Economic Development – Impact and Benefit Agreements

As mentioned earlier in the course, many modern treaties include provisions for the negotiation of further agreements to address impacts and benefits related to land activities, such as mines or parks.  These impact and benefit agreements (IBA):

• Provide for benefits to Indigenous communities for allowing activities within their territories (mining, logging, etc.)
• Address potential negative impacts from activities
• Provide for Indigenous participation in decision-making related to the planned activities

Examples of impact and benefit agreements include:

• The Inuvialuit Final Agreement requires “Participation Agreements” with developers who require access to, or across, Inuvialuit Lands that set out the rights and obligations of the parties respecting the activity for which the access is being granted.
• The Nunavut Agreement specifies that no major development project can begin until an impact and benefit agreement is finalized with the appropriate Inuit organization to address potential detrimental impacts of the project and provide benefits to Inuit.