Musqueam to protest 100th day of land dispute

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VANCOUVER (NEWS1130/CP) – There will be a protest in south Vancouver Friday morning to mark the 100th day of a land dispute between a property developer and the Musqueam First Nation.

This comes as the BC government says it’s close to reaching a deal that will make both sides happy.

The developer wants to build condos on the property or be compensated for the land.

The band is opposed to the development because the construction site sits on top of an ancient burial ground.

The province is negotiating a land-for-cash deal with the band so the Musqueam Nation can buy the land back from the developer.

A $4.8 million deal between the province and the band has already been struck for one piece of land on the site.

Aboriginal affairs minister Mary Polak says they’re also making progress on a settlement for the remaining two pieces of land.

“We believe there is every chance of resolving the negotiations around two more properties by possibly September,” Polak says.  “That would provide the Musqueam in excess of $12 million, which added to the original amount would potentially give them more than the developer has asked for.”

Rhiannon Bennett with the Musqueam Nation thinks Polak’s timeline is a little far fetched.

“We as a community don’t believe we’re any closer on day 100 [of the dispute] than we were on day one,” Bennett says.  

The First Nation began protesting against the construction after human remains were dug up at the site on Vancouver’s Southwest Marine Drive earlier this year.

Part of the midden is a national historic site and contains the remains of a winter village believed to be about 3,000 years old.

Band members will start marching from the Safeway parking lot at Granville and 70th Avenue to the site on Southwest Marine at 9:30 a.m.

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