The B.C. government and the Snuneymuxw First Nation have purchased a 2.67-hectare property in the heart of downtown Nanaimo.
This purchase will return the sxwayxum village (also known as the Millstone River Village) back to the Snuneymuxw people who have lived for 1,000 years before settlers came to the area.
Chief Mike Wyse of Snuneymuxw First Nation said the day marks the rightful reconnection and restoration of the Snuneymuxw people to their sxwayxum village.
Wyse says the return of the land will have positive impacts on the Snuneymuxw people, residents of Nanaimo, the region as a whole and everyone who visits the downtown area.
Murray Rankin, Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation said the property has a lot of potential and is an important space for the downtown area as well as a spiritual and cultural space for the Snuneymuxw people.
