Chaotic scene at PRRD's meeting to discuss allowing Indigenous people limited access to use private land

FORT ST. JOHN -- It was a chaotic scene at the Pomeroy Hotel in Fort St. John during a meeting Thursday about a new land sharing proposal allowing limited access for Indigenous people to use private land.

The Peace River Regional District's (PRRD) Committee of the Whole meeting heard from Dale Bumstead, who presented information on the Treaty Land Sharing Network concept.

Hundreds of people showed up to protest the idea which is only in the concept phase at this point.

Bumstead is working for Scion Strategies Ltd. on behalf of the Doig River, West Moberly, Prophet River and the Halfway River first nations who conceived of the idea.

The proposal would allow Indigenous people to exercise their treaty rights to access private land for hunting and traditional ceremonies.

Bumstead told the meeting that Indigenous people looking to use the land would still have to call ahead and ask permission from the landowner. It was also stated that the idea does not include 24 hour, 7 days a week access.

Despite being told repeatedly that the process is voluntary for landowners and still requires landowner’s permission, the protestors continued to scream at the board.

The protesters also shouted down PRRD Chair Leonard Heibert. Chants of ‘we say no, we say no, we say no” rang through the meeting room as Heibert calmly tried to move the meeting forward.

Bumstead struggled to answer questions including about landowner liability. He said, “as we have stated, it is a concept, it is an idea at this point. We can’t answer any of those questions about liability, about opting in, about participation.”

Bumstead said it has been suggested that this is going to be mandatory. He added, “it’s never been anything I have ever suggested, insinuated or inferred.” The crowd shouted and chanted him down once again.

The meeting was abruptly cancelled after the Fort St. John Fire Department showed up and deemed the meeting room to be over capacity.

After the meeting, the PRRD voted to withdraw their letter of support for the Treaty Land Sharing Networks. The committee will wait until Scion Strategies Ltd. is able to describe the concept in better detail and is able to answer landowners questions about the concept.

The committee has also directed Scion Strategies to hold meetings with landowners and gauge their support for the idea.

The PRRD also said the meeting in the future will be rescheduled when a venue that is large enough to handle everyone interested in attending can be arranged.