At the June 8 Committee of the Whole meeting, the topic of a Land Sharing Network was on the agenda for discussion. That meeting had to be ended prematurely and rescheduled to a future date and held at a larger venue. Based on the June 8th meeting, the Regional Board received a letter from Prophet River First Nation, Halfway River First Nation, Doig River First Nation, and West Moberly First Nations, expressing disappointment over the negative tone of the June 8th meeting. We have provided an apology directly to those First Nations and wish to acknowledge the gravity of the situation.
On behalf of the Peace River Regional District and our Board of Directors, we extend our sincere apology to those who attended for the way the meeting unfolded.
We believe that the level of frustration expressed at the meeting was due in large part to misinformation about the proposed Land Sharing Network, and we recognize that many of the residents attending the meeting, either in person and or online, had genuine concerns about their land ownership rights. We wanted to give them a chance to share input, and apologize for not being prepared to facilitate sharing of those concerns in an environment that was a safe place for all to be able to hear and participate, given the unexpected number of people who took the time to attend.
The PRRD withdrew its support for the Land Sharing Network, and the First Nations involved in the proposed Network have decided not to pursue the project. We are disappointed that an initiative intended to bring our communities closer together by building trust and working relationships has resulted in greater division instead.
This situation demonstrates the importance of open and proactive communication, and we commit to working together with our residents and our neighbours to pursue opportunities to build relationships and address concerns as they arise.
Yours truly,
Chair Leonard Hiebert
Peace River Regional District
