Hundreds of hectares on Mt. Benson is officially being returned to Snuneymuxw First Nation, part of an ongoing agreement with the province. (File photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

land transfer

Hundreds of acres of Mt. Benson land being returned to Snuneymuxw First Nation

Jul 22, 2025 | 3:52 PM

NANAIMO — The latest step in a groundbreaking land transfer agreement in 2020 has taken place.

Snuneymuxw First Nation (SFN) and the provincial government have confirmed over 700 hectares of land on Mt. Benson North, known as te’tuxwtun, has been transferred back to the First Nation, specifically SFN’s economic wing, the Petroglyph Development Group.

The province notes the Group will join SFN’s forestry business, Mount Benson Forestry, in holding and managing the land.

“PDG, through a Mount Benson Forestry Limited Partnership, will continue working with the land to build an economic engine that drives prosperity and strengthens self-determination,” Ian Simpson, Group CEO, said in a statement. “We are reclaiming our vital role within our territory and continuing a legacy of sustainable growth.”

Snuneymuxw Chief Michael Wyse added the transfer marks a “meaningful step forward in restoring our responsibility over our lands.”

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“Each parcel returned strengthens our Nation’s economic independence and renews our deep connection to te’tuxwtun North. More than 2,000 hectares of our village lands have yet to be returned under the agreement, and we remain firmly committed to continuing this vital work until every piece is restored.”

This land transfer is the latest in a string of similar moves, many of which are tied to a 2020 agreement between SFN and the province.

Just over 210 hectares of Mt. Benson land was returned in early 2024, while the province also purchased and transferred the former Howard Johnson Hotel site in July 2024.

Under the land transfer agreement, over 3,000 hectares of traditional territory is being returns to Snuneymuxw, a move the province said is “advancing its reconciliation journey.”

“Working in partnership with Snuneymuxw First Nation on the next steps of our reconciliation agreement is helping to create more jobs in Nanaimo and the mid-Island, and build strong, healthier communities,” Spencer Chandra Herbert, minister of Indigenous Relations and reconciliation, said.

Work remains on transfer of over 2,000 hectares on Mt. McKay, west of Nanaimo Airport, to complete the terms of the 2020 agreement.

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