DAWSON CREEK -- The Doig River First Nation has put in a request for two plots of land within the city limits of Dawson Creek be set aside for an Urban Reserve.
In a letter from Indigenous Services Canada dated March 1st and presented to council during a regular meeting earlier this week, states the two parcels of Proposed Reserve Land owned the Doig River are being requested for a community addition.
The land is located off Highway 2 in Dawson Creek and totals 10.4 acres.
Members of the Doig River first met with city council last September to discuss the possibility of building the reserve, modelled after Naache Commons in Fort St. John.
During Monday’s council meeting, members took questions from councillors on the implications of the request.
Council later voted unanimously in favour of the proposal, according to Mayor Darcy Dober.
In a phone call with CJDC-TV, Chief of the Doig River Frist Nation Trevor Makadahay says they look forward to working with the city of Dawson Creek and believe in ‘what it can become’ with the reserve adding to the economic development of the city.
As part of the Reserve Creation process, the Doig First Nation is responsible for negotiating agreements with local governments on service provisions, by-law harmonization, tax considerations, land-use planning, and dispute resolutions.
In Fort St. John, a ground breaking ceremony for Naache Commons was held in 2022 with plans to convert the land into a gas station, commercial, and residential space but construction has yet to begin.
The office of Indigenous Services Canada is requesting the City of Dawson Creek provide comments and a letter confirming their support for the development.
