West Moberly First Nations is proposed to receive land parcels within the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George through treaty land entitlements, the district’s board of directors heard at their Thursday, Aug. 21 meeting.
Attached to the meeting agenda was a letter from Naomi Saukila, a senior resources co-ordination officer for British Columbia’s Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation.
Saukila wrote on May 16 that the province and the federal government have been working on transfers of Crown land with five Treaty 8 First Nations.
“(Treaty land entitlement) addresses a historic shortfall in land promised to Treaty 8 First Nations: Blueberry River, Doig River, Halfway River, Saulteau, and West Moberly; when Treaty 8 was first signed in British Columbia between 1900 and 1914,” the letter said.
“These First Nations did not receive the full amount of reserve land they were entitled to under the Treaty. TLE settlements aim to resolve this longstanding issue.”
Other negotiations are ongoing between the First Nations and the province to compensate the nations for the impacts of the Site C hydroelectric dam.
In Fraser-Fort George, West Moberly First Nations are proposed to receive lands in the Kerry Lake area, located north of Prince George on Highway 97 between Bear Lake and McLeod Lake, and the Tacheeda Lakes area, located around 25 kilometres east of Kerry Lake.
West Moberly currently has one reserve at the western end of Moberly Lake, roughly halfway between Hudson’s Hope and Chetwynd.
The regional district’s chief administrative officer, Chris Calder, wrote back to Saukila on Aug. 8 saying that Fraser-Fort George and West Moberly have signed a memorandum of understanding.
“Through this the regional district and West Moberly First Nations representatives meet to exchange information and building an understanding of each parties’ needs and interests,” Calder wrote.
Calder notes that the lands in question are a part of the district’s Electoral Area G (Crooked River-Parsnip), but Fraser-Fort George does not currently provide them with fire protection, sewer or potable water services.
“Consideration of establishing any kind of service agreement between West Moberly First Nations and the regional district would need to be discussed early and ongoing,” Calder wrote.
