After 20 years of discussions, and 145 years of displacement, the Tla’amin First Nation and Government of Canada have agreed to land negotiations.
Hegus John Hackett says today in a statement that seven generations of Tla’amin people have fought to restore their responsibility to the big river, and now they are the generation that has the chance to correct this historic wrong.
The centre of negotiations is tis’kwat, the nation’s historic village site near the river mouth. By 1880, the site had been illegally sold and Indigenous residents forced to live elsewhere. In 1912 Western Canada’s first newsprint mill was built on the site along with a hydro dam to power it.
The mill was permanently closed earlier this year, prompting a new opportunity for negotiations over the historic site.
Tla’amin Executive Council signed an Executive Order on October 18 accepting Canada’s offer to negotiate. The Order directs staff to begin negotiations immediately.
Executive Council member Dillon Johnson says the nation has developed plans for the site which balance social, cultural, environmental, and economic values.
“A lot of harm has been done to the land,” said Johnson, “Our plans seek to reverse that harm in a careful and responsible way. Canada’s recognition of our rightful ownership at tis’kwat is an important step toward that. We look forward to a fast and fair negotiations process so that we may resume our rightful relationship with this place.”
This summer the nation and the qathet Regional District issued a joint statement, declaring they would work together to make sure the site ends up under the control of someone who will clean it up and use it for the best interests of people living in the region.
