Most people living on Vancouver Island have never heard of the E&N Railway land grant, also known as the great land grab. I feel confident in saying so because I was born and raised on the Island and I have taught BC history — it was not until I took a BC history course in university that I learned about it. If you know about the great land grab, you’re in the minority.

I’ve been trying to change this lack of awareness (for myself and others) ever since I first learned about the historical event. In less than two weeks, these efforts will culminate in the launch of a new travelling exhibit: The Great Vancouver Island Land Grab.

The land grab gave about 800,000 hectares / 2 million acres to the E&N Railway Company in exchange for 115kms of track. The exhibit looks at what happened, who was affected, and why it still matters today. It is illustrated by three First Nations artists and created in conversation with many of the people who know the subject best.

There has been a disturbing increase in racist rhetoric around private property and First Nations rights and title in BC. This is not new for BC (or Canada or other settler colonial places), but it is re-newed in the wake of a recent landmark Supreme Court of BC ruling.

Private property in the form of fee-simple title is not a given — it has not always been this way. ‘Property’ in all forms is something that is done or worked at based on a set of shared beliefs. For ‘private property’ to be created, First Nations had to be dispossessed, and on Vancouver Island the great land grab played (and continues to play) and outsize role.

I have long believed that public history can be a vital tool to counter the ways we reinforce everyday structures of settler colonialism. Over the last three years, I have worked with an amazing team of humans to develop this exhibit (no “AI” here, thank-you-very-much). It begins with a three minute introductory video which you can watch below. You can learn more, and see a digital version of the exhibit, by visiting TheGreatLandGrab.ca

If you’re on Vancouver Island (or visiting between now and 2028), I hope you will go see the exhibit when it comes to your community. It’s time to start talking about how we got here, and where we want to go.