The B.C. government and Natural Resources Canada are investing $195 million to help upgrade highways in Tahltan territory, in a move the province says will make the roads safer and open up mineral and mining development.
In an announcement on Monday, the Ministry of Energy, Mines, and Lower Carbon Innovation, along with the Tahltan Central Government, said the upgrades to Highways 37, 37A, and 51 are needed to “address travel safety and essential services access for people in remote communities.”
“Mining is a part of our culture and economy. For thousands of years, Tahltans prospected, mined, and traded obsidian. While we recognize the need for critical minerals for a low-carbon future, this can only happen with the free, prior, and informed consent of Indigenous Peoples; therefore, the pace and scale of mining in our territory will be determined by the Tahltan Nation,” said Beverly Slater, Tahltan Central Government president.
“Today’s announcement regarding safer highways for our people is welcomed by the Tahltan Nation,” she added.
The ministry says the upgrades will include widening shoulders, creating pull-outs for slower-moving vehicles, adding chain-up and chain-off areas, and increasing access to Wi-Fi. The money will also go toward connecting Telegraph Creek to Dease Lake and Highway 37.
“Our three Tahltan communities have struggled for generations with safe passage – via highways 37 and 51 – to southern communities where our people depend on the everyday facets of life, including emergency health care, food, and other everyday necessities often taken for granted by many residents of B.C. Resource development must result in the betterment of First Nation communities,” Tahltan Chief Carmen McPhee said.
“While we applaud this announcement, there is more work to do, not only in Tahltan territory, but elsewhere in the province,” McPhee continued.