WFN approves land exchange

Castanet:

Westbank First Nation members voted 89 per cent in favour of accepting a parcel of land on Devon Road in exchange for reserve lands the province required for the new William R. Bennett Bridge and Campbell Road interchange. It's the first land exchange approved under WFN's Self-Government Agreement. The Devon Road property, located in West Kelowna, is adjacent to the existing reserve boundary. "Westbank First Nation contributed some very high value lands to support the construction of the new bridge and related improvements," says WFN Chief, Robert Louie. "Now that our membership has approved to accept the Devon Road lands, we can move foreward with finalizing our exchange with the province." Louie says under the WFN Self-Government Agreement and Constitution, any lands that are removed from the reserve must be replaced by lands of greater or equivalent size or value. The land in question is currently within the Agricultural Land Reserve. Earlkier this week, Louie attended West Kelowna Council, asking that it 'vigorously' support a request to have the lands removed from the ALR. Council provided support in principle.