On April 30th, 2025, Tsartlip entered Phase 2 of the Land Use Plan development process, an important milestone that will help the community determine how to best utilize Tsartlip’s growing reserve lands to meet growing community needs.
The development of a Land Use Plan is in response to Tsartlip’s successful reclamation of stewardship over a large parcel of traditional land, MÁWUEĆ, in December 2020. Since then, Tsartlip has worked diligently to remediate the land and officially add it to the Tsartlip reserve. MÁWUEĆ is a 78-hectare parcel and its addition to the reserve will nearly double the amount of space available to Tsartlip, an exciting victory for the rapidly growing community. In addition, Tsartlip has already completed a community engagement project specifically at MÁWUEĆ, with the purpose of learning about community values for the land.
The Land Use Plan will help ensure the lands in Tsartlip’s soon-to-be-expanded reserve are managed and developed in a way that is strategic, thoughtful, and reflective of the community’s goals and values. For example, the Land Use Plan will designate which areas will be available for residential development, which areas will be parkland, how Tsartlip will approach major infrastructure like water and sewer services, and how Tsartlip will ensure the environment and major cultural sites are protected.
The development of a Land Use Plan is a multi-year, community-led process that began in late 2024. It includes three phases: pre-planning and reporting, the development of the Land Use Plan itself, and implementation. The community completed Phase 1 – which was a background report on all Tsartlip reserve lands. This included taking stock of all existing Tsartlip development projects, assessing community need, and developing a strategy for community engagement.
Now, with the results of Phase 1 in mind, Tsartlip launched Phase 2 with a Land Use Plan Working Group Kick-off Meeting on April 30th, 2025 at the Tsartlip Band Office. Phase 2 is currently underway with the management of Isiah Desjarlais, Tsartlip Project Coordinator. It focuses on all reserve lands too, including but not specific to MÁWUEĆ. This phase includes extensive community engagement and the creation of a working group in service of creating a Land Use Plan document.
In attendance at the Land Use Plan Working Group Meeting were six community members, including Corrinne Desjarlais, Sheila Austin. Tommy Paul, Maria Sampson, Paul (PJ) Sam, and Tsartlip staff members Isiah Desjarlais and Dave Elliot. Also in attendance were consultants Talia Mimura and Jake Hughson from Urban Systems.
During the meeting, the group worked together to identify key land-use priorities and to create a plan for ensuring all work on this project is grounded in shared values. For example, the group reflected on key questions around the importance of ancestral teachings in land use decisions, development priorities for Tsartlip’s land, and long-term goals for the growth of Tsartlip. Attendees will also begin to review important maps that will guide land-use decisions, including an Environmental Map, an Archaeological Map, and a Food Systems Map.
Some of the many key points emerging from the discussion included the importance of:
- Identifying places where community members can exercise land rights;
- Protecting culturally significant spaces like the beach from development projects;
- Mitigating trespassing and providing privacy and safety on the land;
- Environmental restoration initiatives, including the restoration of ḰENNES Creek, which can help bring back trout;
- Consideration of burial grounds on the land and how to address them with respect;
- Revitalizing traditional food systems like the peach, fruit, and crab apple orchards that used to be present on the land;
- Incorporating oral history and teachings into the land use decision-making process;
- and incorporating SENĆOŦEN language and teachings into the Land Use Plan.
A second meeting took place on May 21st, 2025. During the second meeting, attendees reviewed the remaining maps, discussed methods for engaging with the broader community, and established a list of building survey questions.
Tsartlip is grateful to all the community members who participated in Phase 1 of this project and looks forward to continuing to engage the community in Phase 2 to create the best possible Land Use Plan for Tsartlip’s future. To stay up to date on opportunities to engage, the future of MÁWUEĆ, and other Tsartlip initiatives, be sure to subscribe to the Tsartlip newsletter.
