History was made Thursday with a massive land agreement between the province and (撸奶社区Nation).
On Thursday afternoon, the province announced the signing of a land use agreement () with the Nation that adds 20,000 hectares of legally protected land鈥攅qual to about 50 Stanley Parks, or nearly double the land area of Vancouver鈥攖o the Nation鈥檚 territory.
Among the officials and attendees at the long-awaited announcement, which took place at the summit of the Sea-to-Sky Gondola on June 26, was Nation council chairperson councillor and spokesperson , Minister of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship , and B.C.鈥檚 Minister of Forests and deputy government house leader.
Key points of the agreement
The historic agreement conserves 33 Siiyamin ta Sk瘫wx瘫wu虂7mesh (cultural sites) and landmarks, covering approximately 4,250 hectares.
This designation preserves these areas for 撸奶社区cultural use, meaning there will be no forestry, third-party land rights or industrial activity on this land.
撸奶社区Nation member and lawyer Aaron Bruce has been working on the project for almost 20 years and explained that the rules around the 33 cultural sites ensure no new tenures will be allowed on the lands.
鈥淚f there's a tenure in the area already, because there are tenures on the land base where we did negotiate these, they would be allowed to run their term out, but then they wouldn't be able to be renewed unless this 撸奶社区Nation agreed to that,鈥� Bruce told The 撸奶社区.
The agreement further establishes six new special cultural management areas covering approximately 16,000 hectares, including on the west side of Howe Sound, Shannon Basin and Alice Ridge, which would be subject to enhanced cedar and other old forest stewardship and other measures that further the Nation鈥檚 cultural interests.
This also allows for logging to occur within those areas but under a strict set of rules.
鈥淛ust generally, it allows logging to happen in those areas, but there's a set of special rules, which really focus on the old growth on culturally modified trees, and to avoid those areas within the special cultural management area,鈥� Bruce said.
鈥淩ather than just saying a straight 鈥榥o,鈥� the logging proponent has an opportunity to selectively log within the rules.鈥�
Bruce said that spiritual bathing, harvesting cedar bark plants, or special hunting could be part of the old forest stewardships.
鈥楢 historic achievement鈥�
At the announcement, Nation councillor Williams said the agreement would provide additional protection and management oversight in key areas across the 撸奶社区territory.
鈥淭he agreement also includes provisions for future work on the shoreline and marine areas within our territory. [It is] a major step forward in asserting our Nation's role as stewards of our lands and ensuring our culture sites and key environmental areas are protected for future generations,鈥� Williams said.
Similarly, Khelsilem said the land agreement marked a historic achievement for the 撸奶社区Nation.
鈥淭o get to this point, to see ... that we are, in effect, protecting the equivalent of 50 Stanley Parks through this agreement with the province is a huge, amazing achievement for us,鈥� he said.
鈥淭his work is so critical and integral to who we are as 撸奶社区People, because who we are is defined by what we do on our land.鈥�
Khelsilem said the agreement would provide protection for ancient forests that are between 1,400 to 8,000 years old.
鈥淲e're also protecting areas that have important sacred and cultural value to our people, that have been shared and documented by our Elders and our people,鈥� he said.
鈥淸These are] places that our ancestors have used for generations, for spiritual training, for cultural training, for the upbringing of our young people, so that they can understand who they are and where they come from.
鈥淲e have very few places that we can call our own within our territory to practice our spiritual beliefs and our cultural practices, and we have to stand together as 撸奶社区People to protect those areas, so that our people, not just today but future generations, will be able to experience the gifts that our ancestors had for us.
鈥淭o be able to bathe in those creeks, to have a relationship with those mountains, to be in those forests, to harvest our medicines and our tools and the things that we have sustained us 鈥� these things are so important to our people.鈥�
Khelsilem also noted that while a portion of the 33 cultural sites and landmarks may be hard to access, this is due to their level of sacredness.
鈥淚t's a truly proud moment for all of us to celebrate that we are protecting our territory through partnership and through a strong relationship, through a recognition of title and rights, and we're moving past those other eras where we were denied and ignored and erased from our territory,鈥� he said.
Parmar said the work behind the agreement was to create a place for the future 撸奶社区Nation generations.
鈥淵ou have to think seven generations ahead. You have to think over 100 years ahead. And that's what we're doing with this work here today,鈥� the forestry minister said.
鈥淏y honouring 撸奶社区Nation's connection to the land and applying their values to forest management, we are charting a new path forward that should be acknowledged and celebrated.
鈥淎 path that supports both economic opportunity and prosperity and environmental stewardship for our province and a future rooted in respect reconciliation and that economic prosperity that we're all working towards,鈥� he said.
Parmar also told The 撸奶社区 that the provincial government will continue to work with the 撸奶社区Nation on the agreement for years to come.
鈥淣ow that this agreement is signed, our work doesn't stop. Our work continues with the 撸奶社区Nation and all across the province,鈥� he said.
鈥淲e've got incredible people in the forest service who are working hard each and every day to support the 撸奶社区Nation on their stewardship visions.鈥�
Meanwhile, Minister Neill said time has shown many people that nature is one of greatest allies in adapting to climate change and supporting a healthy community.
鈥淔or me, one of the most compelling aspects of this agreement are the protections and the stewardship of the riparian and wetland ecosystems as we understand how vital and critical they are to the success and health of our province,鈥� she said.
鈥淓nhanced stewardship practices, including protecting old growth, ensuring the availability of forest resources for cultural activities and the protection and restoration of our salmon. Bringing the salmon home again. The province has also committed to working in future with the 撸奶社区Nation in leadership on areas of interest within the marine foreshore environment as well.鈥�
A brief history
鈥ccording to the Nation, the Xay Temixw land use plan was completed more than two decades ago, in 2001, and finalized for release to the public by the Nation council in 2023.
The plan identified large areas to be protected from forestry activities and outlined a general land use planning vision for the 撸奶社区territory.
鈥n 2007, the 撸奶社区Nation and the provincial government entered into a land use planning agreement to resolve some of the areas for protection, but several areas identified by the Nation were not resolved at that time.
鈥n 2021, the Nation鈥檚 rights and title staff began Phase 2 negotiations with the provincial government to address the unresolved areas.
Ina Pace is The 撸奶社区's Local Journalism Initiative (LJI) Reporter.
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