The province is selling off another pair of surplus properties, including a massive swath of land at Willingdon Avenue and Canada Way in Burnaby.
Two First Nations – the Tsleil-Waututh and the Musqueam – are the new owners of the Willingdon lands, bought from the provincial government for $57.9 million.
The two nations, along with the Squamish, have also partnered to buy the Liquor Distribution Branch on East Broadway in Vancouver, but that deal has yet to go through.
"This agreement is so important for our three communities, and we hope it sets a positive example of what can be achieved when we truly work together as one," said Tsleil-Waututh chief Maureen Thomas in a press release.
The 16-hectare patch of Crown land includes the Burnaby Centre for Mental Health and Addictions, the Maples Adolescent Treatment Centre and a provincial mental health assessment centre.
Part of the Willingdon deal included a provision that the two nations lease the land back to the province, and the provincial government has said there will be no disruption of services at the Willingdon site.
A government press release noted that the buildings on the Willingdon property "are nearing the end of their economic life and occupy a small portion of the site."
The two land deals are part of a larger provincial government strategy to sell off surplus Crown land to generate money.
