Chief negotiators for Canada, B.C. and the Tla’amin First Nation have initialed a final agreement on a treaty that includes self-government, cash and land transfers.
The treaty still needs to be ratified by the Tla’amin Nation – approximately 990 members whose traditional territory and reserve lands are located north of Powel River.
Under the treaty’s terms, the Tla’amin Nation will receive 8,322 hectares of treaty settlement lands, including surface and sub-surface resources. The land package includes 1,917 hectares of Indian reserves and 6,405 hectares of provincial Crown lands.
The Tla’amin will also receive a capital transfer of approximately $29.7 million over 10 years, economic development funding of approximately $6.9 million and a fishing vessel fund of $250,000. B.C. and Canada will each provide $331,292 in resource revenue sharing for 50 years.
The treaty also provides for the Tla’amin Nation’s ownership of forestry resources, as well as domestic fishing, gathering and harvesting rights.
Commercial fishing will be licensed by the minister of Fisheries and Oceans and managed under the terms and conditions that apply to other commercial fishers.
“With 50% of the Tla’amin Nation’s population under the age of 25, I believe this agreement will ensure that the Tla’amin people have the ability to provide increased economic opportunities for future generations, while continuing to honour their traditions and culture,” Mary Polak, Aboriginal relations and reconciliation minister, said in a press release.
Jenny Wagler
@JennyWagler_BIV