Te’mexw Treaty Negotiations

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Te’mexw Treaty Negotiations
Open houses
About the five modern treaties with the Te’mexw Member Nations
Partner and public engagement
About modern treaties
Learn more

Overview

Who: Government and the 5 Te’mexw Member Nations

What: Treaty negotiations

Where: Vancouver Island

Why: To advance reconciliation

How: In-person, online

Category: Reconciliation Initiatives

Te’mexw Treaty Negotiations

Established in 1994, the Te’mexw Treaty Association (TTA) is a non-profit society negotiating modern treaties on behalf of its five Member Nations:

Malahat
Beecher Bay (SC’IA⁄NEW)
Songhees
Snaw-Naw-As (Nanoose)
T’Sou-ke

open

Contact us: Temexw.Treaty@gov.bc.ca

Read the What We Heard Report (2024)

TTA, Canada and British Columbia have been in negotiations since 1995. Treaties are part of Canada and British Columbia’s work to advance reconciliation guided by the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action and the Recognition and Reconciliation of Rights Policy for treaty negotiations in British Columbia. Although the five Te’mexw Member Nations are negotiating together, the negotiations will result in five separate treaties.

An Agreement-in-Principle (Stage 4) was signed in 2015, which identifies interests in lands and resources and includes a framework for self-government, financial arrangements and more. It forms the basis for the treaties. Read the Agreement-in-Principle (AIP) (PDF, 12MB).

These negotiations are now in the final stage, Stage 5, of the BC Treaty Commission treaty process. Read about the treaty process and different stages.

Once negotiations are concluded, members of each Te’mexw Member Nation will have an opportunity to vote on their treaty. The treaty also must be approved by B.C. and Canada before it comes into effect.

Learn more about the TTA negotiations and view maps of the proposed land packages (PDF, 8MB).

Open houses

Thank you to everyone who attended the in-person and virtual open houses in Spring of 2023. Here is the presentation from the virtual open house (PDF, 5MB).

From February to May 2023, TTA, B.C. and Canada engaged with local communities in the Te’mexw Member Nation territories on Southern Vancouver Island to raise awareness about treaty negotiations coming to a close.

In early May 2024, the Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation, Canada and TTA released a What We Heard Report, which describes the engagement activities and participation rates for the 2023 open houses, including feedback and questions collected during the engagement process, along with responses given by the negotiating partners.

Read the What We Heard Report (PDF, 2MB)

If you missed the opportunity to attend an open house but have a specific question that is not answered from the page content, please use the contact email listed on this page. Make sure to sign-up for email updates to find out about future engagement opportunities and key milestones in treaty negotiations.

About the five modern treaties with the Te’mexw Member Nations

Each Te’mexw Member Nation modern treaty will:

Recognize the pre-existing rights of the Nation and set out the Nation, Canada and B.C.’s agreement about how those rights will be exercised
Recognize and establish self-government and law making for each Nation
Return specific lands to the Nation to govern and manage
Address important matters of language, culture and heritage
Provide the basis for a revitalized relationship between the Nation and all levels of government

This also means that the five First Nations will have ownership and jurisdiction over the lands transferred as part of the treaty – called treaty settlement lands – and can determine how best to use them, in accordance with their laws and applicable provincial and federal laws.

Each of the five Te’mexw Member Nations will have the right to self-govern and make laws concerning their treaty lands and citizens. For example, they may choose to make laws about health services, education and child and family services for their members.

The treaties will encourage investment, create jobs, expand economic development and support social well-being for Beecher Bay (SC’IA⁄NEW), Malahat, Snaw-Naw-As (Nanoose), Songhees, and T’Sou-ke First Nations’ communities.

Sooke Mountain and Discovery Island Marine provincial parks are being considered for inclusion in treaties being negotiated with the T’Sou-ke and Songhees Nations. TTA and B.C. are committed to maintain public access and continued recreational opportunities in the parks, and are also committed to protecting their cultural, ecological and conservation values. These commitments will be reflected in the terms and conditions of the treaties.

Learn more about these parks that are being considered for inclusion in treaties.

Partner and public engagement

Engaging with local governments, people and businesses with interests in land to be transferred and the public is important for everyone at the treaty table. This engagement has been ongoing and will continue through this final stage of negotiations. Engagement helps to build awareness and understanding of the Te’mexw Member Nations’ modern treaties as a step towards reconciliation and supports long-term good neighbour relations. The treaty partners want to better understand public hopes and concerns and, in turn, help the public better understand the treaties.

About modern treaties

Modern treaties will create and clarify a new and equal relationship between the First Nations, Canada and B.C. based on mutual trust, respect and understanding. They will be protected under the Canadian Constitution and include a range of rights and obligations that all levels of government, including Treaty Nations, recognize and commit to. Treaties outline responsibilities and jurisdiction over treaty lands, including access, governance, financial benefits, taxation and environmental management including wildlife.