Tla’amin (Sliammon) First Nation has less than a year until it becomes self-governing.
At a joint meeting of Tla’amin, City of Powell River and Powell River Regional District, Chief Clint Williams said the effective date for the Tla’amin treaty is April 6, 2016, and initiatives are underway to prepare for the change.
Leading up to the change in governance is the construction of the new administration building. Efforts are being made to link the finalization of the new facility and the movement to the new treaty.
“We’ll move out of our old trailers and leave the Indian Act behind,” Williams said. “We’ll move into the new world as the Tla’amin First Nation.”
There currently are three main working groups that are propelling the initiative toward self-governance. There is a finance working group, the lands and resources committee and a working group for governance.
Leading up to the new treaty, a number of different laws are being reviewed and drafts are being circulated. There will be a chief and council retreat at Crown Isle Golf and Country Club in Courtenay the first week of June to prepare for the effective date of the new form of government for the first nation.
