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The Comox Valley Regional District (CVRD) acknowledges that it is on the traditional unceded territory of the K’ómoks First Nation, an important partner in water management and conservation in the beautiful Comox Valley.

The Comox Valley Regional District is committed to building its relationship with Indigenous peoples and advancing reconciliation. The CVRD has named Indigenous Relations as one of four strategic drivers, through which CVRD services are being delivered. To support Indigenous Relations as a driver, the CVRD adopted a framework to deliver core services with an Indigenous Relations lens and promote greater cultural awareness.

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Kamloops Residential School Tragedy

The CVRD issued a statement on May 31, 2021 to pay its respects to the memory of 215 innocent children whose remains were discovered at a former Kamloops residential school. "Thank you to K'ómoks First Nation for working in partnership and teaching our community with honesty, openness and compassion. Our thoughts and prayers are with your community,” said CVRD Chair, Jesse Ketler. “As a community and as a nation we must honour the lives of these innocent children and never forget their stories.” Click here to read the statement.

Partnering on Sewer Solutions

On February 18, 2021, the K’ómoks First Nation and the CVRD's Sewage Commission announced the ratification of a Community Benefit Agreement that commits both parties to work together collaboratively on a regional solution for sewer. The agreement will provide needed upgrades for Comox and Courtenay sewer infrastructure, while supporting the growth and economic development plans of the K’ómoks community. This historic agreement will ensure a regional approach to sewer services to protect local beaches, waters and BC’s largest shellfish industry in Bayne’s Sound. Read the press release.

Recognizing Traditional Language and Culture

On June 17, 2020 the CVRD and the K’ómoks First Nation unveiled new interpretative signs at Xwee Xwhya Luq, which is the traditional name for Seal Bay Nature Park. This area is very culturally significant to the K’ómoks as generations of indigenous peoples visited the Seal Bay area for resource harvesting and to camp when traveling through the area by canoe.


Left to right: K’ómoks Councillors Katherine Frank and Richard Hardy, CVRD Chair Jesse Ketler and Chief Nicole Rempel.

The signage includes new trail names which reflect a variety of natural park elements, animals and cultural references with an emphasis on the traditional ayajuthem language. Ayajuthem is a Coast Salish language shared between the peoples of K’ómoks, Tla'amin, Homalco and Klahoose First Nations. To help visitors learn and pronounce the Coast Salish names, signs also feature phonetic pronunciations. For more information please visit www.comoxvalleyrd.ca/sealbaysignage

Moving Forward Together

Building on the K’ómoks First Nation Protocol Agreement, signed in 2010, the CVRD remains committed to respectful and genuine engagement with our valued community partner.

KFN traditional dancers

The Significance of Water

The CVRD has come to understand that the waters flowing through the valley hold a deep cultural significance to the culture and history of the K’ómoks people. This water also plays an important role in the future of the K’ómoks First Nation and its aspirations for growth and independence. Acknowledging this history, committing to working together as partners and recognizing the strength of diversity in our community, are all important steps of reconciliation. These beliefs have and will continue to inform the CVRD’s organizational culture.

In the spirit of partnership, the CVRD was pleased and honoured to sign a Mutual Benefit Agreement on water on September 28, 2018. This agreement confirmed cooperation and collaboration between the CVRD and K’ómoks in the management of water resources in the region. This agreement includes plans to extend water services in the future to K’ómoks lands south of Royston and greater participation by K’ómoks in the management of regional water resources. By signing this agreement, K’ómoks First Nation stated its support of the Comox Valley Water Treatment Project and the CVRD’s water license application, which assisted greatly in gaining provincial and federal support of the project.


