Snuneymuxw could soon vote municipally in October. SFN and the City of Nanaimo announce joint effort for city boundary change
When the boundary lines are changed this would mean roughly 800 SFN members that live on reserve will be able to vote municipally for mayor and council. (Lauryn Mackenzie /CHLY 101.7fm)
Since the incorporation of the City of Nanaimo, many members of the Snuneymuxw First Nations (SFN) have not been able to vote in municipal elections.
Due to municipal boundaries around Snuneymuxw’s reserve lands, SFN members living on reserve cannot vote in municipal elections. Instead, at local election time, they have voted for an Area A Director with the Regional District of Nanaimo alongside school trustees for the Nanaimo—Ladysmith School District.
Now Snuneymuxw First Nation and the City has announced they will be seeking to request approval from the provincial government in initiating a municipal boundary change. This change would see SFN reserve lands included within the City of Nanaimo.
Mayor of Nanaimo Leonard Krog said at a press conference on February 17, that this joint effort is to “correct a historic anomaly.”
“I didn't realize until I was mayor, that those who live down here in the heart of our city, the original inhabitants of this community have occupied this land since time immemorial, voted for a regional director and school board, but not for the city mayor and council,” Krog said. “I remember the shocking conversation I had with the Chief and Snuneymuxw councilor Bill Yoachim was present as well, and I couldn't quite understand how this could be happening and why it is.”
Chief Michael Wyse, said this change is another meaningful way to further advance relationships between the SFN and the City of Nanaimo.
“The creation of Nanaimo goes back to the first Snuneymuxw ancestors in. When our people welcomed the first newcomers to Snuneymuxw territory, here on the east side of Vancouver Island and the Fraser River,” Chief Wyse said. “Snuneymuxw is Nanaimo, and Nanaimo is Snuneymuxw. However, when boundary lines were arbitrarily drawn on a piece of paper, Snuneymuxw was purposely left out of the municipal boundaries.”
He said since he was elected as chief almost nine years ago, he knew he wanted to find ways to strengthen connections with the City
Chief Wyse said, having these boundary lines redrawn will help correct the injustice of being excluded from voting municipally for the last 152 years.
“It makes sense that Snuneymuxw people are able to vote in our territory, in a city that is named after us,” he said.
When the boundary lines are changed this would mean roughly 800 SFN members that live on reserve will be able to vote municipally for mayor and council. According to the BC Treaty Commission, the First Nation has approximately 1,900 members.
As under the Local Government Act, for the City of Nanaimo to change boundary lines they first must get approval from electors. This would mean either holding a referendum, or conducting an Alternative Approval Process, also known as an AAP.
A report seeking approval to proceed with an elector approval process will be brought forward on Monday February 23, for mayor and council’s consideration.
Once the City receives electoral approval, the City can then ask the provincial government for approval for the boundary change.
When asked by CHLY, Mayor Krog said counting how the electoral approval process goes and if the province moves quickly, they are hopeful the boundary changes could be in place in time for October’s local elections.
Funding Note: This story was produced with funding support from the Local Journalism Initiative, administered by the Community Radio Fund of Canada.