In an unexpected move, the Regional District of Bulkley Nechako (RDBN) decided against moving forward with the Southside Official Community Plan (OCP) which has been in the works for almost three years. As reported in Lakes District News on April 16, 2013, a late rally of concerned and vocal Southside residents objected to what they took to be the RDBN proceeding with a plan about which they hadn’t been fully informed.
Southside First Nations also objected to the plan which some claimed was being considered for implementation without adequate prior consultation. Ten First Nations were identified by the RDBN as having either interest in, or traditional claim to, territories within Electoral Area E (Southside).
In a document submitted by RDBN staff, efforts made by the regional district to engage with all First Nations were itemized, described and dated.
Despite the best efforts of the RDBN, three First Nations - Skin Tyee Nation, Nee-Tahi-Buhn Band, and Cheslatta Carrier Nation - were each signatories to a letter to RDBN staff and directors indicating what they took to be the complete failure of the RDBN to consult with or otherwise approach any of the three bands or their chiefs regarding the Southside plan.
The letter threatened ‘collective legal action’ should the draft OCP not be withdrawn.
Faced with possible further costs to the RDBN should the implementation of the Southside OCP be challenged in the courts, Steve Freeman, director of Area E, presented a motion to not move forward with the OCP.
“At this time I’d like to make a recommendation that the OCP not be approved and that staff use the draft as an unofficial resource when considering land use issues and applications on the Southside,” said Freeman.
Staff recommendation was to continue with the consultation process and nail down the specifics regarding First Nations objections to the OCP. Freeman did not want to proceed down that road at the moment, citing the significant costs that have already been associated with developing the draft proposal.
“I feel that there’s so much coming down from First Nations that another hearing isn’t going to do us any good,” he said. “The amount of money and resources being put into this is getting astronomical.”
Bill Miller, RDBN chairperson, concurred with Freeman.
“Since the OCP is not a regulatory document - it’s meant to be a guide for us and for board members to understand what the public wants - I think there’s an opportunity that we can build on [here],” Miller said.
Addressing the time and resources put into the development of the plan, Freeman suggested that the document can still serve as a valuable resource to the RDBN.
“I believe the document is very useful as it sits,” he said. “It might not be an official community plan, but it’s a plan that the staff can use to look at any applications that come forward in the future.”
Cheslatta Carrier Nation, Chief Richard Peters, commented later in the week that he was satisfied with the board’s decision to not move forward with the OCP.
“Consultation needs to reflect the grassroots people,” Peters said.
He also reiterated the call for referendum should the issue be revisited in the future. Information has to be more available to residents of the Southside, Peters said, so that the mandate for an OCP can come from the people and not form the top down.
“That information needs to be passed along to all members of the Southside, whether they are native or non-native.”
The motion to not move forward with the Southside OCP was carried unanimously by RDBN board members.