The We Wai Kai Nation and the Province of British Columbia signed an Incremental Treaty Agreement (ITA) on Sept. 20 that will return approximately 3,075 hectares (7,600 acres) of land to the We Wai Kai Nation.
The land that is being returned under the ITA is on the Nation’s territory around Campbell Lake.
The We Wai Kai Nation of approximately 1,150 people has been in negotiations since 1997.
The signing of this treaty is part of the fifth stage of a six stage treaty process. The We Wai Kai Nation transitioned to stage five of the process in August. The sixth stage will see implementation of the treaty.
“We have been at the Treaty Table for a long time and we know that it is important to demonstrate that Treaties are more than just words,” said We Wai Kai Chief Brian Assu. Assu also said that We Wai Kai Nation sees this private land ownership as an important part of the Nation’s forestry industry.
With files from the Canadian Press.
CHEK News