Photo caption - From left: Russell Dyson (CVRD), Bob Wells (CVRD), Bruce Jolliffe (CVRD), Chief Nicole Rempel (K’ómoks), Melinda Knox (K’ómoks Economic Development Corp.), Tina McLean (K’ómoks)

Implementation of the United Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People

In March 2021, the CVRD came together with the K’ómoks First Nation and local Elected Officials to discuss how Local Governments can move forward to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (The UN Declaration). A presentation and discussion led by the B.C. Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation, provided an overview of the provincial effort to implement the UN Declaration. The provincial legislation guiding this work – the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act – received Royal Assent in November 2019 and elected officials in the Comox Valley have been eager to discuss how these opportunities to implement the UN Declaration can be applied at the local level. Merle Alexander, a practitioner of Indigenous Resource Law and most recently part of the co-development team for the Declaration Act, led a presentation and discussion on empowering First Nations through Title and Rights. The meeting was hosted by the CVRD in partnership with the K’ómoks and included Elected Officials and staff representatives from the Town of Comox, City of Courtenay, Village of Cumberland, Village of Sayward, School District 71, and Islands Trust. For more information please read the press release.

 

K’ómoks History

In June 2019, K’ómoks and CVRD shared a day of learning about the history and culture of indigenous peoples in the Comox Valley. The Community to Community initiative was part of a continued effort to strengthen the working relationship between the two organizations.

K’ómoks Councillors and staff, along with CVRD Directors and staff, toured several archaeologically significant sites in the Pentlatch area, which is now known as the Comox Valley. Stops included Brooklyn Creek in Mack Laing Park, the site of one of the largest known shell middens in the area. Rotary Park was also visited to view the remains of the largest fish trap discovered in North America.

Photo caption: K’ómoks Chief and Council, CVRD directors and staff joined local Archaeologist Jesse Morin to learn about the fish traps that were used to feed the indigenous families who lived along the Comox Estuary and the banks of the Puntledge River.

For more information please read the press release.

A Culture of Partnership

In February 2019, CVRD elected officials and senior staff joined K’ómoks in a Community to Community Forum to share knowledge, exchange information about governance structures and continue strengthening and building relationships. This forum represents one of the ways the CVRD and K’ómoks are working together to ensure the continuation of a cooperative and collaborative government-to-government relationship that supports partnerships now and in the future

To learn more about the K'ómoks First Nation, please visit: www.komoks.ca

For more information about our shared initiatives, please click on the drop-down menus below. 

Protocol Agreement

On June 14, 2010 the Comox Valley Regional District (CVRD), the City of Courtenay, the Town of Comox, the Village of Cumberland and the K'ómoks First Nation (K’ómoks) signed a historic protocol agreement that lays out a shared understanding of key interests, and establishes a positive government-to-government relationship in the Comox Valley. 

In 2008, the CVRD Board established a select committee to develop a Comox Valley local government and K’ómoks protocol. Initial principles were identified and a series of reconciliation and recognition workshops were hosted by the K'ómoks First Nation, which elected and non-elected officials from the Comox Valley attended. Since July 2009, staff from K'ómoks First Nation and the Comox Valley local governments met numerous times and developed a shared understanding of key interests and worked through a number of draft documents.

The final protocol agreement captures the agreed-upon issues and interests:

K’ómoks Protocol Agreement

The agreement is meant to serve as a beginning for more productive and detailed conversations regarding the following topics:

  • Culture and heritage protection
  • Environmental protection
  • Intergovernmental coordination: improving communications with a focus on roles, responsibilities and aspirations
  • Joint economic development
  • Land use planning and management: including but not limited to regional growth strategies, official community plans, treaty land issues, resource management plans, provincial planning processes, park management, and other land use plans and regulations
  • Property taxation issues
  • Shared / reciprocal services
  • K'ómoks / local government governance relations
  • Emergency preparedness
  • Consultation and accommodation
  • Other key interests as agreed to by the parties

The protocol agreement has allowed for more detailed discussions regarding matters that are specific to individual parties to begin. The protocol agreement is seen as a high-level commitment to work together and share information amongst the parties. As some of the topics are addressed, action plans to find solutions to the issues will be developed, with input from political representatives, administration and technical experts.

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Mutual Benefit Agreement

The K’ómoks First Nation and Comox Valley Regional District signed a Mutual Benefit Agreement on September 28, 2018 confirming cooperation and collaboration in the management of water resources in the region.

