverse southern economies.

Cariboo’s closer proximity to southern British Columbia has enabled growth of the outdoor recreation economy, including fishing, boating, hiking and biking in the summer months and skiing and snowmobiling in the winter.

Development corporations— owned collectively by aligned Nations or by individual First Nations— are the primary vehicles by which First Nations pursue and advocate for sustainable economic development, and can be explored through the Community Profiles Section of this database.

Tsilhqot’in National Government was established in 1989 to meet the needs of and represent the Tsilhqot’in communities of Tl’etinqox, ?Esdilagh, Yunesit’in, Tsi Deldel, Tl’esqox and Xeni Gwet’in as they strove to re-establish a strong political government structure.

www.tsilhqotin.ca

Northern Shuswap Tribal Council is a political alliance between four of the 17 bands that are known as the Secwepemc Nation (which spans both the Cariboo and Thompson Okanagan regions). The four bands comprising the NSTC are: the Tsq’escen’ (Canim Lake), Stswecem’c/Xgat’tem (Canoe & Dog Creek), Xat’sūll (Soda & Deep Creek), and T’exelc (Williams Lake a.k.a. Sugar Cane).

www.northernshuswaptribalcouncil.com

Carrier Chilcotin Tribal Council is a political alliance that seeks to build unity and enhance the wellbeing of four central interior communities (Ulkatcho, Lhtako Dene, Toosey, and Kluskus) and their citizens through the delivery of quality programs and services.

www.carrierchilcotin.org