About

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The kinosew sîpîy whutone gah saghé Murray River flows into the Pine River and on to the Peace River in Treaty 8 territory in northern British Columbia. 

The watershed has long been a valued cultural space for Treaty 8 First Nations where First Nations people can peacefully enjoy the exercise of Treaty rights. The watershed is also a popular space for recreational activities including river boating and hiking. However, the watershed has also been impacted by activities including coal mining, forestry, agriculture, recreation and other activities. Currently, there are six coal mines in the watershed with additional land uses that include forestry, oil and gas, agriculture, and a municipal waste discharge from Tumbler Ridge.

McLeod Lake Indian Band, Saulteau First Nations and West Moberly First Nations have been expressing concerns about impacts in the kinosew sîpîy whutone gah saghé Murray River Watershed (KSWGASMR) Watershed for decades. 

A collaborative workshop meeting was convened in 2014 (hosted by Teck Resources, the mining company and attended by the First Nations, BC, industry and others). An action item from this meeting was to form a committee to understand and address cumulative effects in the watershed. The Murray River Aquatic Cumulative Effects Assessment Framework (MRACEAF) Steering Committee was convened, and a first Terms of Reference was developed in July 2014.  

The participating First Nations eventually moved away from the Steering Committee as the focus on water quality data did not meet their needs and concerns about cumulative effects at the time. 

In 2018/2019, the participating First Nations returned to the group to collaborate on the development of Water Quality Objectives. In 2020, a government-to-government table formed to further address water quality and Water Quality Objectives. Steering Committee members have had input on the WQOs through the process, with collaboration and consensus being focused at the G2G Water table.

The Watershed Governance Partnership Table for the kinosew sîpîy / whutone gah saghé / Murray River watershed builds upon and progresses this work towards addressing, managing, restoring, and recovering the watershed for the water and all users in the watershed.