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Three First Nations in Surrey, B.C., made a request on Wednesday for a parcel of land within their traditional territory to be returned to them.

The Katzie, Kwantlen and Semiahmoo (KKS) nations said the land, called k’weq’ənəq (Kwek-en-nek) and known as Campbell Heights North in Surrey, should be returned to them to support their cultural and economic future. The site consists of 300 acres of industrial-zoned land, which the federal government owns. The majority of the land is currently the site of Heppell’s Farm, which grows potatoes, carrots, parsnips, cabbage and squash.



The Heppell family has been farming the 220-acre parcel of land at 192 Street and 36 Avenue for five decades. The family has long leased the property from the federal government, which originally bought it for a Second World War radar station. In recent years, Ottawa put the land on a list of properties it plans to sell off, raising fears it could end up being developed.

Story continues below advertisement 2:05 Future of Surrey farm lands remains in limbo, despite council vote “We are coming together as three Nations, as a family, working together to honour the countless past, present, and future generations of our Kwantlen, Katzie and Semiahmoo people,” Chief Marilyn Gabriel of the Kwantlen First Nation said in a statement. “We owe that to them, and the government owes that to us. It’s time.

It’s not the time to talk anymore, it’s time for us to see k’weq’ənəq returned to us. I c.

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