Protests at Sun Peaks continue with women

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Construction of a new Delta Hotel at Sun Peaks Resort came to a standstill April 30 as Native protestors stepped up their action against continuing development of a $70 million expansion project.

Anticipating an early start for construction workers, a group of 15 Neskonlith and Adams Lake First Nations grandmothers, mothers and children arrived at the site at 5 a.m. The protest was initiated by women, because they are the traditional gatherers of plant foods and medicines and they want the land protected for those purposes.

"At the gate of the building site we set up a display of traditional foods and medicines that we gather from that area," said spokeswoman Janice Billy, "the point being, this is what we're protecting."

The first two construction workers arriving at 7 a.m. were surprised by the protest but sympathetic towards their cause.

"They said they understood because they too are hunters," said Billy. "They did not try to push past us onto the site. In fact they went down onto the road to tell others arriving there would be no work today."

Due to the success of the action, protesters were able to leave at noon.

"If men dressed in camouflage had tried to do what we did on Monday morning I'm sure they would have been arrested within half an hour," said Billy.

The Delta Hotel is only a small part of the Sun Peaks expansion.

"They want to develop three more mountains, expand the golf course, build a townhouse complex along McGillvery Creek and construct mountain-top restaurants. It's a huge project."

In a November 1998 meeting, Elders and community members from the Neskonlith and Adams Lake bands told Japanese investor Mr. Ohkubo they are okay with the resort as it stands.

"We made it very plain we do not want further expansion, and yet expansion plans continue."

A group of community members has been established to deal with this issue away from the chief and council. Plans for future protests will continue to be a topic of discussion at weekly meetings, although nothing definite is scheduled to this point.