B.C. First Nations ink agreement with Victoria airport for shared business, work opportunities

The friendship agreement establishes a long-term collaborative relationship between YYJ and four First Nations.

Four Vancouver Island First Nations have signed an agreement with the Victoria Airport Authority, setting out plans to collaborate on future business and employment endeavors.

The 15-year friendship agreement between the airport and the Pauquachin, Tseycum, Tsartlip, and Tsawout First Nations was signed Wednesday.

The Nations ‘members are part of the W̱SÁNEĆ people, on whose traditional territory the airport operates. The land is formally owned by Transport Canada and leased to YYJ.

“We’ve gone years without being acknowledged within our own territory, so this is a huge stepping stone,” Pauquachin Chief Rebecca David told CTV News.

The agreement is extensive and includes plans to share revenue, establish a scholarship fund for W̱SÁNEĆ members, and strengthen Indigenous employment, procurement, and business opportunities.

YYJ has also set aside a parcel of land to build a W̱SÁNEĆ cultural centre. The land is near the vehicle entrance to the airport on Willingdon Road.

“Once you actually start seeing the cultural centre go up at the airport, you’re going to have a welcoming and you’re going to know whose territory you’re landing in when you come,” David said.

The partnership has been in the works since 2018. It was inspired by an agreement between the Musqueam Nation and Vancouver International Airport, which was signed in 2017.

“Reconciliation is the right thing to do. There is a long history in Canada that we are trying to move forward on and this is what this agreement is,” airport CEO Elizabeth Brown said.

“As we embark on some of our ambitious plans for growing the Victoria International Airport, we want the W̱SÁNEĆ people to walk alongside us … on that journey.”