The Ministry of Transportation has the goal of widening the highway from Kamloops to the Alberta border. This includes safety improvements to the design (such as working to remove sharp curves, steep grades and narrow bridges) and upgrading the highway to four lanes (two in each direction), both of which will allow for safer and more efficient travel, tourism and trade.

The Ministry of Transportation needs input from the community to create the highway design that best addresses what the people of Neskonlith have in mind for their future vision for the community.

In order for this project to happen, the community must vote to accept the design and negotiated benefits for the community. If the community does not agree to the negotiated benefits or design, the highway four-laning will not happen.

We are going through this process to ensure that the community has the opportunity to provide their input on the highway design, has all of the information they need and have had many opportunities to ask questions, so that they can make an informed decision when the vote happens.

We are midway through the overall process. Right now, there has been some engagement with the CP holders and based on that feedback a concept of a highway design has been created (conceptual design). We are just about to go out to the community with this design concept to collect feedback and input.

We collected feedback on initial design options from CP holders and community members in 2019. This feedback was then used to guide MoTI to identify where to do Archeology, Environmental and Geotechnical studies. This data is 80% complete and will guide functional design options for the community to review and provide feedback. Feedback from the community will be collected between Dec 2023 - Jan 2023 and will used to direct MoTI with the remaining functional design.

From early engagement sessions with the community, conceptual designs were created. These early concepts were then brought forward to CP Holders to refine/comment on and modify. CP holders were engaged first because the majority of the land impacted by the highway four-laning project is CP holder land. CP Holders did agree on a common design that was combined by MoTI into the preliminary design, which we will be bringing to the community to refine/comment on and modify.Since this time, MoTI has completed a number of archeology, geology and environmental studies which have been used to refine the design further. We are now brining these more refined designs back to the community for further input. Since this time, MoTI has completed a number of archeology, geology and environmental studies which have been used to refine the design further. We are now brining these more refined designs back to the community for further input.

The functional design can not be completed without the archaeological, geotechnical and environmental studies. These studies can not be created on CP Holder land without the owner’s authorization. This process has taken longer than anticipated causing delays to the overall project.

Once these studies are completed MoTI will be able to created the completed functional design which will then go back to the community for further input before it becomes the detailed design. It is estimated this process could take 1-2 years.

The detailed design will then go back to the community one last time for input. From the detailed design negotiations will start because the impact of the design and impact of the highway will be determined.

Improved safety for both vehicles and community members

• Safer, protected intersections with improved lighting, acceleration and deceleration lanes for vehicles pulling on and off the highway
• Safer traveling on the highway with a centreline barrier which prevents vehicles from crossing the middle line and getting into head-on collisions.
• Safer passage across the highway for people with options to travel under the highway rather than crossing traffic.

Additional infrastructure for Neskonlith

• Millions of dollars of new frontage and backage roads.
• Installation of new drainage or upgrade of existing drainage/culverts.
• Possible upgrade of existing road networks.

Ability to unlock future economic development potential

• Safer highway access and new frontage and backage roads will help to unlock land for future development/developers.
• All intersections and frontage roads will be built to handle commercial traffic.

Possible negotiated community benefits both provincially(through the new Community Benefits Agreement) and federally (through the Section 35 process)

• Compensation for reserve land lost from the highway expansion process – this includes the addition of more land that was lost to the reserve as well as financial compensation.
• Commitment of the construction contractor to hire Neskonlith Members while working on the project.
• Possible negotiated community benefits both provincially(through the new Community Benefits Agreement) and federally (through the Section 35 process).
• The creation of a Legacy Fund which can be used as direct cash contributions to future community projects such as community centres, cultural centres, tourist information centres, bursaries, museums, etc.
• Skills training for community members, not only for direct construction jobs, but other opportunities such as entrepreneurship, tourism, safety, economic development, etc.

Land use plans provide a shared vision for the future for IR2 and IR3, and a plan for how to get there. They are carefully and collaboratively drafted by planners, community members and tk’wam7ipla7 (Chief and Council).
All land use plans consider the physical or built environment and how it interacts with the natural environment. Land use plans also help to guide the types of future activities or uses that can take place in different areas to help avoid future land use conflicts.

Section 35 is the part of the Constitution Act that recognizes and affirms Aboriginal rights. Aboriginal rights have been interpreted to include a range of cultural, social, political and economic rights including the right to land, as well as to fish, to hunt, to practice one’s own seckwnémten (culture) and to establish treaties.

Under the Section 35 process, any project which will impact Aboriginal rights requires the government to consult, uphold the community’s right to choose if the project will happen and fairly compensate the community if the project proceeds.