Photo caption - From left: Tina McLean (K’ómoks), Melinda Knox (K’ómoks Economic Development Corp), Chief Nicole Rempel (K’ómoks), Bruce Joliffe (CVRD), Bob Wells (CVRD)

 

This agreement is an important milestone towards building a meaningful relationship and partnership between K’ómoks and the CVRD.  It includes plans to extend water services in future to K’ómoks lands south of Royston and greater participation by K’ómoks in the management of regional water resources. In the signing of this agreement, K’ómoks has stated its support of the Comox Valley Water Treatment Project and the CVRD’s water license application. K’ómoks and the CVRD have also agreed to collaboratively manage and conserve water resources throughout the Comox Valley.

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Community Meetings

March 2021

On March 5, 2021 the CVRD came together with K’ómoks and local Elected Officials to discuss how Local Governments can move forward to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (The UN Declaration). Presentations and discussions were led by the B.C. Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation and Merle Alexander, a practitioner of Indigenous Resource Law and most recently part of the co-development team for the Declaration Act.

“Developing cooperative and collaborative relationships with our local municipalities as well as improved communications amongst each other is a vision K’ómoks has had for several years, said Hegus Nicole Rempel. “It is through events such as the Community to Community Forum hosted by the CVRD that we begin to understand each other and our governance structures better. It is an opportunity to explore areas of mutual interest, the challenges we face and how we can strengthen relationships and continue our work in reconciliation.”

The meeting was hosted by the CVRD in partnership with the K’ómoks and included Elected Officials and staff representatives from the Town of Comox, City of Courtenay, Village of Cumberland, Village of Sayward, School District 71, and Islands Trust. 

Helpful Links

June 2019

On June 17, 2019 K’ómoks and CVRD shared a day of learning about the history and culture of indigenous peoples in the Comox Valley. The Community to Community initiative was part of a continued effort to strengthen the working relationship between the two organizations.

K’ómoks Councillors and staff, along with CVRD Directors and staff, toured several archaeologically significant sites in the Pentlatch area, which is now known as the Comox Valley. Stops included Brooklyn Creek in Mack Laing Park, the site of one of the largest known shell middens in the Comox Valley. Numerous middens are known to exist along the foreshore and provide archaeological proof that generations of indigenous families inhabited the banks of the Pentlatch from 300 BC to 1850 AD.

Photo caption: K’ómoks Chief and Council, CVRD directors and staff listen to local archaeologist, Jesse Morin, explain how indigenous families inhabited the banks along the Comox estuary.

 

Participants also visited Rotary Park to view the remains of the largest fish trap discovered in North America and possibly the world. From 800 AD to 1850 AD, these traps were used year round to catch the salmon and herring that fed the indigenous families who lived along the Comox Estuary and the banks of the Puntledge River. Traps were hundreds of metres in size with a consistent design involving thousands of wooden stakes made from Douglas fir trees.

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February 2019

On February 26, 2019, K’ómoks and the CVRD held their first Community to Community Meeting. The forum was attended by K’ómoks Chief and Council, Elders and Hereditary Chiefs; CVRD directors and staff; City of Courtenay, Town of Comox and Village of Cumberland councillors and staff; and representatives for Members of Parliament Gord Johns and Rachel Blaney and MLA Ronna-Ray Leonard. 


Photo caption: CVRD Directors and K’ómoks Chief and Council from left to right: Back Row – CVRD Alternate Director Mannos Theos, Chair Bob Wells, Director David Frisch, K’ómoks Councillor Katherine Frank, Director Arzeena Hamir, K’ómoks Councillor Richard Hardy, Directors Daniel Arbour, Jesse Ketler and Doug Hillian; Middle Row – Directors Melanie McCollum, Wendy Morin and Alternate Director Gwyn Sproule, K’ómoks Chief Nicole Rempel and Councillor Barb Mitchell, Directors Edwin Grieve and Maureen Swift; Front – Director Will Cole-Hamilton

 

The Community to Community forum was made possible by a grant from the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) and the CVRD has committed to following up on opportunities to co-host a future meeting.

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