From: Wade Grant
Sent: October-01-13 2:52 PM
Subject: Fwd: Musqueam Media Release 2013 10 01 - FINAL
MEDIA RELEASE
Sale of [cesnam.jpg] (Marpole) Lands to Musqueam Indian Band Finalized
MUSQUEAM, 1 OCTOBER 2013 - The Musqueam Indian Band and developer Century Group
are pleased to announce the successful sale of a two acre portion
of[cesnam.jpg], also known as the Musqueam Marpole Village Site. The successful
finalization of this transaction is the result of over 18 months of
negotiation, involving Musqueam Chief and Council, Musqueam community members,
Century Group, and the Province of BC.
This ancient village and burial site was declared a National Historic Site in
1933 as it includes one of the largest pre-contact middens in Western Canada.
In early 2012, Century Group had approval from the City of Vancouver to develop
a multi-family residential project on the site when, during pre-construction
archaeological work, ancestral remains were uncovered. This unearthing of
additional intact ancestral remains caused great anguish to Musqueam members.
The proposed development would have destroyed an ancient and sacred burial
place, a site precious to Musqueam; it is an important link to Musqueam's
ancient heritage extending back thousands of years.
"As Chief of the Musqueam Indian Band, I am pleased with the outcome. I would
like to acknowledge and thank the Musqueam members and supporters who drove
this process on the ground level. It is our teachings to always protect the
interests of our membership, including our lands, history, and culture" said
Chief Wayne Sparrow. "The successful resolution of the development plans for
these lands demonstrates First Nations and private property owners can work
together to understand each other's interests, and conduct business in a
respectful way."
Century Group's Sean Hodgins said he believes the outcome was fair:
"It took some time to get this outcome, but I appreciate the determination of
the Musqueam leaders and their perseverance in working with us to reach an
agreement. They followed through on their promise to me when I agreed to halt
work - that they would pursue a purchase in good faith - and they followed
through and they acted honourably."
Musqueam is currently in discussion with all levels of government to identify
the next steps to ensure the protection of [cesnam.jpg] for generations to come.
For more information, please contact:
Wayne Sparrow, Chief
via Johnna Sparrow
at Musqueam Indian Band (604)269-3314
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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