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Police Pave Way for Developers
by Richard Boyce
Wednesday morning [February 13, 2008] 70 police officers arrested 3 people dedicated to protecting the Langford Cave and Garry Oak ecosystem near Goldstream park. 2 tree-sitters and 1 other were arrested at gunpoint.
The Garry Oak
Last week I was giving a tour of the area to a TV crew from France when 2 RCMP officers approached me for my name. I reminded them of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms that entitles every citizen in Canada to privacy, association, and freedom of the press.
I began to talk with one officer about the Gary Oak Ecosystem that was going to be destroyed by the planned highway interchange. He didn't think it was a problem and then related his personal story.
Island Lens #94 - February 14, 2008
He wanted to build a second garage beside his home and found the
local bylaws prevented him from simply cutting down 2 massive Garry Oak
trees in his backyard. He was forced to hire an accredited arborist who
wrote a letter stating the trees had to go before the garage could be
built. Then he had to acquire a permit to remove the trees which was
only issued after he provided a receipt for 2 replacement Garry Oak
trees over 6 feet tall. He was obviously upset that he couldn't simply
destroy the ecosystem that was in his way but the result was the same.
No more ancient Garry Oaks in his backyard, just young seedlings.
Garry
Oak Ecosystems are endangered according to the BC Ministry of
Environment, who state: "Restricted to southwestern British Columbia,
these ecosystems are among the rarest in the province." They contain a
diverse array of animal and plant life, including Northern Alligator
Lizards, Easter Lilies, Camas, and Shooting Stars. This unique grouping
of species only occurs within the Coastal Douglas-fir Zone on south
eastern Vancouver Island and some of the gulf islands. Over 97% of the
Garry Oak ecosystems have been destroyed by development.
Oceanside's
Nanoose notch is a rare example of an intact hillside, however a walk
along those bluffs will reveal development on all sides where the rocky
outcroppings are being bulldozed. Hopefully Fairwinds and the
Department of National Defense will be encouraged to protect this rare
ecosystem.
First Nations named the mountain SPAET, long
before wealthy athletes dubbed it Bear Mountain, and it played a
significant part in their culture. Garry Oak flourished on this
mountain providing important medicine and food plants such as camas.
Several sacred caves are concealed below SPAET; tiny entrances open up
into massive chambers hidden below the surface. Vancouver Island has
many hidden caves, due to a phenomenon known as Karst, whereby
rainwater seeps though the hard rocky topography wearing away the
softer limestone.
When First Nations tried to protect one of
these caves they met with strong resistance by Bear Mountain developers
who filled it in with tires, debris, and rock before collapsing it with
dynamite. Police and government downplayed the situation and the courts
approved an injunction to prevent key First Nations from visiting Bear
Mountain property.
Between 1998 and 2001 the BC Land Reserve
Commission rejected several attempts by Western Forest Products to
transfer crown land from the tree farm license on Skirt Mountain to
private ownership. The BC Liberal party came to power May
2001; 2 months later BC granted 44 hectares of Crown land on Skirt
Mountain to Western Forest Products for $1.05 million.
This land is
adjacent to Goldstream Provincial Park. 6 months later the Land Reserve
Commission allowed several hundred hectares to be taken out of the
Forest Land Reserve, which WFP sold for $7.5 million to private
developers. A few months later the District of Langford re-zoned this
property allowing large-scale development.
Between 2002 and
the present, the Bear Mountain Parkway was built through the former
Forest Land Reserve lands. An 18-hole golf course was built on the
former Crown lands and WFP lands, along with a village-centre of shops,
condominiums, a hockey arena, and a high-rise Westin hotel. Several
hundred luxury homes were built on terra-formed platforms, formed by
blasting the mountain in long troughs and then leveling the rubble into
flat pads, where Garry Oak and Arbutus meadows once stood.
