We’re All Treaty People: Site C, Treaty Power and Power Politics

Join the discussion to explore the social and legal ramifications of Site C July 5 at Douglas College Aboriginal Gathering Centre.

The social cost of moving forward with Site C, the third major dam on the Peace River in northeastern BC, goes far beyond the obvious cost overruns and rearguard economics. The tension cracks in the river bank where BC Hydro and the BC Government plan to blast aren’t the only cracks that pose a danger. The project will shatter the entire ecosystem of the Peace River Valley.

We’re All Treaty Peoplewill welcome special guest Chief Bob Chamberlin of the Union of B Indian Chiefs and eature Dr. Gordon Christie, Inupiat/Inuvialuit ancestry, UBC specialist in Aboriginal law (bio attached) and Julian Napoleon Dane-zaa and Cree (bio attached) from the Saulteau First Nations, dedicated to raising awareness around Indigenous issues of land, water, food and community. Other guests will include Adrienne Peacock, a Douglas College Professor emeritus who was a member of the BC Utilities Commission when it rejected Site C in the early 80’s and Reverend Emily Smith the Parish Priest at St. Barnabas Anglican Church in New Westminster.

On the value of land to culture and survival, Mr. Napoleon does not mince his words, “In its destruction of invaluable farmland, waterways, and ecologically rich and abundant biocultural heritage areas, the Site C dam endangers all of our long-term resilience, sovereignty, and food security.”

Dr. Christie will bring clarity to the evening by presenting Treaty 8, its legal ramifications and who is responsible for its adherence. The West Moberly and Prophet River cases as well as the Blueberry River case will be explained in accessible language. But he will also discuss how every British Columbian has a responsibility to ensure that Treaty 8 is respected. Dr. Christie emphasizes that, “Canadians are treaty partners within the treaty 8 regime, and so should be concerned that promises made in the treaty—on their behalf—are being upheld.”

Each guest will be asked to answer the following questions:

Why should the Site C Dam be halted?
What can we do to stop it.

The evening is a fundraiserand pay-what-you canwith food, videos and a chance to meet people working on-the-ground to stop Site C. All proceeds of the evening will go to three court cases: West Moberly and Prophet River Bands injunction request, the Blueberry River Bands Treaty 8 case and the Peace Valley Landowners Association whose members are the farmers and ranchers whose farms fall within the 140,000 square kilometers of land targeted for flooding for the Site C Dam. That territory is equal to the land between Maple Ridge and Hope. Just think about it.

The event is sponsored by Aboriginal Services, Douglas College and Fight C.

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Information: Mae Burrows 604-526-1956 (h) 604) 916-9026 (c)

The gloves come off in the fight to stop the Kinder Morgan Pipeline

The BC Supreme Court Judge (Affleck) who, on Kinder Morgan’s request, first ordered the injunction limiting protestors to stay five metres away from the gates and waters surrounding the Burnaby Mountain Site, has ramped up the initial injunction.

As of last Friday, June 1, 2018 protestors are forbidden from getting closer than 10 metres of the gates to Kinder Morgan, must keep the roads clear, must obey all the signs and broadcasts — wherever they are claiming Kinder Morgan territory. And if we don’t do what they say, it will be off to jail for 7 to 10 days.

Canada, get ready!

I was part of a group of 20 within the first 240 people to who under the guidance of our lawyer Chilwin Cheng, Ascendion Law, plead not-guilty. It was a technical, but important step in attempting to clarify the confusion around civil contempt, which folks up until the end of March were charged with by the RCMP, and criminal contempt. Judge Affleck, with the agreement of the Attorney General of BC’s office, upgraded the pre-April charges to criminal contempt. What makes it criminal you ask! Oh, you are in criminal contempt apparently when you disobey publicly rather than quietly, I guess, like corporate disobedience — do it quietly, I guess and they’ll be nice to you — no matter what.

Lawyer Cheng and his associates working with the group of protestors I was involved with is of the opinion that the contempt charges should be just that and that the punishment should be dictated by something more than public view especially in this day and age where the public part of your disobedience might actually be ‘beyond your control” given all the digital media present. In addition, Chilwin argued that violence should be considered when sentences for contempt are handed over. The group I went to court with was proven guilty and we were each given sentences of either $500 or 25 hours of community service. My service with 411 Seniors Society has already started.

The Travesty of it All

I read an interesting editorial in The Guardian today about how Canada has become a country known for its apologies, particularly under the “teary-eyed” Justin Trudeau. Apologies without substance, of course as Canada continues to impose colonial practice on Indigenous Peoples right across the country, continues to condemn those of us who support Palestinian sovereignty.

