Williams Lake First Nation Announces Land-Use Planning Exercise to Assert Decision Making Rights in Farwell Canyon Area

A new land-use planning exercise will help the Williams Lake First Nation assert themselves as a critical decision maker in the region.

It will cover an area west of the Fraser River, which has been deemed Farwell Canyon by settlers, and claimed by multiple Nations over the years.

WLFN Chief Willie Sellars says the area is a critical piece of Northern Secwépemc territory, where their rights and values have not always been recognized.

It is covered under the Cariboo-Chilcotin Regional Land Use Plan, which both the Nation and Province say is an outdated planning tool.

During the exercise, the Nation will gather archaeological, environmental, and wild-life related data, and engage with neighbouring Nations.

They hope that the results can fill in gaps in the current land management system, and increase opportunities for future collaboration.