Richard Boyce, BFA, MFA
Producer/Director
Island Bound Media Works
http://www.islandboundmedia.ca
http://islandlens.blogspot.com
[More on this travesty. - lex]
From: "Zoe Blunt"
Good news: All the police and construction crews have left the Bear Mountain interchange area, and the heavy equipment is gone. But so is a big section of forest, both around the cave and on the other side of the highway. The cave has a welded cap on one entrance and a grate with a lock box on the other. The fallen trees are still on the site which makes it hard to hike on what's left of the trail.
We are meeting at the Shell station at Spencer Road and Highway 1 on Saturday at noon. Some of the neighbours are also planning a memorial service tomorrow evening and asking folks to
bring stuffed animals, photos, candles, pictures, signs, banners, or anything else that is meaningful to create a roadside memorial for all the living things that were lost.
Please join us in Langford on Saturday. For those with a mind to visit Langford City Council to discuss this week's events and other issues, the meeting is this Monday at 7 pm, at City Hall, 855 Goldstream Ave.
Map and directions are online: http://treesit.blogspot.com. Phone for more info if needed: 885-8219.
From: Cheryl Bryce
Subject: Bear (Bare) Mountain Interchange - CFAX Radio Poll
To: joeonline@cfax1070.com
Dear Joe,
Thank you for doing a poll on the CFAX website with the question Did the RCMP use excessive force. I didn't see it in time to put in my vote. I will say in this email that they did use excessive force. Anyone that saw it in person, read or heard about the numbers of RCMP used against the non-violent protesters that they arrested would agree. 70 RCMP and surely more rotating in on shifts vs. 6 peaceful protesters.
Why would they use excessive and violent police force to remove six peaceful protesters? Why would they need RCMP doing Hwy flagging for a development? Who is paying for all these extra police officers and who is covering for them in their home detachments. I guess they are not really needed in their detachments in order to be absent this long. Makes me wonder if we really need that many RCMP in general if tax payers can afford to have them doing flagging for developers and development.
It is important to pay attention to the lack of consultation with all first nations that share this ancestral area. Why were all the first nations not involved? Why haven't the first nations communities not been involved in the consultation process? This shouldn't be a decision first nation politicians make on behalf of the entire community. There are family roles and rights being violated among other things. There are other nations that share this area and have concerns about this development. The RCMP is laughing at them when they come to site and tell them to leave. Makes me question who the RCMP really represent and their real intentions in all this.
Additionally, question the PCC on why they would transfer public lands to the City of Langford for the purposes of development. They apparently had a lease for a portion of land to create an overpass. How did this change and public lands given for development?
If the loan the City of Langford is getting for the interchange is not at the expense of the tax payers - who is paying for everything up front and why before the loan is approved and provincial funds are in place? Is the RCMP Hwy and road flagging included in that loan? If this were all an transparent and accountable process - why would a city not include the tax payers in this discussions and decisions of the loan?
In the email below I share my thoughts and feelings of the day the Violence. I share some of my grandma's wisdom. I share Wendy's experience of trying to see the state of the cave. When will people feel what we are saying and what our homelands meant to us?
Is it by chance that this day of Violence happened a day before Valentines Day? A colonial day to celebrate love. Is this an expression of their love of money and destruction the Langford Council, staff, their developers and RCMP wanted to present to the land and people? May be a call out to send them a belated Valentines Card filled with love to embrace their bare love hugs is needed.
I hope you can take this questions and ask the city, developer, RCMP, staff, consultants and even banks involved what they want their children, grandchildren, family, relatives, friends, co-worker etc to remember most about them - love of land, love of money, love of destruction...etc. What have they become? What do they want to become? What do they want their children and families to become?
Just a few thoughts and question for you to consider and pursue with those involved. Oh, yes I would like to request a song during your show, Bear Mountain Picnic by Bob Dylan. A couple friends recently told me about this song and I have never heard it. It would be wonderful if you could play that for me and all your listeners.
Thank you,
Cheryl Bryce
Songhees
Ps. I have copied to a few people that may have missed the poll and might be interested in emailing your their thoughts.