Stick around

This Monday, June 11 the next wave of protests will begin. Just to be clear, not that they have ever stopped. Lead by our Coast Salish sisters and brothers not one day has gone by when there has not been some action, ceremony or celebration of the resistance to territorial destruction.

But on Monday a new wave will begin. With the new boundaries for protest and proposals that fines will now be replaced by jail time the long, hot summer of 2018 is about to begin.

The Watch House for Burnaby Mountain and the Tiny Houses being built right along the line where the Justin Trudeau Pipeline is threatening to be built through Indigenous Territories both First Nations and settlers will be telling the world that it is time to stop the destruction coming from Canada’s “tar sands” — territorial home to the Lubicon Cree and other Indigenous Nations and Métis Communities who have lived in the territory for many, many, generations some, before contact, and have been fighting against the “tar sands” project since the 1970’s.

Courage my friends….People of Faith on the Mountain, April 29, 2018

Supported by many volunteers providing food, coffee, warmth and encouragement, more than 100 people of faith from various churches and organizations came to the mountain to show support for the Keepers of truth, water watchers and those who are camped there every day. The resistance is growing! people of faith arrested on April 29 Stop Kinder Morgan.jpg

Environmental Justice As Liberation: No Consent, No Pipeline, No Kinder Morgan

The headline above is for a piece posted by Sarah Beuhler, campaigner for the Coast Protectors. Sarah was s a guest editor to the online blog The South Lawn. (see below)

As someone whose SFU Masters Thesis focused on the importance of creativity in resistance I find it exciting and hopeful to see the Carnival playing out right here, in British Columbia. People’s resistance taking place in so many venues — Indigenous rights and consent, housing affordability and availability throughout the province, pipelines, fracking, massive hydro power dams, fish farms and more. British Columbians and Canadians right across the country are speaking up and doing so with creativity.

In the Lower Mainland of British Columbia the battle to stop the Kinder Morgan Pipeline is heating up. This piece by Sarah Beuhler gives an excellent overview of the strategy involved in mobilizing and fighting this project.

Against the power of governments who were falsely elected on the basis of new, community driven strategies with collusion from corporate driven mainstream media, the Kinder Morgan pipeline battle in BC, as well as the Fight against Site C and ocean-based fish farms and fracking are examples of mobilizations to protect land and water and the beings who depend on them. They are led by Indigenous leaders from the BC Union of Indian Chiefs to hundreds of small communities whose lives and livelihoods are historically and legally tied to the unceded territories. And settlers are following — finally.

Across Canada, in North and South America and throughout the colonized world, Indigenous Communities are fighting back with vigour and great creativity and are being joined by thousands, millions of settler communities who have learned to respect and understand that without the full and prior consent of the Indigenous in traditional territories , the land’s truth keepers — sustainable progress will not ensue.

Sarah’s piece invites the public to understand the story of the Kinder Morgan Pipeline currently in an expansion mode that could increase the flow of Bitumen by 7 times what is currently transported via pipeline from Alberta.

It would then be loaded onto huge tankers 7 per week and carted off to who knows where. Bitumen is described in Cambridge English dictionary as “a black viscous mixture of hydrocarbons obtained naturally or as a residue from petroleum distillation. It is used for road surfacing and roofing.” Thin that out for easy flow with toxic chemicals and imagine what is travelling through the mountains across the lands, under the rivers and under the inlet and could increase to the point of danger.

Sarah’s Coast Protector story is the full story of the project and the strategies that have been developed, used, set aside and re-considered.

I hope you find it as instructive as I did. As for the Carnival, think of the massive strategically organized resistance against the Dakota Pipeline, of the thousands of actions organized by Indigenous people against Canadian and other mining companies in their territories and the demands to stop massive dams, stop polluting rivers, stop exploiting for profit without thought of human survival. Think of all the tiny houses being built along the Trans Mountain Pipeline route, think of the years and years of protests ongoing against the Site C Dam. The songs, performances, cyber actions, public arrests, the displays of respectful resistance are all marks of the carnival.

In my brief look at carnival I examined resistance against a backdrop of social and political movements whose histories were linked to the carnival through their disdain for power from above and their creative means of subverting that power.

At Kinder Morgan, Site C and throughout the world of resistance, let the carnival continue with thanks.

THE SOUTH LAWN (click here to read Sarah’s piece)

The article was reposted on Portside. Both Portside and South Lawn are progressive and labour supportive blogs from the US.