Vancouver moves forward with plans to co-manage parks with First Nations
Posted January 25, 2022 9:28 am.
Last Updated January 25, 2022 9:29 am.
The Vancouver Park Board is pushing ahead with its plans to work with local First Nations.
The board has agreed to look at co-managing local parks with the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh. The decision to explore the idea was passed at a meeting Monday night.
This evening, our Board passed a motion directing staff to explore opportunities with the Nations for the co-management of Vancouver parklands, in the sprit of reconciliation. The full amended motion will be posted in the meeting minutes shortly at https://t.co/Varsliq2jb
— Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation (@ParkBoard) January 25, 2022
Currently, the board holds exclusive jurisdiction over parks in the city.
However, the motion, brought forward by Commissioner Stuart Mackinnon, notes the board is “committed to reconciliation with First Nations.”
The motion adds the Park Board has accepted the Calls to Action in the Truth and Reconciliation Report, including #47 to “repudiate concepts used to justify European sovereignty over Indigenous peoples and lands, such as the Doctrine of Discovery and terra nullius, and to reform those laws, government policies, and litigation strategies that continue to rely on such concepts.”
The Park Board says it’s put together a working group to develop a long-term plan for Stanley Park.
It is also asking staff to now define and create an implementation plan with the host Nations for “co-management of parklands within their traditional territories,” which currently fall under Park Board jurisdiction.
