District of Squamish (DOS) council and Squamish Nation chief and council signed a "historic" intergovernmental accord on Tuesday (March 8) loaded with support, constraints and expectations.
The accord is meant to confirm a strong working relationship between the two in light of the Squamish Nation's plan to purchase 1,200 acres of land in and around Squamish.
The lands transfer was approved by the province and could have gone through without district approval, but when the District of Squamish realized the potential impact the transfer could have, it became intimately involved.
"We've never signed a document of this significance," said Mayor Greg Gardner during the event.
"It is easily one of the most important accomplishments during my term on council."
Gardner said without this type of agreement, there could be conflicts, but instead the accord resolves many issues and sets the framework to determine the future of the relationship.
Squamish Nation Chief Gibby Jacobs agreed and was pleased the two entities were moving forward in a positive direction.
"In the not-so-distant past things weren't as rosy as they are today," he said. "But now we're reconciling the interests between two governments."
The accord stipulates that the newly acquired Squamish Nation lands will be developed in line with the district's Official Community Plan (OCP). In exchange, the DOS and Squamish Nation will establish a servicing agreement for the existing reserves in Squamish.
That means the district will provide services (water, sewer, policing, fire rescue and garbage collection) to reserve lands equal to the services provided and subject to the same limitations as the rest of Squamish.
Gardner said that's one reason the Squamish Nation "very appropriately did not want to move forward on this without having the support of the DOS."
"It's not any benefit to Squamish Nation to acquire a bunch of land from the province and then not be able to afford to service it," he said. "For example, if Squamish Nation reserves weren't being serviced by us for sewer, it would be very expensive to build a sewage treatment plant just for their reserves."
The accord also guarantees Squamish Nation support for the district to acquire several parcels of land it is seeking (or has sought after for several years in some cases). One key parcel is the optimal landfill expansion site, an untouched area to the east of the existing landfill that would enable it to serve the community's need for decades.
Other sites include a water tower site in Brackendale and the Youth Resource Centre land.
Squamish Nation has also agreed to support the Squamish Oceanfront Development Corp. planning and the transfer of B.C. Rail properties to the district for infrastructure.
If the district intends to acquire B.C. Rail lands for economic development ventures, it promises to partner with Squamish Nation.
The 1,200 acres includes 200 acres of land in the Cheekye Fan area near Depot, Government and Ross roads in Brackendale. The Squamish Nation has plans to rezone and develop the area and the district is supportive so long as 50 acres - the Brackendale Farmers' Park, which is currently unprotected Crown land -is dedicated as a public park and the district receives 25 per cent of the profit from the development.
Jacob said the reasoning on that portion of the agreement was part sympathy and part strategy.
"They're cash starved up here - taxation for the district has really topped out and they need new revenue," he explained. "And for us, having the district on side as the governing institution for land use, it just made sense for us to share."
The most challenging and contentious issue was the Squamish Nation's decision to consent to the district's request not to add Site B (south Waterfront landing) to reserve land. Instead, the district and Squamish Nation have agreed to investigate the possibility of a marina or other employment-generating options together.
"The largest challenge in the accord was Site B and our intention to turn it into a reserve," Jacob said without hesitation.
"It was one of the linchpins for the municipal government here that the status be kept as industrial lands - but we'd had support from the province to turn 60 acres of that into reserve.
The district's resolve won out in the end.
"The district was pretty adamant that Site B was a huge part of their planning in the OCP, so we thought, 'Well we can give that up for the bigger perimeter of the deal.'
The list of support and concessions by Squamish Nation did not go unnoticed and un-criticized by everyone, despite the general atmosphere of support. One clause in the pamphlet distributed at the ceremony prompted former Squamish Nation council member Randall Lewis question the Squamish Nation's "due diligence."
The clause reads: The District does not agree to support any additions to Squamish Nation Reserve Lands.
"We have lands that we've acquired that we want to build our reserves on and the federal crown and the province have supported us," Lewis said, "so for the district to not support us I find that kind of bewildering.
"When I saw that in the accord I found it kind of discouraging and felt it was a step back for me and I believe a lot of our community members will feel the same."
When Lewis pointed this out during the question period after the signing of the accord, both Gardner and Jacob quickly clarified that "at this time" should have been added to the end of the clause. They said the accord is a living document.
"The document can be changed by the consent of both parties," Gardner said.
Nonetheless, Lewis said he felt the document itself was a bit one-sided.
"We're supporting everything they're doing but they're not supporting a lot," he said. "Is that fair? Not to me. A lot of our community members are going to read this and be like 'What the hell were you guys thinking?'"
Lewis said in his experience, the Squamish Nation has a tendency "to step on our own feet trying to please others."
"It's a live document, but it could be a dead document real quick because I think there's some members who won't take this lying down," he said, specifically referring to the promise not to add Site B to reserve land.
Gardner reiterated that the conditions weren't set in stone and the true significance of the evening was the progress made with regard to the bond between the DOS and Squamish Nation.
"I realized a few months ago that what was important was our relationship," he said. "We've built a relationship based on trust, respect and principles.
"This is a historic event, though historic is not defined by the moment but the moment's impact on future generations."
The accord approval is contingent on the provincial government agreeing to sell the lands to Squamish Nation under the Squamish Nation Umbrella Agreement on or before June 30, 2011.
