by Marcel Tetrault
Comox Valley Echo

Friday, June 18, 2010

Government leaders hope that a new protocol agreement between the K'?moks First Nation and all four local governments will rebuild trust and lead to a new, more equal, relationship.

All three local mayors, regional district vice chair Edwin Grieves and K'?moks Chief Ernie Hardy signed a Protocol Agreement for Communication and Cooperation on Monday.

Band member Andy Everson said the relationship between the inhabitants of the Comox Valley is an important one that has developed over hundreds of years.

"We'd like to start fresh," said Everson. "This (ceremony) will provide a cleansing that we feel is necessary for all of us to move past all of the things, negative and positive, that have happened over the years."

The process of developing the protocol began 15 months ago. The K'?moks chief and council began to examine the "misunderstanding and mistrust" between local communities and set up a series of three recognition and reconciliation workshops.

The first examined life pre- and post-contact and some of the consequences, such as residential schools. The second was designed to help local officials understand the K'?moks people. The third focused on what should be done to improve the relationship and move forward.

"The signing of this protocol agreement represents the culmination of a great deal of time, effort and commitment by all of the governing bodies in the Comox Valley," said Courtenay Mayor Greg Phelps.

"I am optimistic, as I'm sure we all are, that our efforts, and this document, will serve as a foundation for ongoing and positive relations between us all, which can only benefit the residents of the Comox Valley."

The four-page protocol calls for improved communication and consultation on a range of key interests - land-use planning, economic development, environmental protection, property taxes, shared services and more.

"There is agreement on the wording, there is agreement on its importance," said Brian Payer, an advisor to the K'?moks First Nation and the keynote speaker at the event.

"More importantly, there is change from misunderstanding to understanding. There is change from mistrust to trust. There is a shift from disrespect to respect, on both parties.

"There are words that used to be 'them' that are now changed, as we all sit in a row here, to 'us'. Today the story ends and a new story begins."

An apple tree was gifted to the K'?moks First Nation on behalf of the people of the Comox Valley, as well as a miner's lamp, meant to symbolize safety and light the way forward.

Elected officials received gifts in return, and each person in attendance received an apple and a loonie from the First Nation.

"This land is truly the land of plenty, whether it was thousands of years ago when the first K'?moks people came, 150 years ago when the first Europeans came or 45 years ago when my family came," said local MLA Don McRae.

"I'm very pleased to see here today, in 2010, after a very long relationship - not always one that was positive - ... (that) we can make sure the Comox Valley and all the people within it can grow and thrive."

"I think today is a very historic day," he said. "The words are just words on paper. It's the spirit and how we interact with each other (that are important)."

The protocol calls for the establishment of a working committee to implement the agreement and also includes a dispute resolution process. The First Nation can cancel the protocol with 60 days notice, while any of the local governments can withdraw under the same terms.

The protocol will take effect only after each of the local governments has adopted it by resolution.


© Comox Valley Echo 2010