Treaty negotiations could see transfer of two B.C. parks to Vancouver Island First Nations
CTV
A pair of provincial parks are being considered in the B.C. government's treaty negotiations with the T’Sou-ke and Songhees nations on Vancouver Island.
A pair of provincial parks are being considered in the B.C. government's treaty negotiations with the T’Sou-ke and Songhees nations on Vancouver Island.
The T’Sou-ke First Nation could see the return of Sooke Mountain Provincial Park as part of their traditional lands while the Songhees First Nation could once again manage the lands making up Discovery Island Marine Park, which sits off Oak Bay, B.C.
"We need our space," said Chief Gordon Planes of the T'Sou-ke Nation on Wednesday.
"How can we be T’Sou-ke without that space to practise who we are as T’Sou-ke people?" he said. "Our territory is who we are."
In a release, Songhees Nation chief Ron Sam said Discovery Island is one of the last areas of the nation's original territory that has remained untouched over the past 200 years.
"Many of our nation's generations have lived on this sacred island, and its rich surroundings reflect our peoples' relationship to the land and water," he said.
As part of the deal, the nations have agreed to maintain public access and continue recreational use in the parks.