A historic signing occurred during the Lhtako Dene Nation’s second day of Pow Wow.
Chief Clifford LeBrun of Lhtako Dene, and Mayor of the District of Wells, Ed Coleman, signed a new charter that guarantees the two governments will work together for the next ‘Seven Generations of Decision Making’.
“We’ve been working on a charter for three years because we [Wells] all have over seven, $70 million worth of projects, and Lhtako Dene is the leading nation with whom we work,” says Coleman.
“This is a big step forward for the relationship between our nation and the District of Wells,” says Chief LeBrun. “At the beginning, we didn’t know each other very well, so we had to get familiar and get to know each other and build up trust. Now that we’re there, we’re doing all this incredible work together. From building community infrastructure and working with them to help with fire mitigation. We, Lhtako, are going to have a community building in Wells itself. There are a lot of great things that will come from this.
The current list of projects has twelve major infrastructure projects, including: wastewater management, Crown Lands Transfers, Drinking Water system upgrades, and the Cariboo Gold Project Implementation and Impacts.
A caveat on the list was added to add “Other Projects” as they become identified and needed. Coleman says one of the largest and most immediate projects is Flood Protection and Water Management.
“Whether it’s water, wastewater, roads, or facilities, we’re working with Lhtako to look ahead 150 years on any decision. We have so much activity going on in Wells. This is about sustainability, cooperation, and respecting that we’re on the Lhtako Dene territory as a shared territory with other nations as well.”
There are other funding partners part of this charter. The Government of Canada, Northern Development Initiative Trust, the Province of BC, and Osisko Development Corporation, are to name just a few.
Coleman and LeBrun say this charter aligns with the Pillars of Cooperation and Reconciliation, and the two are eager to get started on the projects.
Something going on in the Cariboo you think people should know about?
Send us a news tip by emailing cariboonews@vistaradio.ca.
