Snuneymuxw First Nation Rep Calls for Greater Involvement in Gabriola Island Parks & Trails Plan

Life on Gabriola TV brings you the recent meeting of the Gabriola Recreation and Electoral Area B Parks and Trails Master Plan Advisory Committee, which met to review the results of a public engagement process.

Consultant Stephen Slawuta presented the findings, which will help guide development of recreation services on Gabriola Island and parks services throughout Electoral Area B (Gabriola, Mudge, DeCourcy islands). The survey explored resident demographics, motivations for participating in recreation, prevalent barriers, satisfaction levels with community services, and opinions on available amenities.

During the meeting, Desiree Thomas, Land Clerk for the Snuneymuxw First Nation, called for greater Snuneymuxw involvement in the process.

"Both Gabriola and Mudge are both unceded village areas for Snuneymuxw and I note that historically colonization has typically taken areas of great importance to Indigenous people and created parks on them." Thomas says in the video.

After Thomas's complete remarks, Area B Director and Regional District of Nanaimo Board Chair Vanessa Craig responds, "I think all of us take this responsibility very seriously and we'll be looking for more engagement."

The meeting also included discussions on the importance of trail signage and accessibility, and the desire for more water access points. It concluded with a discussion on the next steps of the master plan, including the development of a draft plan and further engagement with the community.

Key moments:
01:20 Preview of Thomas's remarks
03:39 Start of report on engagement process
15:39: Resident Survey Findings
37:33: Key Themes
58:38: Beginning of Snuneymuxw representative Desiree Thomas's complete response and ensuing discussion

The Committee is scheduled to meet again on Feb. 5th.