The province is selling off another pair of surplus properties, including a massive swath of land at Willingdon Avenue and Canada Way in Burnaby.
Two First Nations - the Tsleil-Waututh and the Musqueam - are the new owners of the Willingdon site, bought from the provincial government for $57.9 million.
The two nations, along with the Squamish, have also partnered to buy the Liquor Distribution Branch site on East Broadway in Vancouver, but that deal has yet to go through.
"This agreement is so important for our three communities, and we hope it sets a positive example of what can be achieved when we truly work together as one," said Tsleil-Waututh chief Maureen Thomas in a press release.
The 16-hectare patch of Crown land includes the Burnaby Centre for Mental Health and Addiction, the Maples Adolescent Treatment Centre and a provincial mental health assessment centre.
According to the province, part of the Willingdon deal included a provision that the two nations lease the land back to the province, and there will be no disruption of services at the Willingdon site. The Tsleil-Waututh confirmed that's the case for the next three years, but what happens after that is still being discussed, and representatives from the nation plan to meet with Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan soon.
"I know they haven't come into any agreements yet, and I know that's what they want to talk to Corrigan about as well, that any development goes under city bylaws," said Sarah Thomas, spokesperson for the Tsleil-Waututh Nation.
A government press release noted that the buildings on the Willingdon property "are nearing the end of their economic life and occupy a small portion of the site."
The two property deals are part of a larger provincial government strategy to sell off surplus Crown land to generate money.
When asked why the nations bought the site, Thomas said they were growing.
"It's within our traditional territories, that's why the province has an obligation to go to us first," she said.
The provincial government has a legal duty to consult First Nations when selling off Crown land, which is how the two nations struck up a deal with the government to buy the Willingdon site for the full appraised value.
