Image: BC Assessment / 58970 Laidlaw Road, located west of Hope, one of two parcels of land that could be added to Ohamil 1 Indian Reserve.

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Addition to reserve

Ag land addition to First Nation between Chilliwack and Hope on Thursday’s FVRD board agenda

Jul 23, 2025 | 9:00 AM

CHILLIWACK — The Fraser Valley Regional District board is set to review a motion this week involving an agricultural land addition to a First Nation between Chilliwack and Hope, but will not be voting on the merits of the proposed Addition to Reserve.

According to item 13.3 on Thursday’s board agenda, the FVRD board has received a referral from Indigenous Services Canada about two parcels of land being added to the Ohamil 1 Indian Reserve, located near Laidlaw.

On June 9, 2025, ISC sent a letter to the FVRD seeking comments by Sept. 7, 2025 about a proposed Addition to Reserve involving 11.73 hectares, or 29 acres, of land. The application features two separate parcels; one is contiguous with the reserve, Ohamil 1, and another is located nearby. Both parcels are located along Highway 1 (Trans-Canada Highway) in Electoral Area B, roughly 2.5 kilometers from the District of Hope boundary.

One parcel of land, 58970 Laidlaw Road, is assessed at $1,374,000. It is 15.67 acres in size.

Image: Google Maps / Aerial view of 58970 Laidlaw Road.

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The second parcel has no specific address, but is located at the southern end of St. Elmo Road. It is 11.37 acres in size and is assessed at $536,000.

Image: BC Assessment / The parcel of land on St. Elmo Road that could be added to Ohamil 1 Indian Reserve.

According to an FVRD staff report, based on the aerial imagery and FVRD property records, the property at 58970 Laidlaw Road has been used for residential purposes, while the property at the south end of St. Elmo Road appears to be naturally vegetated. In the past, the latter property was used as an angler’s walk-in site to access the Fraser River. Both properties are zoned Agricultural 3 (AG-3) and are located within the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR). The FVRD staff report says that if the Addition to Reserve process is successful, the properties will no longer be subject to ALR and FVRD regulations.

FVRD staff say the referral package received from Indigenous Services Canada did not reveal the future intended use of these lands, meaning future land uses are unknown and may not align with the FVRD’s Official Community Plan land use designations.

FVRD staff say while it is important to note that provincial and local governments do not have decision-making authority over ATR proposals, the ATR application is referred for comment only. Final decisions on reserve creation and land additions are made by the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, in accordance with the Addition of Lands to Reserves and Reserve Creation Act. FVRD staff note that once these lands are added to reserve, FVRD land use bylaws will no longer apply, and the laws under the land code of the respective First Nation band will come into force.