(Bloomberg) -- Canada is in talks about Indigenous groups having a greater say over Granville Island, a man-made peninsula and tourist magnet in the heart of Vancouver.
Exploratory discussions started with Canadian officials after inquiries from the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations, working in a partnership called MST, said Tom Lancaster, who manages the 37-acre site for federal housing company Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.
“In the spirit of reconciliation, the CMHC, Canada Lands Company and the MST Nations have initiated preliminary discussions about the potential to increase the presence and involvement of the MST Nations on Granville Island,” Lancaster said in an emailed statement. “It is anticipated that these discussions will take place over the coming years.”
Pressed on whether this may lead to changes in the control or management of real estate, Lancaster said by phone that he didn’t want to prejudice the conversations, and that “it could go probably anywhere, or it could go absolutely nowhere.”
Representatives for the First Nations partnership MST and Canada Lands Company referred requests to comment to CMHC.
Reconciliation
Granville Island is technically a peninsula in the inlet southwest of Vancouver’s downtown that attracts millions of visitors annually to its restaurants, market, boutiques and arts venues. It’s also a berth for boat owners and whale-watching trips.
The area was first used by Indigenous people before the modern landmass was filled in on the site of a sandbar in 1916 as logging and industry developed, and it’s been owned and operated by the federal government since the 1970s.
The MST Nations have areas of shared traditional territory and work on some projects as a partnership. Their joint company to manage mutual business interests, MST Development Corp., isn’t currently involved in the Granville Island discussion, Lancaster said.
The talks come amid a profound shift in Canada known as “reconciliation” — the goal of redressing injustices done to the land’s first inhabitants that spans culture, education and business. A years-long national commission described Canada’s historical policy as “cultural genocide” and issued 94 calls to action in 2015.
Canada’s federal and provincial governments are providing support on these recommendations — such as loan guarantees to First Nations announced in recent budgets — but also face criticism for making insufficient progress.
The federal government has already worked with the MST Nations. Looking to gain economically from the desirable Vancouver real estate market, MST’s development company is now planning to build more than 15,000 housing units on nearby sites called Jericho Lands and Heather Lands, after partnering with the Canada Lands Company.
Lancaster said those sites were categorized as so-called surplus lands in the government catalog, and Granville Island isn’t.
©2024 Bloomberg L.P.