Adam Gagnon/National PostFirst Nations law expert, Bill Gallagher, points to a region in southern British Columbia that is at the centre of an ongoing legal dispute between a First Nations community and a resource company.

OTTAWA, Dec. 11, 2012 /CNW/ - In a report issued today, Developing the economic potential of Canada's territories, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce argues that the federal government has a critical decision to make regarding Canada's territories if it is to fully leverage their full social and economic potential.

Northern British Columbia is one of the fastest-growing economic regions in North America. Capital investments related to transportation, advanced manufacturing, forestry, mining and oil and gas, utilities and public infrastructure development are driving employment growth in communities throughout the north.

If the rest of the world continues to see British Columbians as hewers of wood and drawers of water, perhaps it's because they know something that many of us - especially those who too rarely stray from the Lower Mainland - don't always acknowledge.

A new report by the European Space Agency revealed that Arctic sea ice is melting at a much faster rate than previously estimated. The CryoSat-2 probe, a satellite launched in 2005 with the sole purpose of monitoring the Earth's sea ice, determined that 216 cubic miles of summer sea ice has melted in the past year.

Osoyoos, British Columbia – June 26, 2012 –The National Aboriginal Economic Development Board (NAEDB), will be releasing its findings for the first-of-its-kind study, “The Aboriginal Economic Benchmarking Report”, during the 2012 Aboriginal Economic Leadership Summit in Osoyoos, BC.

VICTORIA – A new strategic engagement agreement (SEA) with the Kaska Dena First Nations in northwestern B.C. provides greater certainty about how resource development can proceed in more than 10 per cent of the province.

First nations in British Columbia are on the move economically. We are playing an increasingly greater role in the province's economy by attracting investment, creating jobs and fostering opportunity.

For far too long, and for too many regrettable reasons, many first nations have missed out on opportunities to build sustained economic activity in their homelands.