Douglas Treaty

Blueberry River First Nations’ Landmark Legal Victory Sets Strong Precedent for Protection of W̱SÁNEĆ Douglas Treaty Rights The W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council (WLC) is exploring the application of the landmark legal victory by the Blueberry River First Nations (Blueberry) in Yahey v. British Columbia, 2021 BCSC 1287 (Yahey) to W̱SÁNEĆ Douglas Treaty rights. The findings of the Supreme Court of British Columbia in this recent decision lends support to the WLC in their mandate to promote the interests of the W̱SÁNEĆ First Nations by pursuing the protection of our treaty rights. As controversial as they may be, the 1852 North [...]

WLC continues to advocate for Hunting rights through community consultation & position paper The W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council (WLC) has finished many months of work gathering the stories, perspectives, and experiences of W̱SÁNEĆ people who exercise their right to hunt. All of this data has, for the first time, been collected and outlined in a position paper.   This document, the W̱SÁNEĆ Position Paper on W̱SÁNEĆ Hunting Rights, was developed in conversation with community and includes stories from the W̱SÁNEĆ Hunters Committee and Hunters Conference, interviews stored in databases, and historical research into infringements on Douglas Treaty rights. This Hunting Position Paper [...]

W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council releases 5-year strategic plan On May 7, 2018, the leadership of Tsartlip, Tseycum, and Tsawout* came together to form the W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council Society (WLC) in order to strengthen their position on shared issues within W̱SÁNEĆ territory. On July 14th, 2022 WLC further reinforced the collective vision and intentions through the creation of a 5-year strategic plan. Prior to the formation of the WLC, multiple layers of government and corporations benefited from the artificial separation of W̱SÁNEĆ people through the reserve system. Accordingly, the resulting infringements on W̱SÁNEĆ territory and breaches of Douglas Treaty Rights were [...]

Supreme Court Rules Douglas Treaty Valid Rights of Indians Upheld Game Laws Do Not Apply By PATRICK O’NEILL Island Editor B.C. game laws do not apply to Indians on Vancouver Island, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled Wednesday.    This is a complete victory for Island Indians, in a case that has travelled the long road on the highest court in Canada from a Nanaimo magistrate’s court trial of two Indians.    And the men who started the whole process, Indian hunters Clifford White and David Bob, were among the last to learn the supreme court’s decision.    Mr. Bob at Nanoose, and [...]

Tsartlip blockade severs traffic artery [Map showing West Saanich Rd., crossing South Saanich First Nation Reserve] [Image] IMAGE CAPTION: Tsartlip First Nation Chief Ivan Wayne Morris walks along West Saanich Road with scores of others to Lauwelnew Tribal School, in Central Saanich yesterday. The well-traveled Saanich peninsula route was blocked for two hours between Mount Newton Cross and Stelly’s Cross roads. Chief: ‘We want everyone to know the Saanich people are here’ Katie DeROSA Times Colonist Members of the Tsartlip First Nation blocked a portion of West Saanich Road yesterday afternoon to draw attention to what they say are treaty [...]

PKOLS (Mount Douglas Park) Restored as Official Name of Mount Douglas Park This year, the W̱SÁNEĆ Leadership Council (WLC) brought forth a proposal to change the official name of Mt. Douglas Park to incorporate the original SENĆOŦEN name. It is now known as PKOLS (Mount Douglas Park). In SENĆOŦEN, the name PKOLS means “White head” or “White rock.” The WLC’s name restoration initiative was featured on CTV news.   As part of WLC mandates, the WLC is moving forward on numerous projects that focus on the restoration of W̱SÁNEĆ place names and culture across the territory. In recent years, the WLC [...]

Times Colonist: Jun 27, 2014 SARAH PETRESCU and LINDSAY KINES FROM A1: SUPREME COURT RULING ON ABORIGINAL LAND TITLES Photo: Chief Roger Williams, seated, of the Xeni Gwet’in First Nation, is flanked by chiefs and other officials during a news conference in Vancouver, on Thursday, after the Supreme Court of Canada ruled in favour of the Tsilhqot’in First Nation, granting it land title to 438,000 hectares of land. A landmark Supreme Court of Canada ruling Thursday could set a significant precedent for Vancouver Island First Nations.    The ruling, which for the first time recognizes a First Nations’ right to a [...]

JUDITH LAVOIE Times Colonist: May 16, 2013 The peak of Mount Douglas represents the beginning of time for Coast Salish people, and next week, First Nations will march to the summit and reclaim the area by symbolically restoring its historical name.    “It’s really important for us because it’s the start of our people. It’s part of our creation story and it’s where our treaty was first agreed to,” said Tsawout elder Eric Pelkey, who is calling for a day of action to reclaim what’s known as PKOLS (pronounced p’cawls), translated as white rock.    “This is something that our elders have [...]

The Creation of Indian Reserves and their Impact On The W̱SÁNEĆ Nation The division and erosion of the W̱SÁNEĆ Nation into separate bands and onto tiny reserves was the result of many decades of concentrated efforts by colonizers to divide and weaken the Nation. Shown above: The reserves created in 1877 for the “Saanich Indians.” Before the reserve system The names of the present-day W̱SÁNEĆ bands and reserves: Tsartlip, Tsawout, Tseycum, and Pauquachin originate from the English pronunciation of just a few of the many W̱SÁNEĆ villages dotted around what is now known as the Salish Sea. These villages were [...]