Treaty 8 First Nations withdraw request for Land Sharing Network support before special meeting

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Four Treaty 8 First Nations have withdrawn their request for support on the Land Sharing Network from the Peace River Regional District (PRRD), believing the concept has caused division amongst residents in the region.

Doig River, Halfway River, Prophet River and West Moberly First Nations announced Wednesday morning they have withdrawn the request for support for the initiative prior to the PRRD’s special committee meeting addressing the network.

The initiative was designed to connect Treaty 8 members with private landowners who wished to allow individuals to practice their Treaty rights on their land.

The four nations were working with their representative, Dale Bumstead, with Scion Strategies, on this voluntary program intended to strengthen ties between local Indigenous and non-Indigenous community members.

Initially, the program received support from 11 of the 12 PRRD directors earlier this year.

After misinformation was spread online, a June 8th committee of the whole meeting was disrupted by angry landowners and the meeting was deferred due to overcrowding, which resulted in the PRRD rescinding its support for the initiative.

The general concern at the June 8th meeting was about residents believing the network was granting First Nations people access to private land without permission and the regional board making private decisions about Treaty Land Sharing without public input.

In a release on Wednesday, the Nations said the false information has raised tensions and divisions in the region and threatened to reverse any tentative progress on reconciliation.

The nations also say the backlash has also affected the Saskatchewan Treaty Land Sharing Network, which was not involved with the initiative in the northeast. The release didn’t state how the initiative in Saskatchewan was affected.

Because of the backlash, the First Nations involved have decided not to pursue this initiative to “allow the much-needed work of reconciliation to continue without this distraction.”

The First Nations said they are hopeful that in the future, members of the public will confirm the accuracy of information being circulated online before acting.

The special committee of the whole meeting will continue at the North Peace Arena on Wednesday at 10 a.m. to discuss the Land Sharing Network and the Peace River Local Government Association.