Vancouver parks to undergo ‘colonial audit’

VANCOUVER The Vancouver park board is set to take a hard look at its colonial history and will seek to formally apologize to the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh nations for acts of colonialism, including “theft of ancestral lands” and past removal of First Nations communities, according to the municipal body.

The review is part of a “colonial audit” that will cover lands including Stanley Park, Spanish Banks and other beach areas around the city.

Stuart Mackinnon, the chair of the park board, said such lands had been used for thousands of years for food gathering and for settlements.

And taking Stanley Park as an example, when that land was declared a park, the people who lived there were forced out.

“We have a colonial history, and that is we imposed our view on them. We have not sought the expertise or the wisdom of the First Nations people who have been here for millenia,” he said.

“In the Truth and Reconciliation process, truth-telling is the first step. And so we must go back and look at our history. From truth telling we can move on to healing and truly to reconciliation.”

The audit, approved by the board earlier this week, will document ways in which colonialism was and is embedded in park board operations, according to a staff report. The identification of meaningful next steps would be possible after the audit was complete, according to the report. No end date was set.

Asked whether reconciliation could open the door to land like Stanley Park reverting to First Nations control, Mackinnon said that was “a question for governments much higher than the park board.”