Land Code and Cannabis Opportunities

Presenting Organization
Indigenous Business and Investment Council

Description
This presentation will speak of the importance for an established land code and the opportunities it afforded to the Williams Lake Indian Band in the establishment of the Cannabis Retailing Business, Indigenous Bloom.

Chief Sellars will discuss the Williams Lake Indian Band’s development of a land code and land use plan and how these plans supported the opportunity to enter new business opportunities, such as the Cannabis retail sector.

What Participants will Learn by Attending

The practical value of a land code and landing new business opportunity

Presenter

Chief Willie Sellars

Presenter Biography

William (Willie) D. Sellars was born and raised in Williams Lake, BC, and is a member of the Williams Lake Indian Band ("WLIB" or "T'exelc") of the Secwepemc Nation. Elected onto WLIB Council at the age of 23 in 2008, Willie was one of the youngest elected councillors in WLIB history. He served three terms as a councillor before being elected as the Chief of the WLIB in 2018. Mr. Sellars also worked for a number of years as a Wildland Firefighter for the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations before returning to his community to assume the position of Special Projects Coordinator in the WLIB Economic Development Department. During this time, he was responsible for new business initiatives flowing from Impact Benefit Agreements and engagement with proponents in the traditional territory and community consultation for major WLIB projects, such as the First Nations Land Management Initiative and the Coyote Rock Infrastructure Project.