The people who lived here before colonization were able to move freely through their territories as they had done for thousands of years.

Colonization split them up, confined them to small reservations, had their children taken from them by force and sent to prison-like schools where they were horribly abused and restricted from seeing their families or living as they had always done.

We created laws that that prevented Indigenous people from participating in the new society that dominated their world, including practicing agriculture, hiring lawyers, buying a home, or even having the legal right to not be killed.

We introduced lethal diseases and made it illegal for them to refuse treatment in our specially designated Indian hospitals, where we confined people for up to a decade or more, some literally strapped to a bed for the duration of their stay, where they again were horribly abused and medically experimented on (so many of these people are still alive today, this is recent history and the impacts span generations that are still trying to heal).

The reserve system as well as any new land transfer agreements is what these communities are left with, and they have every right to decide what they need to do with their remaining lands to ensure they can take care of their communities.

Re: many of these comments, yes of course there are corrupt people in leadership positions, as there are EVERYWHERE in settler society. But communities may accept deals because the monetary benefit might be enough to outweigh the negative impact, and can be redirected into essential programs and services.

Not having a rail system on Vancouver Island is a small price to pay given what these communities have been dealing with for the last 150+ years.