Just when you think things are going along okay, something happens to give you insight into what’s really going on.
Such was the case at last week’s economic roundtable hosted by the Campbell River Chamber of Commerce that included outgoing Liberal cabinet minister Pat Bell. The media were initially not allowed to participate in the roundtable but were given permission to sit in on the last half hour after we squawked. Our reporter was there long enough to deduce that Cape Mudge Chief Ralph Dick had expressed dismay over the poor relationship between local First Nations and the City of Campbell River. Chief Dick elaborated on his points in a subsequent interview and Campbell River Indian Band Chief Bob Pollard corroborated Chief Dick’s opinion. Despite being major economic players in the Campbell River area, the two First Nations bands are not happy with the relationship with city hall.
This is a perplexing situation. If the bands’ economic projects were conducted by a private non-Native enterprise, city officials would be falling all over themselves to accommodate them. As it stands, the bands are feeling left out.
Meanwhile, the two local bands have been the most active economic developers in the last decade or more. The Discovery Harbour Mall, the Quinsam Crossing development, Walmart and Home Depot all have been band projects.
And Chief Dick also addressed a major misconception in the community, that being, First Nations people don’t pay taxes. The reality is, they pay plenty of taxes on commercial developments, the marina and through service agreements. What’s more, their enterprises pay taxes on the predominantly local goods and services they buy. So, a little respect is warranted and an atmosphere of cooperation is expected.
The city should be working with the Cape Mudge and Campbell River First Nations to drive our economy forward.
They have a right to expect the same kind of accommodation a speculator from Alberta received when he floated the idea of buying the Elk Falls Mill.
