Development project at Marpole Midden halted - Musqueam Nation declares victory

DEVELOPMENT OF A VANCOUVER REAL ESTATE PROJECT
on the site called the Marpole Midden has been halted and the Musqueam Nation is declaring victory. Protests occurred over months to stop construction of the five-storey project at the ancient village site that has been described as “one of the most significant archaeological sites in Canada.” B.C. Ministry of Lands and Forests announced in early October that it would not extend a permit for the developers. Century Group spokesperson Bob Ransford said the move should concern  all land owners. “By removing the permit to alter this site, the province has basically said to private land owners, ‘You can’t do anything with your site because we believe that there’s some archaeological resources on that site,’” he said “And they have no intention of compensating us.” The site was declared to be a National Historic Site in 1933 as one of the largest pre-contact middens in Western Canada and it has special significance for Musqueam.