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Sc’ianew signs deal working with partners to protect Mary Hill
The Sc’ianew First Nation took a big step towards its goal of establishing an Indigenous protected area at Mary Hill on Thursday.
The First Nation announced a standstill agreement signed between the District of Metchosin, Pearson College UWC and the Habitat Acquisition Trust that commits them for the next 18 months to work towards either an Indigenous protected area or a residential development that would see money flow back to the community.
The Te’mexw Treaty Association is currently negotiating with the federal government to acquire the Mary Hill lands as part of the B.C. treaty process. The land has been closed to the public ever since the Department of Defence fenced it off after World War II, but is within the Sc’ianew’s traditional territory.
“We’ve been talking about endangered species, but I think the most endangered species at Mary Hill is the Beecher Bay people themselves. We haven’t set foot on the land in years,” said Chief Russ Chipps, who had never been to Marry Hill in his life before touring it as part of the negotiations. While establishing an Indigenous protected area is the goal, Chipps said “conservation costs money” and the housing needs of the nation need to be met.