Grace Islet is a recognized First Nations burial site which was zoned residential and someone is building a house there. This would not be allowed if this were a European burial ground, but older First Nations sites are treated differently in BC. The Provincial Minister responsible will not intervene because the owners permits are in order. Representatives of the Southern Gulf Islands communities held a Grace Island Purification on August 11, 2014.
Continue reading Grace Island PurificationBy Roy L Hales
Around thirty people landed on Grace Islet Tuesday. Regardless of whether they went above the high water mark and were legally “trespassing”or not, the Grace Islet landing reminiscent of Gandhi’s civil disobedience campaigns.
Continue reading Grace Islet LandingBy Roy L Hales
The photo above, and videos below, were all taken during a blockade of Grace Islet, on Salt Spring Island, on August 1. Grace Islet is a recognized First Nations burial islet but, thanks to a series of beaurocratic foul-ups, it was zoned residential and a house is being built there. This would not be allowed if those were European graves, but this is British Columbia and the burials are First Nations.
Continue reading Blockading Grace IsletBy Roy L Hales
British Columbia’s Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource will not intervene to protect the recognized First Nation’s burial site on Salt Spring Island, but the Capital Regional District might expropriate Grace Islet.
Continue reading The Capital Regional District Might Expropriate Grace IsletBy Roy L Hales
As you can see from the photo above, construction is proceeding on the house on top of Grace Islet on Salt Spring Island. This is a recognized First Nation’s burial site and it is not known how long construction will continue. The 13 municipalities in the Capital Regional District passed a resolution condemning the desecration of a sacred site and requested that BC’s Archaeology Branch rescind the permit allowing construction. Salt Spring Islanders opposed to the building have started a “No House Here” campaign. Meanwhile a spokesperson from the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations said the protests are being directed at the wrong level of government.
Continue reading No House Here