From: Cheryl Bryce
Sent: Thursday, February 14, 2008 12:52 AM
Subject: Rally against Bear Mountain's Interchange! THURSDAY 5PM!
Dear, Family, Friends and Colleagues,
It was outrageous to see the level of violent force the police used to take down a non-violent treesit. The 70 (approx.) police were imported from other districts to assist the Westshore RCMP. The direction and payment of this police force surely came from the City of Langford Council and staff. I do question how much the province and Provincial Capital Commission (PCC) was involved in this decision to use excessive violent force. This land in the colonial system is PCC land. Did they transfer the land to the City of Langford for this to happen or agree to have this violent action to take place on PCC land?
The police did use assault rifles in a violent attempt to threaten the ground protesters and treesiters to leave the site. They aimed the assault riffles at their faces and told them to leave the easy way by coming down on their own. The ground camp and one treesiters was taken out in the morning - handcuffed and removed. One managed to stay up for a few hours and the last person was taken down this afternoon. They had all kinds of police on site including climbers. I am not sure how they were taken down just yet. No one has been allowed to talk with Noah (treesiter), Luke (treesiter) or Ingmar (on site and stood in front of the machines). I understand legal representation has just recently been able to talk with a few of them.
I understand that part of the forest has been destroyed and potentially the cave has been gated.
A few reminders, Langford is paying for all the work for the interchange apparently with an understanding that the developers will pay it back. All the reports have not been finalized or considered prior to the development. The Langford citizen petition with 2000 plus signatures speaking against the interchange was not considered by Langford and most likely not even the provincial government. The Mayor of Langford referred to the RCMP as his police force. Yes, that is your government(s) and their police force at work for you and apparently for betterment of the people as a whole.
However, the police are still on site and covering the immediate surrounding area of the treesit, Hwy. and part of the south side of the mountain. Wendy Edward’s from Tsartlip went to the site this evening to check on the state of the cave. The police stopped her and asked if she was a resident of Leigh Road. She said, " No, I am not a resident. I am from Tsartlip and here to check on my cave." They told her that it is not her cave and if she stepped out of her vehicle she will be arrested. Right now we don't know the current state of the cave and karst.
I am really saddened and angry in how much our homelands and ancestors are suffering. To see the violence set upon the our homelands once again was to much. Our homelands are being destroyed on a daily basis with no consideration of what it really means to all of us, our ancestors, our children and up coming generations. Our being and spirit connects to the land. This kind of destruction is imprisoning our spirit one by one and in the end killing who we are as Indigenous people. So what does that make those that support, initiate, and participate in actions of genocide?
I came home and cried after seeing the violence set upon the land and protesters. A lot went through my mind and one being what my grandma use to tell me over and over again while I was growing up, "Never forgot who you are and never forget where you come from!" She would tell me I am not just Songhees and I am not just a part of this land here. She would tell me of my family and land ties elsewhere too. I have not forgotten but I see some have and most settlers don't understand this. Money is powerful weapon. It seems to be. How do you remind and educate people that don't want to or don't care?
Cheryl Bryce, Songhees (Victoria, BC, Canada)
From: Kalanu!
hello,
I was wondering if anyone would be able to help three of the tree-sitters who lost their bicycles during the tree-sit raid.
As you may be aware, afeter ejecting us from the tree-sit site, police threw all our gear and belongings into trucks, allowed us to claim a small portion of it and took the vast majority of it to the dump.
In an obvious effort to teach us a lesson or neutralize us or whatever, they threw away necessities, including sleeping bags, backpacks, six functioning bicycles and the Food Not Bombs bike trailer.
These bicycles were how the tree-sitters get around, how they survive, and how they help other people in the community.
I myself still have my bike, and would be extremely grateful if anyone can help provide replacement bicycles for the other tree-sitters. Anything functioning will do.
Thanks for all your support.
-in solidarity with all life,
Kalanu
http://treesit.blogspot.com
http://bullsheet.wordpress.com
http://pedaltopetal.blogspot.com
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