University of Calgary PRISM: University of Calgary's Digital Repository Research Centres, Institutes, Projects and Units Canadian Institute of Resources Law 2017-03-31 The Peel Watershed Case: Implications for Aboriginal Consultation and Land Use Planning in Alberta Jaremko, Sara L. Canadian Institute of Resources Law Jaremko, Sara L. (2017) The Peel Watershed Case: Implications for Aboriginal Consultation and Land Use Planning in Alberta. CIRL Occasional Paper #56. Available at https://cirl.ca/files/cirl/the-peel-watershed-case_jaremko.pdf. http://hdl.handle.net/1880/107633 working paper https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 The Canadian Institute of Resources Law encourages the availability, dissemination and exchange of public information. You may copy, distribute, display, download and otherwise freely deal with this work on the following conditions: (1) You must acknowledge the source of this work, (2) You may not modify this work, and (3) You must not make commercial use of this work without the prior written permission of the Institute. Copyright © 2017 Downloaded from PRISM: https://prism.ucalgary.ca Canadian Institute of Resources Law Institut canadien du droit des ressources The Peel Watershed Case: Implications for Aboriginal Consultation and Land Use Planning in Alberta Sara L. Jaremko CIRL Research Fellow CIRL Occasional Paper #56 March 31, 2017 Updated December 1, 2017 MFH 3353, Faculty of Law, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 1N4 Tel: (403) 220-3200 Fax: (403) 282-6182 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.cirl.ca CIRL Occasional Paper #56 The Canadian Institute of Resources Law encourages the availability, dissemination and exchange of public information. You may copy, distribute, display, download and otherwise freely deal with this work on the following conditions: (1) You must acknowledge the source of this work, (2) You may not modify this work, and (3) You must not make commercial use of this work without the prior written permission of the Institute. Copyright © 2017 ii/ The Peel Watershed Case CIRL Occasional Paper #56 Canadian Institute of Resources Law The Canadian Institute of Resources Law was incorporated in 1979 as a registered charity with a mandate to examine the legal aspects of both renewable and non-renewable resources. Its work falls into three interrelated areas: research, education, and publication. The Institute has engaged in a wide variety of research projects, including studies on oil and gas, mining, forestry, water, electricity, the environment, aboriginal rights, surface rights, and the trade of Canada’s natural resources. The education function of the Institute is pursued by sponsoring conferences and short courses on particular topical aspects of resources law, and through teaching in the Faculty of Law at the University of Calgary. The major publication of the Institute is its ongoing looseleaf service, the Canada Energy Law Service, published in association with Carswell. The results of other Institute research are published as discussion papers. The Institute is supported by the Alberta Law Foundation, the Government of Canada, and the private sector. The members of the Board of Directors are appointed by the Faculty of Law at the University of Calgary and the President of the University of Calgary. All enquiries should be addressed to: The Executive Director Canadian Institute of Resources Law Murray Fraser Hall, Room 3353 (MFH 3353) Faculty of Law University of Calgary Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 1N4 Telephone: (403) 220-3200 Facsimile: (403) 282-6182 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.cirl.ca iii/ The Peel Watershed Case CIRL Occasional Paper #56 Institut canadien du droit des ressources L’institut canadien du droit des ressources a été constitué en 1979 comme un organisme de bienfaisance enregistré et a reçu pour mission d’étudier les aspects juridiques des ressources renouvelables et non renouvelables. Son travail porte sur trois domaines étroitement reliés entre eux, soit la recherche, l’enseignement et les publications. L’institut a entrepris une vaste gamme de projets de recherche, notamment des études portant sur le pétrole et le gaz, l’exploitation des mines, l’exploitation forestière, les eaux, l’électricité, l’environnement, les droits des autochtones, les droits de surface et le commerce des ressources naturelles du Canada. L’institut remplit ses fonctions éducatives en commanditant des conférences et des cours de courte durée sur des sujets d’actualité particuliers en droit des ressources et par le truchement de l’enseignement à la Faculté de droit de l’Université de Calgary. La plus importante publication de l’institut est son service de publication continue à feuilles mobiles intitulé le Canada Energy Law Service, publié conjointement avec Carswell. L’institut publie les résultats d’autres recherches sous forme et de documents d’étude. L’institut reçoit des subventions de Fondation du droit de l’Alberta, du gouvernement du Canada et du secteur privé. Les membres du conseil d’administration sont nommés par la Faculté de droit de l’Université de Calgary et le recteur de l’Université de Calgary. Toute demande de renseignement doit être adressée au: Directeur exécutif Institut canadien du droit des ressources Murray Fraser Hall, pièce 3353 Faculté de droit L’Université de Calgary Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 1N4 Téléphone: (403) 220-3200 Télécopieur: (403) 282-6182 Courriel: [email protected] Site Web: www.cirl.ca iv/ The Peel Watershed Case CIRL Occasional Paper #56 Table of Contents Acknowledgements .............................................................................................................. vi 1.0 Introduction ........................................................................................................2 2.0 Yukon Territory and Peel Region ...............................................................4 2.1 Constitutional Context ..................................................................................4 2.2 Peel Region ...................................................................................................6 2.3 Development Potential ..................................................................................7 3.0 The Peel Case ......................................................................................................8 3.1 Public Attention. ............................................................................................8 3.2 Peel Watershed Regional Plan History ........................................................10 3.3 Litigation ......................................................................................................16 3.3.1 Yukon Supreme Court: The First Nation of Nacho Nyak Dun v. Yukon, 2014 YKSC 69 ...................................................................16 3.3.2 Yukon Court of Appeal: The First Nation of Nacho Nyak Dun v. Yukon, 2015 YKCA 18 ..................................................................18 3.3.3 Yukon Government Change ..........................................................20 3.3.4 Supreme Court of Canada: The First Nation of Nacho Nyak Dun v. Yukon, SCC File No. 36779 ...............................................21 3.3.5 Issue: Treaty Interpretation ............................................................23 3.4 Implications of the Peel Case for Yukon ......................................................26 3.4.1 Content of PWRLUP .....................................................................26 3.4.2 Political Activism...........................................................................26 3.4.3 Legal Outcome ...............................................................................29 3.4.4 Treaty Interpretation – Duty to Consult .........................................29 4.0 Alberta .................................................................................................................33 4.1 Constitutional Context and Consultation .....................................................33 4.2 Land Use Planning in Alberta ......................................................................35 4.3 Issues Relating to Land Use Planning and First Nations in Alberta ............39 4.4 Implications of the Peel Case for Alberta ....................................................43 5.0 Land Use Planning – First Nations Connection ...................................43 6.0 Resultant Issues in Yukon and Alberta ...................................................44 6.1 Status of Land Use Planning Consultation as a Treaty Right .......................45 6.2 Procedural v. Substantive Breaches of the Duty to Consult .........................45 6.3 Potential for Unilateral Crown Decision-making and the Honour of the Crown .....................................................................................................45 7.0 Conclusions ....................................................................................................... 46 8.0 Addendum – the SCC Decision in 2017 ................................................. .46 Appendix ....................................................................................................................... 51 Bibliography ................................................................................................................ 57 v/ The Peel Watershed Case CIRL Occasional Paper #56 Acknowledgements The Institute would like to thank the Alberta Law Foundation for their generous support in the development of this occasional paper.