With a mission to inform, empower, celebrate and advocate for British Columbia's current and aspiring business leaders, BCBusiness go behind the headlines and bring readers face to face with the key issues and people driving business in B.C.
Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1199442
SOURCES: GOVERNMENT OF CANADA, CANADIAN ENCYCLOPEDIA, TK'EMLÚPS TE SECWÉPEMC, MACLEAN'S, The liquefied natural gas export facil- ity and its associated pipeline will give the Haisla a big financial boost. But for Smith, the real value lies elsewhere. "More than the jobs and the money, it's been our par- ticipation in the process from the very beginning that's been most important," she tells BCBusiness. In 2015, the federal Truth and Recon- ciliation Commission report called for economic reconciliation with Indigenous people "based on a holistic, values- driven approach to attaining commu- nity economic prosperity." First Nations' ability to negotiate as equal partners with government and industry hinges on capacity-building—having the tools to advance their rights and strengthen self- determination. Success in business is far from guaranteed, but they're regaining the power to build a prosperous future for themselves. The Haisla aren't the only B.C. First Nation playing host to a multibillion-dollar venture. Last December in Vancouver, the 850-plus members of the Squamish Nation voted to proceed with Se ' nákw, the biggest- ever Canadian residential development on Indigenous land. Eleven highrise tow- ers, some as tall as 56 storeys, will occupy an 11-block slice of waterfront property in Kitsilano near the Burrard Bridge. With its 6,000 units—most of them mar- ket rentals—$3-billion Se ' nákw could help tackle the housing crisis while transforming an area dominated by luxury car dealers. And because the project is on reserve land, the Squamish Nation can bypass rent con- trols and build what it likes without seek- ing approval from the City of Vancouver. Revenue over the life of Se ' nákw, a partner- ship with Vancouver-based developer West- bank Corp., could deliver the Squamish a staggering $10 billion in rental income. "The Squamish Nation is always looking to take advantage of opportunities, and in this case, it's location, location, location," says Khelsilem, the young councillor who is the spokesperson for Se ' nákw. Through MST Development Corp., their enterprise with fellow Coast Salish First Nations the Musqueam and the Tsleil- Waututh, the Squamish also have a hand in Metro Vancouver real estate projects on property administered by Crown corpora- tion Canada Lands Co. For example, MST is working with Westbank to develop the for- mer RCMP headquarters on Heather Street in Vancouver. As VP development Brennan Cook points out, these undertakings come with a long and costly planning and rezoning process. MST isn't directly involved with the Kitsilano project, but "there are a lot of positives that can be taken from Se ' nákw," Cook says. "The Squamish First Nation can move with speed to deliver a tremendous amount of rental product that is not cur- rently being served by the current market due to time and expense." A flurry of other recent events highlight the elevated role that Indigenous people will play in shaping the province's future. Nine days after October's federal election, Perry Bellegarde, national chief of the Assembly of First Nations ( AFN), addressed the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade. Bellegarde told the crowd that although AFN wants to see the Trans Mountain Expansion Project from Edmonton to Burnaby completed, fighting climate change is a priority, too. "There is only one planet, and we have a responsibility to make sure there's something for seven generations down the road." In November at the International Indig- enous Tourism Conference in Kelowna, four B.C. businesses (Spirit Bear Lodge, Lund Resort at Klah Ah Men, St. Eugene Resort and Homalco Wildlife and Cultural Tours, respectively) took home prestigious awards for best-in-class customer service, accommodation, and indoor and outdoor cultural experiences. Then, on November 28, the B.C. gov- ernment became the first in Canada to enshrine the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act ( UNDRIP) in law. The UNDRIP standard for anyone seeking to develop or use resources from Indigenous land: free, prior and informed consent. "We'll create new opportunities for Indigenous peoples to be full partners in the B.C. economy," Premier John Horgan told an AFN assembly in Ottawa a few days later. Kitamaat or Kitimat? This is what consultation between the Cana- dian government and B.C. First Nations looked like back in 1952. Long before UNDRIP's informed consent, the Depart- ment of Indian and Northern Affairs relo- cated a Haisla village to make way for the Alcan aluminum smelter—Canada's largest industrial project to date. Kitamaat Mission (later renamed Kita- maat Village), which included a residential school, was moved 10 kilometres 34 BCBUSINESS FEBRUARY 2020 BEFORE B.C. BECAME THE FIRST PROVINCE TO IMPLEMENT THE UNITED NATIONS DECLARATION ON THE RIGHTS OF INDIG- ENOUS PEOPLES LAST FALL, THESE EVENTS HELPED CHANGE THE GAME The Road to UNDRIP 1982 Section 35 of the federal Constitution Act confirms "existing Aboriginal or treaty rights" that had not been extinguished by surrender or legislation before that year 1990 R. v. Sparrow case in the Supreme Court of Canada establishes First Nations fishing rights on the Fraser River by invoking Section 35 of the Constitution Act 1988 The Kamloops Amendment to the Indian Act gives First Nations the power to enact bylaws, assert jurisdiction and collect taxes on their land 1985 The RCMP arrests First Nations members living on Haida Gwaii and environmen- talists for protesting unauthor- ized logging of Lyell Island. Five years later, the federal govern- ment announces the creation of Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve