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By Lloyd Mackey
THE ISSUES leading to a December 4 – 7 Ahousaht First Nations ‘occupation’ of a former native residential school at Kakawis, are still not resolved.
If all the issues can be sorted out, the site could eventually be the home of a
multi-million dollar resort and healing centre.
The resort would be designed to attract high end clients from Europe and Asia.
And it would finance the building and operation of the healing centre – which would utilize traditional native, Western and Christian therapies.
A healing centre would help First Nations people who deal with addictions and
issues that lead to, among other things, a high suicide rate, according to Dave
Frank, a spokesperson for the 2,000-member Ahousaht nation.
The site is on Meares Island in Clayoquot Sound, near Tofino, on the west coast
of Vancouver Island.
Frank says some matters need sorting out before anything can happen to the land.
And they want to give the present owners time to respond to some of the
Ahousaht concerns, before repeating the occupation.
The Ahousaht Nation claims to be the original owner of the land.
Frank said the nation granted the site on a “fee simple” basis to the Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI) 100 years ago, so the Roman
Catholic order could develop a native residential school.
But Rob Meilleur, communications officer for the OMI Lacombe (Canada) province,
said their understanding was that the order actually acquired the land from “another unnamed party, not from the Ahousaht.”
The site’s original Christie Residential School burned down in the 1970s.
The replacement buildings ceased to be used for school purposes in the 80s, and
the property became an addictions treatment centre. Later that centre was moved
to new facilities in Port Alberni.
Frank, who is the community health services manager for the Ahousat, says the
negotiations for the OMI to deed back the land to the Ahousaht became “confusing” last year when the order began negotiating with another First Nation.
Neither Meilleur nor Frank would identify either the other group or the size of
their offer. But Meilleur maintained that “we want to sell it in a normal business manner.”
Not so fast, Frank responded. “We have the history and the documents, and we need that to be acknowledged [by
the OMI]. The other [First Nations] body says they have history, too. But they
have not produced it.”
Frank explained that the issue is important to the Ahousaht, not so much for a
bargaining tool on the property price, but for recognition of the way in which
First Nations traditionally deeded property to others who came later to North
America. “When [the OMI] opened school, the chief from our territory gave his ‘signature approval’ when he did his dance,” he noted.
Christie was just one of dozens of native residential schools run by the
Catholic, United, Presbyterian and Anglican denominations on behalf of the
federal government for more than 100 years, between the late 1800s and latter
decades of the 20th century.
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Those operations became controversial as former students alleged widespread
physical and sexual abuse, and harsh discipline levelled by the schools’ leaders and teachers.
In recent years, church and government apologies have been tendered to bring
closure to the schools’ survivors, and millions in settlement have been paid to those who suffered.
A Truth and Reconciliation Commission has been convened to enable former
students to tell their stories.
Frank said he understands that the OMI has been hard hit by the residential
school issues, and needs to receive some compensation for the property.
“Some, like one 80 year old elder I spoke to, believe we should pay not one cent
[for the property]. But we would have to wait 100 more years for that.
“As I said to the bishop, in Victoria, sometimes the church holds onto its wallet
too hard – and onto Jesus, not enough.”
And he maintained that doing occupations to make their point is not pleasant.
Right now, the matter rests with the lawyers, in Toronto, to determine the next
step.
One of the complications, in Frank’s view, is that the OMI headquarters are in Ottawa, which is a long way from
Meares Island.
But, given the possibility of a fair settlement, he said, a developer (also in
Toronto) has been working voluntarily to put together the resort/healing centre
concept.
Whatever happens, the Ahousaht want to deal with goodwill, Frank said.
“Just tell them I love them,” he said of the OMI.
February 2010
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