The Tseshaht First Nation has launched a claim against the federal and provincial governments for putting Highway 4 through their reserve lands despite more than a century of protest.
Tseshaht Chief Negotiator Hugh Braker said all levels of governments are benefitting from the highway, except Tseshaht.
“There’s industry going in, endless resorts going up in Tofino and all their supplies going over this highway, and the governments get tens of millions of dollars in taxes from just the tourism,” he said.
Tseshaht Chief Councillor Ken Watts said Tseshaht has concerns about the environmental effects of the highway, which runs along the Somass River, and also safety issues after a young girl was recently hit while trying to cross the highway in a marked crosswalk.
“We always look out for the safety of not just our members but all those who pass through our territory,” he said. “There’s always been safety concerns about the highway, but also the compensation piece – we’ve never been compensated or accomodated for the highway going through our territory.”
Nearly a million vehicles travel the 3.3 kilometre stretch of Highway 4 that intersects the Tseshaht reserve each year.
The federal government has six months to determine if it will accept the claim, and then another three years to research it before sitting down to negotiate.
While no longer part of the BC Treaty negotiations process, Tseshaht recently won a specific claims settlement from the federal government over lands they were disposessed of near Franklin River.
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