The Tla’amin Nation says more effective protection of cultural heritage sites will be possible through a new agreement between the Nation and province.
The Nation says that the agreement will involve information sharing and government-to-government collaboration on compliance and enforcement matters under the Heritage Conservation Act.
There are over 632 registered archaeological sites in the Tla’amin territory, according to the Nation. However, due to their remote locations they say monitoring them has been a challenge.
“Effective enforcement requires collaboration and information sharing,” said Hegus John Hackett. “This agreement will help us protect and preserve our ancestors’ remains and our cultural treasures.”
A team of culture and heritage technicians is being built by the Nation for enforcement. They say technicians report compliance issues to the compliance and enforcement branch, and responded to 348 requests last year.
The Nation adds that the agreement moves the treaty partners one step closer to a comprehensive heritage stewardship and enforcement agreement as envisioned under the Tla’amin Treaty.
