Metis culture featured at camp

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When he heard that the provincial government was looking to get rid of a former youth correctional facility up in the mountains, Kurtis DeSilva decided it would make a great place to expose young people to Metis and First Nation culture.

DeSilva, president of the Metis Nation of British Columbia, a provincial Metis organization that is not affiliated with the Metis National Council, has big plans for the former Boulder Bay Youth Correctional Facility.

Located about 25 km north of Mission and accessible only by rough, unpaved roads, the 25-acre parcel of land surrounds two glacier-fed lakes-Pine Lake and Alouette Lake. A cluster of dormitories, a kitchen/cafeteria and a gymnasium form the core of the camp.

DeSilva, who lives near Mission, heard about the opportunity and approached his mayor and council with a plan to create a facility for youth that would take advantage of the unspoiled natural beauty of the location. He plans to provide a place where young people struggling with addictions can get treatment, while providing a place where other young people can spend time learning about-and living-Metis culture.

"I got word of that fact that the provincial government was getting rid of this property. They couldn't sell it because BC Building Corporation owned the buildings, and Land and Waters owned the land. If they couldn't find anybody to go into the property, the B.C. government would have been looking at tearing down the entire facility at a cost of $30,000," DeSilva said.

The province was suggesting that the municipal government take the property, and any potential costs, off its hands.

"The district of Mission was looking at someone to put in there. They had a couple of groups that they were dealing with. Ultimately, council decided that our vision was more community-oriented," DeSilva said.

He and a few volunteers have been preparing the site for a grand opening of sorts. Although there's still lots of work to do, an open house is scheduled for Nov. 15.

"We've got MPs, MLAs, local politicians, community leaders and the general public coming up to take a look at what we've got, where we're going," he said. "They're going to start off on the opening ceremony with a First Nations' drum group. Then go on to a Scottish Piper."

But the main focus will be Metis culture.

"We'll have hiding (skinning hides), tourism, youth programs, tipi camping, boating, canoeing. We've got horses and a barn. We'll have crafts but they'll be authentic crafts," he said.

He also plans to create a Metis museum on the site.

There is little development near the site because no one wanted to build near a correctional facility. There are great climbing mountains just a few minutes' walk from the centre of the outpost. The deep waters in the two lakes feature great fishing.

The potential of the site is great, DeSilva believes. He has sunk close to $27,000 of his own money into the project in the hopes that he can attract other investors who will help make it a truly unique and special place.

DeSilva is fiercely proud of the fact that he has done this project without government funding."Not one cent of government money has gone into this," he said.