Joseph Quesnel: Empowering aboriginal communities with free markets – National Post

Oct 3, 2016

To help First Nations convert more of their land into urban reserves — First Nation-owned land that Ottawa has designated as reserves, complete with tax-exempt status — the federal government has decided to make changes to its Additions to Reserve (ATR) policy.

In 2014, economists with the Fiscal Realities group studied six First Nations located near urban areas. It found that urban ATRs offer significant economic and fiscal benefits to First Nations, regional economies and local governments. Economic growth, it seems, is good for everybody.

The Membertou First Nation, an indigenous group in Cape Breton, N.S., has discovered the benefits of keeping land outside the reserve system. The community owns land outright in fee simple estate, the highest form of property ownership in Canada.

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