North Peace Nations Launch Legal Challenge Over Alberta's Sale of Crown Lands to Mackenzie County

Treaty 8 Nations say government violated constitutional obligations, failed to consult, and ignored decades of warnings.

EDMONTON, AB, Oct. 6, 2025 /CNW/ - Four Treaty 8 First Nations from northwestern Alberta--the Beaver First Nation, Dene Tha' First Nation, Little Red River Cree Nation, and Tallcree Tribal Government (collectively the Nations of the North Peace)--have filed a historic judicial review against the Government of Alberta over its decision to transfer a large swath of Crown lands to Mackenzie County for agricultural expansion.

Filed in the Court of King's Bench in Edmonton, the legal challenge seeks to overturn Alberta's Stage 3 Decision, which authorizes the sale of over 15,000 acres of public land near High Level--a move the Nations say compounds a decades-long pattern of land dispossession that has already seen over 126,000 acres sold without proper consultation or accommodation of their Treaty rights.

"This is not just about one land sale," said Chief Wilfred Hooka-Nooza of the Dene Tha' First Nation. "This is about a pattern--stretching back to the 1990s--where Alberta continues to erode our traditional territories without considering the cumulative impacts. Alberta has breached its duty to consult and ignored our rights under Treaty 8."

The lands targeted by the Stage 3 Decision lie in the heart of the Nations' cultural and harvesting territories, in areas long used for hunting, fishing, trapping, and ceremonial practices. Elders and leaders have repeatedly warned both the Province and Mackenzie County that continued land alienation is threatening their way of life, food security, and cultural survival.

The application alleges that Alberta:

• Improperly narrowed consultation to "site-specific" impacts, ignoring cumulative effects;
• Proceeded with a pre-determined commitment to transfer 136,000 acres, without genuine engagement;
• Ignored community-submitted evidence of cultural and ecological importance;
• Refused to provide sufficient capacity funding for meaningful First Nations participation; and
• Violated both Section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982 and the spirit of Treaty 8.

Despite repeated calls to engage in cooperative planning, the Province has continued to move forward unilaterally, prioritizing municipal expansion over constitutional obligations.

Chief Rupert Meneen of the Tall Cree Tribal Government states, "The Nations of the North Peace are not opposed to all development. What we are calling for is development that respects and upholds the promises made in Treaty 8. That Treaty guaranteed the way of life of the Nations of the North Peace would be protected. For the Nations, this means ensuring that enough land--of sufficient ecological and cultural quality--remains for our People to hunt, fish, trap, and live according to our traditions, now and for generations to come. The Nations take these Treaty promises seriously, even when the Government of Alberta does not. They maintain that it is their responsibility to defend their rights and their future, particularly in the absence of meaningful recognition by the Crown."

The Nations are asking the Court to:

• Quash the Stage 3 land sale decision;
• Require Alberta to consult at the deep end of the consultation spectrum;
• Prohibit further Crown land sales in Mackenzie County unless and until full and meaningful consultation with the Nations of the North Peace has taken place; and
• Recognize the Crown's ongoing obligation to honour the spirit and intent of Treaty 8.

Jeff Langlois, a partner of JFK Law representing the Nations of the North Peace in the action adds, "This matter is particularly urgent for the communities, as Mackenzie County has indicated--both in formal development planning documents and in prior correspondence--its intention to push the Government of Alberta to transfer a significant portion of additional Crown lands as soon as possible, with further transfers to follow. The Nations are seeking a cooperative and defensible approach to land use planning--one that reflects not only the interests of Mackenzie County but also the ecological and cultural priorities of their neighbours in the Nations of the North Peace, who hold constitutionally protected rights."

In addition to the Stage 3 Decision, Mackenzie County has requested a further 350,000 acres of Crown land for future expansion. Absent proper consultation, comprehensive planning, and meaningful consideration of their Treaty rights, the Nations of the North Peace will oppose all further land transfers or sales in the region. If Alberta and Mackenzie County proceed without meeting their constitutional and Treaty obligations, the Nations of the North Peace are prepared to take the necessary steps to protect their territories, Treaty rights, and way of life.

SOURCE Nations of the North Peace

Media Contact: Jeff Langlois, JFK Law LLP, T: 604-687-0549, E: [email protected]