Abbotsford council is supporting a proposal to have three properties within city limits become part of Semá:th (Sumas) First Nation.
The request came before council at its meeting on Tuesday (May 13), with all councillors agreeing to send two letters to Indigenous Services Canada in support of the plan.
Semá:th First Nation is seeking to add an 80-acre property at 37351 Atkinson Rd. to its existing reserve and to establish a new 53-acre reserve composed of two properties at 2450 Fooks Rd. and 36737 North Parallel Rd.
A staff report to council indicates that Semá:th First Nation plans to use the Atkinson Road property for residential development, parks/trails, traditional uses and community facilities.
The land is outside of the city water boundary and is not currently serviced with municipal water or sewers.
The staff report states that there are no development applications on file for the property, but there was a proposal in 2018 to build single-detached houses and townhouses for 1,200 people, as well as provide a cemetery.
However, staff at the time did not support the proposal, saying it did not fall within the Official Community Plan or bylaw guidelines, and major infrastructure improvements would be required.
The staff report states that Semá:th First Nation plans to use the other two properties for agriculture, agri-tourism, traditional uses, and recreation.
The land is currently serviced with municipal water, and the Fooks Road property receives curbside garbage pickup.
Both properties are also located inside the municipal sanitary sewer boundary.
The staff report also indicates that the two properties are on the floodplain and were impacted by the November 2021 floods.
All levels of government and First Nations have been collaborating, but no flood plan has yet been approved, the report says.
“The long-term flooding potential on these properties remains as there is not an endorsed long-term flood mitigation plan,” it states.
All three properties currently receive policing from the Abbotsford Police Department, but that would transfer to the RCMP if the proposal goes ahead.
Semá:th First Nation pays the city for fire protection services and sanitary sewer services for its current lands.
“Both servicing agreements have reached the end of their term and require renewal. Semá:th First Nation has not yet approached the city to renew these agreements or establish new agreements to include the subject properties,” the staff report states.
If the properties become part of the First Nation, a tax revenue of around $51,000 to fund roads, water infrastructure and parks would be removed, the report indicates.
There are four steps in the process for adding properties to a reserve or to creating a new one.
Semá:th has completed the first step – submitting the proposal to Indigenous Services Canada (ISC).
The second step involves ISC reviewing the proposal and issuing a letter of support.
As part of this step, Abbotsford council will now send a letter to ISC providing technical information about the three properties and another one indicating its support of the proposal.
The third step involves Semá:th First Nation and ISC completing technical components such as surveys, municipal service agreements and environmental site assessments before the final phase – approval by the minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs.
The staff report says, as the proposal moves along, the city anticipates “gaining a better understanding” of the Semá:th’s goals for the properties, impacts to the city’s servicing and infrastructures, and updates to servicing agreements.
