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The Secwepemc (Shuswap) people are asserting their title and rights to their traditional territory at Cqelqletkwe (Green Lake).
On Oct. 20, elders, chiefs and spiritual people from the north and south of the Secwepemc Nation held a ceremony at Green Lake. That same day, they worked on a strategy to the proposed Green/Watch Lakes and 70 Mile area Official Community Plan (OCP).
“One of the key issues for Tsq’escen’ (Canim Lake Band) was the fact that the OCP was not designed to include First Nations interests and values at the beginning stages,” says Canim Lake Chief Mike Archie.
As has been established by the Supreme Court of Canada, he adds, governments are obligated to consult and accommodate First Nations before approving development on traditional land.
Chief Marilyn Camille, Chief of the St’swecem’c-Xgat’tem (Canoe/Dog Creek), says she believes “it is unfortunate, in the era of a supposed ‘new relationship,’ we continue to be dismissed by all levels of government when it comes to their development interests. That must change.”
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