Vancouver Park Board chair proposes co-management of parks with First Nations

A motion calling for the co-management of parks that fall within the traditional territories of Vancouver's First Nations communities will be debated at a park board meeting later this month.

Park board chairStuart Mackinnon, who is proposing the motion,does not specify how parkland on Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh land would be co-managed but says it's overdue by about 300 years.

"I think it's important as we recognize reconciliation in this country, that the land Vancouver sits on was occupied land," said Mackinnon.

"We should have discussions with them on how they see the land, how they view the land use, and what we as settlers can learn from the land."

'A great step' says Squamish Nation

Co-management is a move in the right direction for inclusion and taking action on reconciliation, says Squamish First Nations councillor and spokespersonSxwxwtn (Wilson Williams).

"This is a great step in recognizing and righting the wrongs of the past," Williamssaid on the CBC'sThe Early Edition.

He says while there is still a long way to go, the motion helps build better relationships with the Vancouver ParkBoard.

Currently, having a say in land use or resource management in Vancouver parks is difficult, Williams says.

"If it's not recognized as our traditional territory or reserve lands, it's very challenging, but consultation and collaboration has been [moving ahead]in recent years."

The motion states the park board has accepted the calls to action within the Truth and Reconciliation Report of Canada, which includerepudiating concepts used to justify European sovereignty over Indigenous peoples and lands.

In the spirit of reconciliation, Williams says, it's important to share history and identity through an Indigenous lens that is connected tothe city'sparks.

"When I see reconciliation, we're in a time of acceptance of the dark history, but also, you know, how we've grown together," he said.

He says not only isthere value in connecting to culture and tradition but also in sharing the language, legends, and stories attached to the land.

Co-management, he says, would also allow more insight from elders and knowledge keepers.

"Our Indigenous communities have our arms open and welcome. The relationship building is to build a brighter future for Vancouver."

Mackinnon says the motion is an extension of the park board's continuing efforts to consult Indigenous communities, which also include a naming policy for parks and beaches and the formation in 2014 of theStanley Park Intergovernmental Groupto develop a long-term plan for Stanley Park, along with Vancouver's First Nations.

Park board staff are also in the final stages of developing the first inventory and analysis report on Stanley Park.

When it's done, Emily Dunlop, the board's senior planner,says thepublic will have access todecades worth of data, research and analysison the park, itshistory and the impacts onIndigenous communities.

The park board is also consulting First Nations to open up Canyon Creekfrom a culvert underneathnorthwest Marine Drive andSpanish Banks West Parking Lot A before it flows intoEnglish Bay.

The project will liberate the creek from the pipe, essentially unburying it to providea new habitat for birds and aquatic species, according to a park board summary of the project.

The co-managementmotion is set to bedebated Jan.24.