First Nations people living on Indian reserves are the most disadvantaged segment of Canada’s Indigenous population. Yet the situation is not all bleak because some First Nations are finding a path toward prosperity. Scholars, like journalists, often focus on bad news, but we should also study the good news to see what can be learned from successful First Nations. Westbank First Nation, located in British Columbia on the west side of Okanagan Lake opposite Kelowna, is a highly successful First Nation, and its achievements offer important lessons to other First Nations as well as to Canadian policy makers.
Westbank First Nation (WFN) has combined individual property rights, in the form of certificates of possession (CPs), with a system of government enabling these rights to become useful in the economy. The lesson is that neither property rights nor government can succeed on their own, but the two together can become a powerful engine of wealth creation. To be most effective, property rights must be supported by a government that defines and records these rights, enforces them impartially under the rule of law, and supports owners with services and utilities such as roadways, police and fire protection, water and sewerage, and other amenities required to make property development attractive.
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