July 22nd, 2024
British Columbia
News Article: First Nation in B.C. calls for delay in its neighbour’s treaty
A First Nation located in the Campbell River area of Vancouver Island says it’s concerned about a potential treaty for a neighbouring nation because it could infringe on its own rights and titles.
The Wei Wai Kum First Nation wants a delay as representatives from the K’ómoks First Nation — with reserves near Sayward, north of Campbell River and south in the Comox Valley — attended a ceremony Monday with the B.C. and federal governments to “initial” the treaty, which marks the end of negotiations and a move toward ratification of the agreement next year.
Chris Roberts, elected chief councillor of the Wei Wai Kum First Nation, said prior to the meeting that the initialling should have been paused while the two First Nations come to an agreement over shared rights and title.
“There’s a lot that’s within there that respects their core territory that we would happily support,” Roberts said. “We just have some fundamental issues around how do we describe and refer to decision-making responsibilities and what additional consultations are going to look like.”
Roberts says the K’ómoks reserve near Sayward lies within the greater Liǧʷiłdax̌ʷ (also written Laich-kwil-tach) Nation, which Wei Wai Kum was historically part of but K’ómoks was not. The treaty as written would extinguish the rights of the Liǧʷiłdax̌ʷ Nation, he said.
The Wei Wai Kum requested changes to the treaty document, but those requests were not met, Roberts said.
Full article: First Nation in B.C. calls for delay in its neighbour’s treaty.
