The minister responsible for treaty negotiations with First Nations in B.C. confirms public access to 30 properties, including a well-known castle, could be limited or lost completely following an agreement.
More than 30 years of talks between the government and an association representing five First Nations on Vancouver Island are approaching the final stage under British Columbia's modern treaty process.
The proposed treaty for the Songhees Nation in Greater Victoria calls for the transfer of Hatley Park, which is federal Crown land and includes Royal Roads University and its iconic Hatley Castle, frequently used as a movie backdrop.
Spencer Chandra Herbert, the minister of Indigenous relations and reconciliation, says the talks around Hatley Castle also involve the federal government, and couldn't say when it would be transferred following a process that could last years.
Chandra Herbert says public access to those properties could be comparable to the current practice of temporary park closures.
BC Parks schedules temporary closures of parks and recreational areas, so local First Nations can access them for environmental and cultural reasons, including hunting.
Chandra Herbert says both the First Nation and Royal Roads University want to keep using Hatley Park as a post-secondary campus, with a commitment for continued public access.
"So, in that sense, nothing is changing, or nothing would change, should the treaty be successful in terms of community ratification, and passing the legislature, and all those things," he says.
Available documents also show the Songhees Nation would receive two parking lots in downtown Victoria, including one next to the provincial legislature, and Discovery Island Marine Provincial park.
The Te'mexw Treaty Association includes the Beecher Bay, Malahat, Snaw-Naw-As and T'Sou-ke First Nations.
A public consultation document says that there may be changes that could take some getting used to.
"For instance, some lands in the proposed land package have been available for public use," it says. "Once those lands become treaty lands, there may be limited access or even no access for public use."
Chandra Herbert says the public would lose access where a parcel of land is used for housing.
Conservative Leader Kerry-Lynne Findlay says in a statement that the provincial government must immediately stop land transfers, because talks with groups such as the Te'mexw Treaty Association and others are unfolding without the public's knowledge.
"Handing over public assets at this vast scale in secret deals is a direct betrayal of our democracy that treats British Columbians, who own this province, as non-existent," she said.
She adds that current talks with First Nations on Vancouver Island and elsewhere are just the beginning.
"There are still over 150 Indigenous bands in B.C. still to be dealt with," she says. "There will be nothing left by the time they are finished."
Chandra Herbert says the public has been very much involved in these talks.
"Just because they (Conservatives) finally paid attention, doesn't mean it was a secret."
He also defends the modern treaty process as an alternative to the legal confrontations of the past, and as a catalyst for economic growth.
Te'mexw Treaty Association says in a statement that it recognizes the public's questions about the negotiations, and what they could mean.
"Those questions deserve clear, factual answers grounded in the history and context of the Te’mexw Treaties," it says.
"These negotiations reflect decades of bipartisan commitment that extends beyond the government of the day. Reducing treaty lands to political shorthand strips away that history and misrepresents the purpose of modern treaties."
Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
