Photo: Blueberry First Nation
The Doig River First Nation in northeastern British Columbia marked the start of a new three-hectare business hub in Fort St. John with traditional prayers, dancing and food. The site is part of a Treaty Land Entitlement agreement with Doig River and Blueberry River First Nations that returns 52 square kilometers, or 5,200 hectares, of land in B.C. and Alberta taken from them in the 1900s. Developing the Naache Commons -- or Dreamers Commons -- will allow the 900 members to build an eagerly-awaited gas station and develop restaurants, traditional health and wellness services, and multi-family housing. Blueberry River Chief Judy Desjarlais said that after almost 20 years of negotiations, reclaiming the land "is a generational opportunity for our Nation." In 2021, the B.C. Supreme Court that found that years of extensive industrial development violated their treaty rights to hunt, fish and trap without interference.
|
|
More:
