Non-band members who reside on the Semiahmoo First Nation reserve have learned that they have until till 4 p.m. April 30 to come up with $50,000 鈥� the minimum it will cost to connect their homes to Surrey鈥檚 water and sanitary sewer lines 鈥� or start packing.
SFN Chief Harley Chappell said Wednesday the news, shared April 2, was a necessary step in ongoing efforts to improve the Semiahmoo鈥檚 standard of living, with water for drinking and fire-suppression, as well as sanitary sewer services.
The ultimate goal, he said, is to have a longstanding boil-water advisory lifted.
鈥淩eally, that鈥檚 the driving force behind this,鈥� Chappell told Peace Arch News. 鈥淔or Semiahmoo to be lifted off the boil-water advisory, everybody needs to be hooked up to municipal services.
鈥淏y no means is this anything personal. This is to鈥� move us into a new era.鈥�
READ MORE:
READ MORE:
READ MORE:
He confirmed 36 homes on three lots are affected, and that residents who can鈥檛 or won鈥檛 pay will have two months 鈥� until June 15 鈥� to return the property to its natural state and leave.
Some who received the notice described it as 鈥渟o unreasonable.鈥�
鈥淲e need help, there are many seniors as well as my dad (who face losing their) homes they built and younger people that recently purchased (their) homes,鈥� Nicole Brideau told PAN by email Tuesday.
鈥淐an they do this when the government is funding the water鈥� project?鈥�
Brideau said her father, 77, has lived on the reserve for 45 years. He and other non-band members are 鈥渘ot at all鈥� able to pay the $50,000 she said.
鈥淣obody is, actually, and they know that.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know how this is in any way right.鈥�
Chappell said neither the fee nor timeline should have come as much of a surprise to those who received the notice, which also details additional costs to non-members including 鈥渓ift station鈥� fees of $60,000.
Conversations around establishing the connections began in 2017, a year after notice from the City of White Rock that the band鈥檚 access to the waterfront city鈥檚 supply was to end, Chappell said.
During that first conversation, non-band members were advised that costs associated with connecting their homes 鈥渨ould be on them,鈥� a reality Chappell says they were reminded of during a September 2018 meeting.
鈥淚t was kind of that hard, first conversation that we started to say, 鈥榯his is going to cost you a substantial amount of funds and get ready,鈥欌�� he said.
鈥溾�榊ou need to start making some choices and decisions around what you鈥檙e going to do, working towards hooking up to this infrastructure or not, and the 鈥榦r not鈥� is, well then you can no longer reside on Semiahmoo First Nation.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 not an easy conversation, it鈥檚 not an easy direction we have to move, but it is a direction the Semiahmoo needs to move to raise the living standards of Semiahmoo.鈥�
Brideau said a figure as high as $50,000 was never mentioned.
The SFN has been under a permanent boil-water advisory since 2005. Following a servicing agreement reached with Surrey last summer, the band received approval for the milestone infrastructure from Indigenous Services Canda in January.
The $10-million project 鈥� during which more than two kilometres of pipe is to be laid between Highway 99 and the Little Campbell River 鈥� got underway in March, and it鈥檚 hoped the first connection will be complete by the end of the year.
At a March 8 groundbreaking ceremony, Chappell described the occasion as 鈥渁 very momentous, historic day for the Semiahmoo.鈥�
He told PAN that same day that consultation was still underway with non-band members regarding their connections, as federal funding only covers SFN members, and that costs of that had yet to be determined.
Wednesday, he noted that non-members have been living on the reserve as month-to-month 鈥渂uckshee鈥� 鈥� without a formal agreement 鈥� residents since 2008, when the ISC cancelled all cottage leases.
He acknowledged that the process of late 鈥渉as been extremely quick, and ultimately, that has filtered down.鈥�
He said it took on additional urgency in late December, following a suspicious fire at his father鈥檚 home. No one was hurt, but 鈥渆verything was lost,鈥� he said.
Chappell confirmed the blaze factored into a decision to include a clear warning in the April 2 notice that 鈥渁ny perceived threats鈥� or damage will not be tolerated.
鈥淚f there鈥檚 even rumblings of it, removal will happen immediately,鈥� he told PAN.
Chappell said while he had anticipated some upset from non-band members regarding the infrastructure costs, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know how anybody could ever have any issue with bringing water and sanitary sewer to the community, and fire suppression.鈥�
A meeting is planned for next week with non-band members who decide to stay, to 鈥渟tart discussion鈥� on what incurring the costs is going to look like, he said. Asked if those who choose to stay will have any guarantee that they won鈥檛 be asked to leave once their connection is in place, Chappell said 鈥渋f people choose to invest, then we鈥檙e invested in working with them.鈥�
The ISC will not issue any new leases until after the boil-water advisory is lifted, he noted.
