Eviction notice at Site C shack ramps up activity on the Peace

A dedicated group of protesters are hoping they can accomplish what legal action has failed to do: shut down BC Hydro’s construction of the Site C dam on the Peace River.

A rotating group of Indigenous and non-Indigenous members of the Treaty 8 Stewards of the Land say they will remain at the historic Rocky Mountain Fort Camp, the height of where clearcutting has already begun for the dam, “for as long as the sun shines, the grass grows and the rivers flow. That’s how long our people have been here and that’s how long we will continue to be here,” said Helen Knott of the Treaty 8 Stewards of the Land.

The group has had a daily presence at the camp since mid-December, pitching a canvas tent on site and making use of a survival shack that has kitchen facilities. But when Knott went out with a couple of young people from nearby communities to celebrate New Year’s Eve, she found that BC Hydro had placed an eviction notice on the door of the survival shack. That was too much. Since then, the stewards have had constant overnight presence on the site, which, if the dam goes through, will be flooded out.

“(BC Hydro) doesn’t have the right to evict us from our Treaty 8 territory. We have to give free, prior and informed consent. We’re going to be here, we’re going to stay here,” said Knott. “We go through a daily process of giving BC Hydro notice that, ‘You are on Treaty 8 territory. That we have the right to be here and that we are actively practising our treaty rights while we are here.’”

During the first few days after the stewards had established themselves on site, Knott says BC Hydro representatives came out routinely with video cameras and asked questions. Now BC Hydro has hired security that comes to the camp for regular checks. Knott says neither BC Hydro nor the security guards have been aggressive, but at times she has felt intimidated.

There is no blockade. Instead, the group burns a campfire near to where BC Hydro has undertaken its work and Elders, youth and daily visitors—who have to come in by snowmobile or hike 45 minutes from the road—gather around the fire and tell their stories. They walk down to the Moberly River, where drummers perform, tobacco is offered, and prayers for the land are given.

“When people come out they’re really emotional. There’s a lot of crying when people see where they’ve cleared, when they walk that. We do a lot of praying and offering and stuff and that part is really hard,” said Knott.

The $9 billion Site C dam would flood 107-kilometres of the Peace River and its tributaries, flooding out a migratory corridor that contains medicine and burial sites, as well as rich agricultural lands.

The battle against Site C dam is not new.

“We’ve tried all these peaceful measures prior and we’ve not been listened to, so this grassroots movement is saying, ‘That’s enough. We’re here. This land is Treaty 8 territory and we’re the faces of that territory,’” said Knott.

The stewards’ efforts got a boost in early January when Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, president of the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs (UBCIC), and Dr. David Suzuki came out to the site.

“(Suzuki) was absolutely amazing. He was so sweet. We had a lot of good conversations,” said Knott, who notes that Suzuki successfully fought this same dam 30 years ago. Successive proposals for the dam over the past three decades have all been beaten back by opposition. Knott said Suzuki’s visit gave the protesters’ spirits a boost.

Phillip was impressed with the dedication of the people at the site and overwhelmed with the devastation he saw. He is familiar with the area having participated many years in the Paddle for the Peace annual event.

“When I first arrived into the camp I was completely overwhelmed at the destruction. It was heartbreaking,” he said.

UBCIC has passed a number of resolutions supporting Treaty 8’s ongoing opposition to Site C dam and stands firm with the stewards’ call that all construction stop until the legal issues have been resolved.

“We think it’s absolute arrogance on the part of the provincial government through BC Hydro to let contracts in and start the preliminary work, given the fact that there are court cases that have not run their course through the courts and could very well come out and bring a  complete stop to this project,” said Phillip.

UBCIC also supports the stewards in their call that the federal government consider the infringement of Treaty 8’s Constitutional rights by the Site C dam and that the project be reviewed by the BC Utilities Commission, an exemption that was previously granted by the provincial government.

“We are monitoring the situation very, very closely,” said Phillip.

Photo caption: Grand Chief Stewart Phillip (fourth from left) and Dr. David Suzuki (third from right, front row) stand with members of the Treaty 8 Stewards of the Land where clearcutting has begun in preparation for the Site C dam on the Peace River.