As of February 25, the Halalt First Nation has blocked the Chemainus road on their territory in protest of the North Cowichan water project. The project will tap into the Chemainus river aquifer, which the community depends on, and endangers the salmon run. The district of North Cowichan has pushed the project forward despite the absence of a watershed management plan or consultation with the Halalt First Nation. The Halalt have been pushing for a judicial review since September 2009 to no avail. On March 3, the Halalt held an emergency General Band Meeting where band members voted unanimously for the continuation of the blockade in order to protect the river. On July 13, 2011, Madame Justice Wedge of the BC Supreme Court would rule in favour of the Halalt First Nation and suspended the project. While her ruling does not afford Indigenous title to the water itself, it does recognize that the surface of the land– for which the Halalt First Nation has legally recognized title– is inextricably tied to the groundwater.

Gage, Andrew. 2011. “Halalt Nation’s Win Protects Chemainus River.” West Coast Environmental Law. July 18, 2011. https://www.wcel.org/blog/halalt-nations-win-protects-chemainus-river.

Schertow, John Ahni. 2010. “Halalt First Nation holding blockade for the water.” Intercontinental Cry. March 10, 2010. https://icmagazine.org/halalt-first-nation-holding-blockade-for-the-water/.

Union of BC Indian Chiefs. 2010. “UBCIC Fully Supports Halalt Protective Blockade.” Press release. March 10, 2010. http://www.ubcic.bc.ca/News_Releases/UBCICNews03101001.htm.