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 乌鸦传媒� the minimum it will cost to connect their homes to Surrey乌鸦传媒檚 water and sanitary sewer lines 乌鸦传媒� 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乌鸦传媒檚 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.
乌鸦传媒淩eally, that乌鸦传媒檚 the driving force behind this,乌鸦传媒� Chappell told Peace Arch News. 乌鸦传媒淔or Semiahmoo to be lifted off the boil-water advisory, everybody needs to be hooked up to municipal services.
乌鸦传媒淏y no means is this anything personal. This is to乌鸦传媒� move us into a new era.乌鸦传媒�
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He confirmed 36 homes on three lots are affected, and that residents who can乌鸦传媒檛 or won乌鸦传媒檛 pay will have two months 乌鸦传媒� until June 15 乌鸦传媒� to return the property to its natural state and leave.
Some who received the notice described it as 乌鸦传媒渟o unreasonable.乌鸦传媒�
乌鸦传媒淲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,乌鸦传媒� Nicole Brideau told PAN by email Tuesday.
乌鸦传媒淐an they do this when the government is funding the water乌鸦传媒� project?乌鸦传媒�
Brideau said her father, 77, has lived on the reserve for 45 years. He and other non-band members are 乌鸦传媒渘ot at all乌鸦传媒� able to pay the $50,000 she said.
乌鸦传媒淣obody is, actually, and they know that.
乌鸦传媒淚 don乌鸦传媒檛 know how this is in any way right.乌鸦传媒�
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 乌鸦传媒渓ift station乌鸦传媒� 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乌鸦传媒檚 access to the waterfront city乌鸦传媒檚 supply was to end, Chappell said.
During that first conversation, non-band members were advised that costs associated with connecting their homes 乌鸦传媒渨ould be on them,乌鸦传媒� a reality Chappell says they were reminded of during a September 2018 meeting.
乌鸦传媒淚t was kind of that hard, first conversation that we started to say, 乌鸦传媒榯his is going to cost you a substantial amount of funds and get ready,乌鸦传媒櫸谘淮綕 he said.
乌鸦传媒溛谘淮綐You need to start making some choices and decisions around what you乌鸦传媒檙e going to do, working towards hooking up to this infrastructure or not, and the 乌鸦传媒榦r not乌鸦传媒� is, well then you can no longer reside on Semiahmoo First Nation.乌鸦传媒�
乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 not an easy conversation, it乌鸦传媒檚 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.乌鸦传媒�
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 乌鸦传媒� during which more than two kilometres of pipe is to be laid between Highway 99 and the Little Campbell River 乌鸦传媒� got underway in March, and it乌鸦传媒檚 hoped the first connection will be complete by the end of the year.
At a March 8 groundbreaking ceremony, Chappell described the occasion as 乌鸦传媒渁 very momentous, historic day for the Semiahmoo.乌鸦传媒�
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 乌鸦传媒渂uckshee乌鸦传媒� 乌鸦传媒� without a formal agreement 乌鸦传媒� residents since 2008, when the ISC cancelled all cottage leases.
He acknowledged that the process of late 乌鸦传媒渉as been extremely quick, and ultimately, that has filtered down.乌鸦传媒�
He said it took on additional urgency in late December, following a suspicious fire at his father乌鸦传媒檚 home. No one was hurt, but 乌鸦传媒渆verything was lost,乌鸦传媒� he said.
Chappell confirmed the blaze factored into a decision to include a clear warning in the April 2 notice that 乌鸦传媒渁ny perceived threats乌鸦传媒� or damage will not be tolerated.
乌鸦传媒淚f there乌鸦传媒檚 even rumblings of it, removal will happen immediately,乌鸦传媒� he told PAN.
Chappell said while he had anticipated some upset from non-band members regarding the infrastructure costs, 乌鸦传媒淚 don乌鸦传媒檛 know how anybody could ever have any issue with bringing water and sanitary sewer to the community, and fire suppression.乌鸦传媒�
A meeting is planned for next week with non-band members who decide to stay, to 乌鸦传媒渟tart discussion乌鸦传媒� 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乌鸦传媒檛 be asked to leave once their connection is in place, Chappell said 乌鸦传媒渋f people choose to invest, then we乌鸦传媒檙e invested in working with them.乌鸦传媒�
The ISC will not issue any new leases until after the boil-water advisory is lifted, he noted.
