6 Apr 2021 An indigenous community and local municipal council in Quebec, Canada, have recognized the Magpie River as a “legal person,” Al Jazeera reported Saturday. The Innu Council of Ekuanitshit — the organizing body of a Cote Nord indigenous group known as the Innu of Ekuanitshit — and the local Minganie Regional County Municipality issued separate but similar resolutions on February 16 granting the Magpie River nine legal rights, “including the right to flow, to maintain its biodiversity, and the right to take legal action,” the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) reported at the time. One of the resolutions states that the Magpie may be legally represented by “river guardians” appointed by the Innu and the Minganie municipality, with “the duty to act on behalf of the rights and interests of the river and ensure the protection of its fundamental rights.” The resolution further notes the Magpie’s “biodiversity, importance to the Innu and potential as a tourism destination as reasons why the body of water needs special protection,” according to the CBC.