First Nation on Vancouver Island gets back 80 hectares of land from Ottawa

Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations Rebecca Alty speaks following the First Nations Summit at the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Que., on Thursday, July 17, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

A British Columbia First Nation is getting some land back in an agreement with the federal government as part of a claim settlement that dates back almost two centuries.

Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Rebecca Alty and Snuneymuxw First Nation Chief Mike Wyse say in a joint announcement that the three parcels of land in Nanaimo, B.C., total about 80 hectares and were Defence Department lands.

The announcement comes months after an agreement between the two parties to settle a claim over the federal government failing to set aside village land previously promised in an 1854 treaty.

The federal government has also agreed to provide $42 million in compensation to the First Nation in the agreement.

The nation says its vision for the land involves a mixed-use developments that include housing, commercial space, community infrastructure and economic opportunities.

The federal government says the Snuneymuxw has the lowest reserve land base per capita among B.C. First Nations, and the addition will increase its role in the Nanaimo region.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 16, 2025.