Three found guilty

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Kamloops court Judge Eugene Slather found three members of the Secwepemc Nation guilty of intimidation on Sept. 16.

Miranda Dick, Niki Manuel and her mother Beverly Manuel were part of the group who established a roadblock on the provincial highway leading to Sun Peaks Ski Resort on Aug. 24, 2001. They said they did not have any criminal intention because they are the true owners of the land and they did not give the permission to the province to build the road in the first place.

Secwepemc people say the existing ski resort adversely affects their Aboriginal title and right to hunt, fish, collect food and medicine from their land, and to practice their spirituality. They argue the resort's planned expansion will destroy the area's ecological biodiversity.

The judge ruled that the women's intentions did not meet the legal requirements to defend themselves.

Neskonlith Band Chief Arthur Manuel testified in the case and said, "The charges brought against the accused under this case are inappropriate and outdated because their primary purpose is to alienate the traditional territories of Indigenous peoples by unilaterally imposing third-party property interests over the land."

Sentencing will take place Oct. 22. The defendants say they will seek leave to appeal.