The Turning Point Agreement

On April 4, 2001, eight First Nations of British Columbia's central and north coast, including Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands), signed an historic General Protocol Agreement on Land Use Planning and Interim Measures with the provincial government. This unprecedented accomplishment emerged from an initiative called "Turning Point", which was developed by these First Nations in conjunction with the David Suzuki Foundation.

This Agreement means that the people who live on BC's coast, those who depend on healthy forests and fish for their livelihood, will gain more control and derive more benefits from the forests. The Agreement also means that any logging in the region must be ecologically responsible to ensure this precious rainforest is conserved in perpetuity.

The General Protocol Agreement provides the basic framework under which the individual First Nations that signed it can negotiate their own specific agreements with the province. Such negotiations are currently underway, and in addition to forestry they include initiatives for land use, tourism and marine and fisheries agreements.

In 1999, coastal First Nations challenged the David Suzuki Foundation to host a conference for the leaders of First Nation communities of British Columbia's central and north coast, including Haida Gwaii. The goal was to define common ground and common problems, and to work together for common solutions. From March 2000 until the Protocol Agreement was signed in April 2001, five Turning Point conferences were held, resulting in the following:

A Cut Above: Ecological Principles for Sustainable Forestry on BC's Coast
The General Protocol Agreement
See a map of the Turning Point First Nations territories.
Read a business perspective of the general protocol agreement