In 2008, the B.C. government agreed to provide the Musqueam First Nation with land and money to settle a dispute over the prospective sale of the University of B.C. golf course lands.
That was after the B.C. Court of Appeal ruled three years earlier the Musqueam had not been properly consulted and accommodated, and suspended the sale for two years.
As part of a deal valued at $250 million, which involved several parcels of land, including the golf course, and cash, the Musqueam received nearly 14 hectares adjacent to their community south of Marine Drive along the north arm of the Fraser River.
The Musqueam were motivated to add to their “reserve” because the lands allocated to them by colonial governments in the mid-1800s were small, even by British Columbia standards under which First Nations received less land than elsewhere in Canada.
The Musqueam, or xʷməθkʷəy̓əm in their language, want to add land to their community so more of their 1,500 members can live there — but also want to add other lands that will help provide revenues to pay for housing and improved community services.
That effort continues today.
Read more at the Vancouver Sun: The return of B.C. First Nations’ territory: Despite recent gains, less than 1 per cent is in their hands.