Two state parks in the southern Vancouver Island region may be returned to local First Nations as part of the modern treaty process.
The Songhees and the T’Sou-ke Nations are in the final stages of negotiations. BC Convention processIt will be several years before the final treaty is signed, ratified and implemented.
As part of the final negotiations, the Department is considering returning Discovery Island Marine Park to Sonhees and Sooke Mountain Park to Tusuke.
The park will continue to be open to the public, but will be managed by the state.
Songhees already own half of Discovery Island off the coast of Oak Bay in Greater Victoria. Chief Rong Sam says it has been a traditional territory for thousands of years and was very important during the colonial period.
Sam says the country will continue to operate campgrounds on the island, but will welcome people with their own histories and stories.
Unlike in the past, when treaties meant giving up land, Sam says today state and federal governments recognize that the modern treaty process is about providing benefits to Indigenous communities. Is called.
“Treating us as a government was a big improvement and a big step on behalf of the federal and state governments,” Sam said.
For T’Sou-ke in western Victoria, Mount Sooke is a traditional place for hunting and gathering and is home to one of the smokehouse lakes.
“Our area is a special place,” said T’Sou-ke chief Gordon Planes. “It’s a beautiful place. It has a marine environment. It has beautiful mountains with a smokehouse lake.”
He said returning the park to state control would give it control over its environment.
The real goal for Plains is not to give back a small piece of land, but to make it a vast, connected area that can be turned into a tribal park. These are areas preserved and protected by indigenous peoples. Tla-o-qui-aht Tribal Park West Vancouver Island, and dashicox in the Tŝilhqin region BC
T’Sou-ke and Songhees are just two countries in the world. Temex Treaty Society, BC and Canada as a group. At the end of the process, each country concludes its own treaty.
If you live in the South Island, please join us. Open houses in February, March and April To learn more about the proposed treaty. There are 7 in-person events and 2 virtual events from Victoria to Nano Oath Bay.
