Kelly Lake is a community in the

Peace River Country The Peace River Country (or Peace Country; french: Région de la Rivière-de-la-paix) is an aspen parkland region centring on the Peace River in Canada. It extends from northwestern Alberta to the Rocky Mountains in northeastern British Columbi ...

of northeastern

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, for ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world ...

. It is west of the border with the province of

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Terr ...

Local disputes

The Kelly Lake Cree Nation (KLCN), the Kelly Lake First Nation (KLFN), and the Apetokosan Nation (AN) are three different groups who all claim to represent the Aboriginal community of the area. The Canadian government currently recognizes none as Aboriginal peoples, though they have been part of land claims in the courts and are recognized as stakeholders in the

Northern Gateway Pipeline The Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipelines were a project to build a twin pipeline from Bruderheim, Alberta to Kitimat, British Columbia. The eastbound pipeline would have imported natural gas condensate and the westbound pipeline would have exporte ...

region by

Enbridge Enbridge Inc. is a multinational pipeline and energy company headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Enbridge owns and operates pipelines throughout Canada and the United States, transporting crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids. ...

Recognition

In 2008, the British Columbia Assembly of First Nations endorsed the claims of the local people as a First Nation, supporting the claim that the people of Kelly Lake were left out during the enumeration of peoples living within the

Treaty 8 Treaty 8, which concluded with the June 21, 1899 signing by representatives of the Crown and various First Nations of the Lesser Slave Lake area, is the most comprehensive of the one of eleven Numbered Treaties. The agreement encompassed a l ...

area. In the 1999 court documents, both the KLCN and KLFN are described as a group of "

Beaver Beavers are large, semiaquatic rodents in the genus ''Castor'' native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. There are two extant species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers are ...

Cree The Cree ( cr, néhinaw, script=Latn, , etc.; french: link=no, Cri) are a North American Indigenous people. They live primarily in Canada, where they form one of the country's largest First Nations. In Canada, over 350,000 people are Cree o ...

, and

Iroquois The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian Peoples, Iroquoian-speaking Confederation#Indigenous confederations in North America, confederacy of First Nations in Canada, First Natio ...

people". The chief of the KLCN has claimed indigenous rights because of the group's Dunne-za and Nehiyaw ancestry when speaking to a joint review panel on

BC Hydro The British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority, operating as BC Hydro, is a Canadian electric utility in the province of British Columbia. It is the main electricity distributor, serving more than 4 million customers in most areas, with the exce ...

's Site C dam project. He also claimed that the people's traditional territory extends in Alberta.http://www.ceaa-acee.gc.ca/050/documents/p63919/97889E.pdf Currently there are fewer than 100 people living in the small community and just 33 houses, a church and an old school transformed into a Community Centre. The closest town is away so residents require vehicles if they should work. School pupils take a bus to Hythe Regional for the younger ones and then to Beaverlodge Regional High for grades 10-12. The Community Centre is open four days a week for the younger members to play in a gymnasium, or perform arts and crafts.

References

{{authority control Designated places in British Columbia Peace River Country Unincorporated settlements in British Columbia First Nations in British Columbia Cree Dane-zaa Iroquois First Nations in Alberta Métis in Canada

Local disputes

Recognition

See also

References