The absence of an interim reconciliation agreement between the province and the Sechelt First Nation has started to impact private landowners in Pender Harbour.
"In a letter dated May 17, 2012, the Ministry of Forest, Lands and Natural Resource Operations admitted that dozens of authorizations for private moorage at Pender Harbour had been issued in error," a press release from the Sechelt Indian Band (SIB) said.
SIB chief Garry Feschuk said the moorage authorization issues are a direct result of the provincial government's "failure to follow through on their own statements and proposals in our reconciliation discussions.
"We had communicated our agreement to a proposal that would have provided certainty for all existing private moorages with provincial authorizations in Pender Harbour," Feschuk said. "The agreement would have been a win for the private landowners, a win for the provincial government and a win for our Nation."
Feschuk noted the potential deal was later turfed by the province, leaving the private moorages vulnerable.
"The reality is that our title and rights interests at Pender Harbour have been significantly infringed, and those infringements and their impacts have never been addressed or remedied. All authorizations for existing private moorages are defective until this occurs," he said.
