A public information meeting will be held in Cranbrook next week with an update on the Ktunaxa Kinbasket treaty negotiations.
Held on Thursday, October 25, at The Heritage Inn, starting at 6:30 p.m., the meeting will inform local residents about the status of treaty negotiations.
“The federal government, the province and the Ktunaxa have conducted six public meetings around the East and West Kootenays to date. Cranbrook is the seventh and final treaty meeting. The meetings bring the public up to date on the treaty process, which has been underway for more than a decade now,” said Cranbrook Mayor Wayne Stetski.
The mayor is the municipal government representative to the committee as part of the B.C. government team, and he will be facilitating next week’s meeting.
The public will also be shown which parcels of Crown land are being offered to the Ktunaxa in the treaty.
“It’s a really good opportunity for people to come out and see the actual parcels of land that have been offered to the Ktunaxa as part of the treaty process,” said Stetski. “The land portion has always been of interest to people.
“There are some positive stories around the public’s continued opportunity to use and access that land.”
Negotiations between the Ktunaxa Kinbasket Treaty Council, Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada, and the B.C. Ministry of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation, are ongoing and the committee is in the advanced stages of negotiating an Agreement in Principle.
“It’s a very good opportunity for people to come out and come away with a feeling of confidence about the future,” said Stetski. “It’s well worth coming out both as a neighbour and as a future partner.”