140 years later, the cost and impact of the E&N Railway Land Grant
A new exhibit at the Harbourfront Library in Nanaimo brings attention to the privatisation of much of the land on southeastern Vancouver Island. Called The Great Vancouver Island Land Grab, it’s about the granting of land in exchange for construction of the Esquimalt and Nanaimo railway.
In the 1880s, more than 800 thousand hectares of land were given to the Esquimalt and Nanaimo railway company as a way to help finance building a rail line on Vancouver Island. The exhibit highlights the impact those grants have on society today, including in modern treaty negotiations.
Midcoast Morning paid a visit to a launch event for the exhibit, and spoke with the chief negotiator for the Hul'qumi'num Treaty Group, as well as the Vancouver Island Regional Library’s Executive Director. The program followed up with Vancouver Island Local History Society President Kelly Black for a longer conversation on the subject.
Support Midcoast Morning and our Nonprofit Newsroom with a monthly sustaining donation of $5 to $10 a month.
Podcast Photo: Map of the Esquimalt & Nanaimo Railway Company's Land Grant (Library and Archives Canada).
Guest