On Vancouver Island, residents are paying voluntary rent to First Nations – The Narwhal

May 14, 2024

‘It’s a good step towards mending our relationship’: a growing network of reciprocity trusts allow settlers to contribute to the communities whose lands they live on

In March, a small non-profit in British Columbia cut 10 cheques worth approximately $5,500 each, and hand delivered them to as many First Nations on southern Vancouver Island. The money, collected in the second half of 2023, is the first annual installment of voluntary “rents” paid by residents and business owners who live and work on the First Nations’ homelands.

The South Island Reciprocity Trust is the brainchild of Craig Candler, a second-generation Canadian and cultural anthropologist who has worked with Indigenous communities for nearly three decades. “I felt it was really important for there to be a pathway that wasn’t just recognizing with words that we’re on Indigenous territory, but was actually meaningfully giving back to the communities who we need to thank for where we get to live.”

Established in June 2023, the South Island trust is the first of what Candler intends to grow into a series of regional trusts created in partnership with First Nations across Canada. The trusts will fall under the broader umbrella of the Reciprocity Trusts Society, the non-profit created by Candler to administer the program.

Read More: https://thenarwhal.ca/bc-voluntary-rent-first-nations/