Indigenous Consultation & Engagement Atlantic

Participant registration and welcome breakfast. Attendees collect their name badges, conference materials, and enjoy a morning meal before the official proceedings begin.

With Canada moving to accelerate major project approvals, consultation and engagement are entering a new pressure point. This opening plenary will examine how C-5 is reshaping expectations for Indigenous consultation, accommodation, and project planning in Atlantic Canada. Panelists will discuss what faster timelines mean for Indigenous rights, Crown obligations, proponent risk, and the need for early, meaningful, and well-documented engagement before projects move too far down the road.

Topics of Discussion:

• Understand how accelerated approval timelines under C-5 intersect with the Crown’s constitutional duty to consult and accommodate
• Consider what early, proactive, and well-documented consultation looks like when project timelines are compressed
• Realize how inadequate or rushed consultation can increase legal, reputational, and financial risks despite faster regulatory pathways.
• Determine how Indigenous rights holders in Atlantic Canada are responding to C-5, including expectations for partnership, consent, and long-term benefits.
• Gain tools, frameworks, for integrating Indigenous engagement into the earliest stages of project planning to avoid delays later.

First Nations are increasingly asserting inherent rights to regulate cannabis retail and distribution within their territories. This session examines how retail cannabis intersects with First Nations jurisdiction, governance, and legal rights in Canada. It will explore the evolving assertion of Indigenous sovereignty, the development of community-led regulatory systems, and the constitutional and treaty-based foundations shaping cannabis policy on reserve lands.

Topics of Discussion:

• Understanding the legal and jurisdictional landscape
• Gaining insight into economic challenges and opportunities for First Nations
• Practical considerations for policy development, partnerships, and governance models
• Considering the legal options for Indigenous Nations going forward

As New Brunswick advances its energy transition, capacity agreements between NB Power, Peskotomuhkati Nation at Skutik (Passamaquoddy), and the Wolastoqey Nation in New Brunswick (WNNB) are creating new opportunities for First Nations’ communities’ participation in consultation, environmental stewardship, energy development, and economic reconciliation. This session explores how capacity agreements support First Nations in engaging effectively with major energy projects and decision-making processes while advancing self-determination and long-term community benefits.

• Explain the purpose and value of capacity agreements between NB Power and First Nations.
• Describe how capacity funding supports First Nations participation in project review, consultation, and decision-making processes.
• Identify opportunities for First Nations leadership in renewable energy and infrastructure development.
• Assess the benefits and challenges of utility-First Nations partnerships from a reconciliation and governance perspective.
• Apply leading practices that strengthen collaboration, capacity building, and long-term relationship success between First Nations and utilities.

A’se’k was once a natural tidal estuary but was converted into a wastewater lagoon in 1967 to process effluent from a pulp mill, leading to long-term contamination next to Pictou Landing First Nation. Since the facility closed in 2020, the remediation plan has sparked ongoing conflict, particularly over how and where the sludge should be dealt with. This session explores the concerns of Pictou Landing First Nation about the approved cleanup plan, their challenge through judicial review, and the broader implications for environmental justice, Indigenous rights, and project governance in Canada.

• Gain a deeper understanding of Indigenous perspectives on contamination and remediation
• Realize the legal, environmental, and ethical concerns shaping the project
• Understand the decision points that will define the project’s future timeline
• Discern the lessons applicable to major remediation projects involving Indigenous communities
• Examine what constitutes meaningful consultation and consent in federally app-roved remediation projects

The discontinuation of Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s Atlantic Salmon program with the planned closure of the Mactaquac and Coldbrook Biodiversity Facilities mark a significant shift in conservation strategy for Inner Bay of Fundy Atlantic salmon populations. This session will explore how governments, Indigenous communities, conservation groups, and industry stakeholders can be effectively engaged during program transitions that affect endangered species, regional economies, and long-term biodiversity goals. Participants will examine best practices for consultation, co-development, and transparent decision-making in sensitive environmental policy changes.

Topics of Discussion:

• Analyze the implications of DFO’s decision on key rightsholder groups
• Identify effective consultation frameworks for environmental program changes
• Explore opportunities for collaborative conservation approaches post-program closure
• Build strategies for maintaining trust and transparency during policy shifts

The Wolastoqey Nations’ Aboriginal title claim is reshaping the national conversation on Indigenous land rights, reconciliation, and Crown obligations.

This session will explore the latest legal developments, challenge common misconceptions, and examine what Aboriginal title means for Indigenous Nations, governments, industry, and landowners across Canada. You will gain a practical understanding of the evolving Aboriginal title landscape and its implications for reconciliation and decision-making.

Topics of Discussion:

• Understanding the legal principles underlying Aboriginal title and how they differ from Aboriginal and treaty rights.
• Discerning the legal distinction between declarations of Aboriginal title and compensation-based remedies.
• Identifying the practical implications of Aboriginal title claims for governments, Indigenous Nations, industry stakeholders, and landowners.
• Understanding consultation obligations where Aboriginal title claims exist.

Strong consultation is not just about meeting legal obligations. It is about building relationships that can support trust, clarity, and better project outcomes over time. This session will examine how NexGold developed agreements with 13 Nations in Nova Scotia as part of a developing project, including how those relationships were formed, the role Kwilmu’kw Maw-klusuaqn played in supporting the process, and why early, respectful engagement can create a stronger foundation for long-term partnership, project certainty, and community benefit.

Topics of Discussion:

• Discover how NexGold and Kwilmu’kw Maw-klusuaqn worked together to reach agreements with 13 Nations.
• Understand the importance of early engagement to establish relationships from the outset.
• Using Trust & Clarity to strengthen alignment and communication.
• Recognize how effective engagement reduces delays, costs, and project risk.
• Envision long-term outcomes that support partnerships, certainty, and community benefit.