The Tla’amin Nation and the provincial government have signed an agreement to further economic reconciliation and environment stewardship in the region around Powell River.
The memorandum of understanding, signed Friday (Oct. 27), is aimed at committing to work together on a future for the tiskʷat site. It’s meant to recognize the historical and contemporary social, cultural and economic significance of the former mill site to the Tla’amin Nation.
The site was once the Tla’amin’s principal settlement and is now the site of a former pulp and paper mill.
The signing was witnessed by the oldest and youngest living Tla’amin members “to symbolize the destructive legacy and the generational opportunity that the two governments recognize at tiskʷat,” according to a release by the provincial government.
“The Tla’amin people are deeply connected to this land, but they were pushed out of their village to make room for industry without having a say in the development of the site and without reaping any economic benefits,” said Premier David Eby.
“Through this agreement, we are committing to righting past wrongs and working together to create environmental and economic benefits for the Tla’amin Nation, the surrounding community and the whole province. This is part of our commitment to Modern Treaty Nations to build relationships that are dynamic, evolving and improving over time.”
Tla’amin Hegus John Hackett said this is a once-in-150-year opportunity “to have some level of reconciliation.”
“We need to responsibly manage the decaying infrastructure and create new opportunities so that future generations are not saddled with a toxic legacy. tiskʷat is our homeland and this MOU is a powerful symbol of the province’s commitment to work differently with Tla’amin and to ensure the greatest degree of local benefit.”
The memorandum of understanding focuses on three areas of collaboration: environmental stewardship, economic development and Tla’amin’s long-term goal of site repossession. Through it, the Nation and the province plan to maintain a multi-ministry intergovernmental forum to address Tla’amin’s interests at tiskʷat.
Tla’amin has conducted significant due diligence regarding environmental liabilities, site management requirements and economic opportunities at the site. It also has an active specific claim filed with Canada on the tiskʷat site.
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