Council voted in favour of providing a letter of support for the Lheidli T’enneh’s Addition to Reserve application.
As outlined in a report, the city was notified by Indigenous Services Canda (ISC) in March that a request has been made by Lheidli T’enneh to pursue the Addition to Reserve process on two portions of land where the nation’s administrative office (150 Brunswick Street) and the House of Ancestors (355 Vancouver Street) are located.
There is a cost associated with the formation of these agreements in the form of staff time and contracted professional services (legal counsel) which can be absorbed in existing budgets, according to a report to council.
There are also impacts on taxation that will arise should the proposal be accepted by the federal government. Administration’s intention is to negotiate cost neutral agreements to offset tax and service delivery implications, according to the report.
For clarity on the size of tax implications being considered:
- 150 Brunswick (LTFN Administration Office) – 2024 tax levy is $63,314.23
- 355 Vancouver Street (Uda Dune Baiyoh) – 2024 tax levy is $37,376.28. Note, this property currently has a Permissive Tax Exemption, so no value is collected. However, the tax base pays to cover permissive exemptions so that the exemption doesn’t cost the city lost revenue. As a result of the ATR process the property will become statutorily exempt, and the tax base will no longer offset this loss.
- 1664 4th Ave (Parking lot for Uda Dune Baiyoh) – 2024 tax levy is $13,356.00
Grand total of property tax loss that would result from this change equals $114,046.51 in 2024 values
The Government of Canada has discretion to create reserves and add land to existing reserves in accordance with Canada’s Addition to Reserve/Reserve Creation Policy Directive. The city will send the letter of support to ISC as well as arrange for the signing of a letter of understanding regarding the Addition to Reserve Lands process.