Senior governments, also funded by our tax dollars, are already meeting reconciliation obligations to First Nations.
While characterized by the Victoria council as a grant, in fact what is proposed is a commitment of tax revenue for a specific purpose in perpetuity.
The current tax proposal has 15 per cent of the new assessment revenue every year go to two sovereign nations, the Songhees and Esquimalt First Nations.
An analysis provided by the city of how the grant would grow at 15 per cent shows that if it had been created in 2002, the amount transferred would grow from $161,799 in 2002 to nearly $5 million in 2021.
Our community is now facing very serious issues such as public safety, homelessness, a housing crisis, an opioid crisis, deteriorating infrastructure, rejuvenating the local economy, all during a pandemic.