Brave testing

Kwakiutl First Nation Chief Coreen Child says the Tsilhqot'in court victory on Thursday, June 26, 2014, proves that Vancouver Island First Nations with Douglas Treaties already demonstrated Aboriginal Title over 160 years ago...
Since 2004, the BC government has been granting the removal of private lands from Tree Farm licenses located within Kwakiutl territory without Kwakiutl consent. Consequently, businesses, companies, and governments have exploited Kwakiutl lands with impunity."BC forestry decision making is one example of Treaty infringement," says Councillor Jason Hunt. "In 163 years, the Crown, first as Colony, then as BC and Canada, built entire economies on North Vancouver Island without First Nations consent. They have exploited our lands and waters, and marginalized our people."

Conservationists are raising the alarm as Island Timberlands has rapidly undertaken a road-building and logging spree into the heart of one of BC’s most ecologically significant old-growth forests at McLaughlin Ridge near Port Alberni. Last week conservationists were greatly dismayed to discover that the company had logged a couple hundred meter wide swath of old-growth trees, traversing almost the entire span of the previously intact section of McLaughlin Ridge’s old-growth forest.

“It was odd to be standing in this giant, record-size tree in the middle of a clear-cut and watching stuff fall not too far away,” he said. Mr. Watt said it was “kind of sad” too, because he suspected there were more trees like Big Lonely Doug that might be stumps by the time his crew finds them. “It shows the need to have legislation in place as quickly as possible to protect remaining old-growth forest so we don’t have to keep coming across these things too late,” said Mr. Watt. Three years ago, the provincial government promised it would bring in regulations to protect the best and biggest groves of B.C.’s dwindling stock of giant old-growth trees. Mr. Watt, Mr. Wu, and Big Lonely Doug are still waiting .