NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release 2007OTP0173-001447 Nov. 9, 2007	Office of the Premier Ministry of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation Musqueam Indian Band
RECONCILIATION AGREEMENT REACHED WITH MUSQUEAM

VANCOUVER – The provincial government has negotiated an agreement with the Musqueam Indian Band that, once finalized, will resolve three court cases, provide a framework for economic development and lay the groundwork for reconciliation, announced Premier Gordon Campbell today.

 

“This agreement is a concrete example of how the Province is building a new relationship with the Musqueam,” said Campbell. “We are taking significant steps towards reconciling long-standing legal issues, creating certainty and ending generations of confrontation and litigation. This is a new chapter in our relations that aims to provide long-term benefits and improve the lives of the Musqueam people for future generations.”

                                                                                                

Once finalized, the proposed Reconciliation, Settlement and Benefits Agreement will provide full and final settlement of outstanding litigation related to the 2003 sale of the University of British Columbia Golf Course lands; the relocation of the River Rock casino to Richmond’s Bridgepoint lands; and remediation for environmental damage to the Celtic Lands in South Vancouver.

 

“The Musqueam people welcome this landmark settlement agreement, negotiated in good faith and reflecting a new level of co-operation between the Band and the Province,” said Musqueam Indian Band chief Ernie Campbell.  “The Supreme Court of Canada has recognised Musqueam’s legal right to be consulted and accommodated regarding the use of lands which fall within their traditional territory. The leadership of the Province should be applauded for respecting this ruling and working with the Band towards this fair and honourable negotiated settlement.”

 

The agreement includes a cash payment of $20.3 million and transfers the following lands:

• University Golf Course lands (59 hectares).
• Bridgepoint Casino lands (seven hectares).
• Two parcels currently in Pacific Spirit Regional Park:
• A 13.8 hectare parcel adjacent to the Musqueam reserve, known as the Triangle lands.
• An 8.5 hectare parcel located beyond the western end of the University Golf Course, known as Block F, with zoning similar to that on the adjacent property.

 

The existing leases on the UBC Golf Course and Bridgepoint will be honoured and transferred to the Musqueam under this agreement.

 

Recognizing the significance of these lands to the public and area-residents, the agreement ensures that the UBC golf course area be used for golf course purposes for nearly eight decades until 2083. It would also establish 7.3 hectares of the UBC Golf Course lands as a park accessible to the public and maintain 1.2 hectares of Block F as a public park.

 

“Achieving mutually beneficial agreements with First Nations living within an urban context is challenging, particularly when those agreements involve land, which is in very limited supply,” said Michael de Jong, Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation.

 

“The substantial land component included within this agreement supports the long-term resolution of the land questions with the Musqueam.”

 

The agreement is expected to be finalized by the end of the calendar year.

 

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1 backgrounder(s) attached.
Media contact:	Mike Morton Press Secretary Office of the Premier 250 213-8218	Deborah Bowman Communications Director Ministry of Aboriginal Relations 250 213-3489
	Chief Ernie Campbell Musqueam Indian Band 604 833-5799	Jim Reynolds General Counsel Musqueam Indian Band 604 263-3261
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