Photo: Contributed

Mel Arnold is ready and willing to step in and help resolve a land dispute in the Splatsin First Nation.

The North Okanagan-Shuswap Conservative MP said he has not spoken with representatives of the band yet, but he “will be reaching out to see if I can offer any assistance.”

At the heart of the matter is an ancestral burial ground located in a farmer's field near Enderby.

The band was to hold a referendum earlier this month to see if band members would accept $300,000 for the land, but a swell of opposition from band elders forced council and chief to cancel the referendum.

Chief Wayne Christian did not respond to requests for comment.

Arnold said attempts to correct it – referring to the referendum – have been made, but now the ball is in the court of Splatsin officials.

“It's up to band as to what direction they want to go,” said Arnold from his Vernon office. “I will be trying to reach out to Chief Christian to see if my office can be of any assistance.”

Arnold said he is unaware of any other situations like this one.

“There were cases in Northern B.C. where they actually had to move burial sites because of reservoirs for the dams. In those cases, they moved the remains to a new site. That's difficult to do in this situation. It's unlikely it can be restored to its original condition, so what is the best solution moving forward?”

Arnold said the land owner must also be considered in the situation.

Jody Leon has been speaking on behalf of the elders and she said the elders also want the farmer to be looked after.

“The farmer was put in a very difficult position by his government,” Leon told Castanet last week, adding the farmer did not know there was a burial site on the land, but the government did.

“We have a very good relationship with the (farmer), but it must be uncomfortable for them as well,” said Leon. “We really want to acknowledge the farmer for making an agreement with the elders. It's not fair the government put the farmer in this position.

“We definitely want to make sure he is taken care of. He is in a Catch 22 as well. He is very good friends with some of the members of our community and our elders.”