Media Contacts

Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation

Media Relations
250 893-2028

Backgrounders

Timeline, details of land transfer
  • In 2021, a memorandum of understanding between the Nation, B.C. and Canada in recognition of the Sarlequun Treaty of 1854 was signed. 
  • The first step in the implementation of this agreement took place in January 2024, when 212 hectares of land on te’tuxwtun, also known as Mount Benson East, was transferred to the Nation. Subsequently, an additional 34 hectares were returned to Snuneymuxw in October 2024 at Mount Benson South.
  • B.C. purchased a parcel of land that is entirely surrounded by the Mount Benson North parcel (known as District Lot 9) from the City of Nanaimo for future return to Snuneymuxw. 
  • B.C. and Snuneymuxw are working toward the transfer of 2,091 hectares on Mount McKay as the final portion of the land package under the 2020 Land Transfer Agreement.
  • In July 2024, B.C. and Snuneymuxw announced the purchase of a key historic village site in downtown Nanaimo, sxwayxum, for future return to the Nation. 
  • Snuneymuxw First Nation is a Coast Salish, hul’q’umi’num’-speaking Nation located in Coast Salish territory on the eastern coast of Vancouver Island, with villages on the Fraser River and waterways in the Gulf Islands.
  • Snuneymuxw has more than 1,700 members and the smallest land reserve per capita in B.C. 
  • On Dec. 23, 1854, the Crown and the Snuneymuxw people entered into the Snuneymuxw Sarlequun Treaty of 1854 to forever and always preserve and protect Snuneymuxw villages, enclosed fields, waterways, harvesting and gathering, and the rights to hunt and fisheries as formerly. Often referred to as a trade and commerce treaty, the Sarlequun Treaty of 1854 is protected under Section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982.
  • Snuneymuxw First Nation Chief and council have made it a priority to assert the recognition and implementation of the Snuneymuxw Sarlequun Treaty of 1854.
  • Petroglyph Development Group (PDG) serves as the Nation’s economic development arm, fostering sustainable business growth and creating opportunities that benefit the community. PDG is dedicated to building capacity, supporting Indigenous entrepreneurship and driving long-term prosperity for the Snuneymuxw people.