THURSDAYOCTOBER 29, 2015
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CHIEF CALLS RESIDENTS HERE:
Guests on ‘our land’ Treaty talks still haven’t settled any big issues JOHN HARDING
editor@pqbnews.com
The Agreement in Principle signed by local First Nations with the provincial and federal governments “is not worth the paper it’s written on” because big issues have not been settled, Nanoose First Nation Chief David Bob told the Regional District of Nanaimo’s board of directors Tuesday night. Bob’s Snaw-Naw-As nation is one of five that signed the Te’mexw treaty agreement in principle. Bob told the board it’s his hope a final agreement can be worked out in the next five years, but he didn’t sound confident and he said his people are in a holding pattern in terms of economic growth while they wait for a final deal to be reached. “We’re in a position where we really can’t do anything until we settle the treaty,” said the chief. “We are still sitting here waiting, wondering what’s going to happen.” As he has in the past, Bob used clear language to explain his people’s views on the land that stretches from French Creek to Piper’s Lagoon in Nanaimo to Arrowsmith Mountain. “You’re on Snaw-Naw-As land, our traditional territory and you are guests in our home,” he said. “We are taught to treat our guests with respect, not to turn them away.” Bob’s language seems to suggest it’s conceivable that some homeowners in this region could find themselves no longer governed and taxed by the regional district, City of Parskville or Town of Qualicum Beach. “We can be friends or we can put the gloves on,” said the chief. “We’re used to fighting for everything we get. One hundred years of waiting, being patient, shows we’re not going anywhere.” See CHIEF FIGHTING, page A8
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SEEING DOUBLE: Oceanside RCMP Constable Mark Maddex, left, lets diminutive doppleganger Noah Loder of Parksville try on his cap during the Halloween Spooktacular event at Qualicum Commons Tuesday evening.
AFTER YEARS OF DECLINE . . .
Enrolment up at schools Numbers show about 100 more students J.R. RARDON reporter@pqbnews.com
Driven in part by an unanticipated influx of families from Alberta and the Lower Mainland, enrolment in School District 69 has jumped by more than 100 students over a year ago, superintendent Rollie Koop told the SD69 Board of Trustees during their regular meeting Tuesday in Parksville.
“The message we’re hearing is that we’re seeing an influx of families from both Alberta and from the lower mainland into our community, which is good news,” said Koop. “The stability and growth is at the elementary level; it’s really a bright picture. We’re up over last year, and we’re up over the projections we made, which were quite conservative.” The enrolment numbers were taken from the district’s count at the end of September, which is used to apply for
block grant funding from the Ministry of Education. It showed an increase of 77 full-time equivalent (FTE) students, the figure used for funding calculations, over September 2014. The actual head count, not including learners in the Distributed Learning program, was up 101 students. Koop said he has spoken to his counterparts in other Vancouver Island school districts and has heard the same tale of incoming families from the east. See INCREASE, page A8
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