Great Bear Blog

A post by André-Jean Maheu

Last winter I made an effort to commute from my home in Kitsilano to my work in North Vancouver by bicycle as much as possible. As it turned out it wasn’t much of an effort at all. Sure there were a few breezy, dark and wet mornings on Lion’s Gate Bridge but more often than not, my commute home turned out to be the highlight of my day often stopping on the bridge to take in the beauty of the setting sun on Georgia Strait.

So… What difference did I make? Well, the total distance I rode during the winter season is 1,375km. My car gets pretty average mileage for an older car of around 6km/liter in the city. That’s around 229 liters of gas. Each liter of gas produces, from its extraction to the exhaust pipe, 6.25 pounds of greenhouse gas pollution. So that would be 1,431 pounds of climate changing nasty toxic fumes less in the atmosphere. Not bad for just one guy with a bicycle over only one winter. Just over a pound per kilometer!

During all these hours spent pedaling, the idea of Bikes Not Pipes was born. A way to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, reduce our impact on climate change, get fit AND fight the obscene exploitation of  the Alberta tar sands and ensuing pipelines and tanker traffic on one of the most pristine and unique ecosystem in the world:  Our Coast.

The basic idea behind Bikes Not Pipes is to get more people to leave their cars at home and ride their bikes as much as possible. Those who can’t ride regularly have an opportunity to support those who can by sponsoring their efforts and turn every kilometer ridden rather than driven into a source of financing for organizations that fight tanker traffic and pipeline development in BC.

For more information about Bikes Not Pipes or to join in as a cyclist or a sponsor, please contact us at bikesnotpipes@hotmail.com or visit the Bikes Not Pipes Community page on Facebook.

See you on the bike paths

AJ

An avid backcountry enthusiast, André-Jean Maheu lives in Vancouver where he works as an avalanche forecaster and outdoor skills instructor. His first bicycle trip across Patagonia led to a lifelong passion for cycling in wild and beautiful places.

The Joint Review Panel Hearings in Bella Bella ended yesterday with as much tension as they began. While the speakers once again spoke with passion and sincerity of their home, their livelihood, and their fears, the panel responded impassively. One speaker, Alvin Dixon, was cut short by the panel claiming he was wandering off topic and needed to speak only if he was presenting an oral account of his traditional knowledge. Mr. Dixon concluded that if he was not permitted to say what he wanted to say, the exercise was futile and there was no need for him to continue.

After Mr. Dixon was cut short, Chief Councillor Marilyn Slett gave a wonderful and well prepared presentation on the history of First Nations’ affiliation with the land and with industry. She spoke of the Heiltsuk’s 11,500 year relationship with the land and sea, including their subsistence fishing, tradition of trade and barter, and ongoing dedication to sustainable use resources. To provide a context for the community’s refusal of the pipeline proposal, Chief Councillor Slett cited historical examples of detrimental encounters between First Nation communities and industry including the commercial herring fishery, the mill in Oceans Falls, and Atlantic salmon fisheries.

The panel interrupted Chief Councillor Slett several times, inquiring how her testimony was relevant to the proposed project and requesting she confine her comments to “describe [her] oral traditional knowledge”. What the panel failed to acknowledge is the connection between the historical events Chief Councillor Slett referenced and the potential effects of this pipeline project.

After half a dozen interruptions, Chief Councillor Slett concluded her testimony boldly and emotionally declaring, “We are not anti-development, but we cannot accept a project that will include supertankers in our waters…a tanker spill will cause irreparable harm to our economy, environment, culture, spirituality, and survival”.

Frank Brown was the last speaker of the day. He educated the panel on the Seven Truths of Heiltsuk culture:

He then focused on the strategies and programs Bella Bella has initiated or joined regarding sustainable development, including the Hakai Conservation area, the Coastal Guardian Watchmen, the Cohen Commission, and the Great Bear Initiative. He explained the community’s decision making process, stressing their ability to properly deliberate on an issue and do their due diligence to reach a sound conclusion. And the conclusion they have reached in this proposal is that the risks greatly outweigh the benefits and so, “just like in any sound business decision, we will not proceed because we have nothing to gain and everything to lose”.

With four minutes to go before the end of the hearings, Jim White led the chiefs and elders in a closing statement, thanking the panel for their time spent listening to the people of Bella Bella.

And with that, the hearings concluded. It was a trying, emotional, and frustrating few days for everyone involved. With the truncated schedule, there are plenty of words left unsaid. Several of those registered to speak were not given the time to do so. It remains unclear how they will be able to present their testimony to the panel. The speakers that were able to testify did so with all their heart, soul, and traditional knowledge, representing the thousands of individuals affected by this issue.

It’s a struggle to find adequate words to describe what was witnessed during the hearings on Wednesday.  Speaker after speaker faced the panel and testified with dignity and eloquence.  When someone finds the perfect words and delivers them with such purity, as so many did here in Bella Bella, it simply doesn’t do it justice to attempt to summarize.  We will linking to clips as they become available because you should hear the words from the speakers themselves.  I don’t know how many times someone moved the audience to tears or how many times a speech brought the audience to their feet.

What I can tell you is that we heard an elder tell her life story and her wish to have a healthy sustainable environment for future generations.  We heard a woman speak on behalf of her father who survived residential school, fought for Canada during World War II, and is now having his country threaten to destroy his people’s way of life.  There was a proud mother whose young children are already so connected to the water, a traditional harvester who shared treasured family stories, a doctor who has seen the devastating health effects that occurred when other communities have been deprived of their traditional foods.  Seven courageous high school students stood in front of the panel and testified to why the proposed oil pipeline and tanker traffic are unacceptable to them.  We heard from a cultural leader, an archaeologist, fishermen, and more.  How many different times and how many different ways and how many different reasons to say “no” do the Heiltsuk and other coastal peoples have to give?  I suppose the answer is as many as it takes them.

There are several more Heiltsuk registered to testify at these hearings, and it’s not clear how they could all possibly be given sufficient time to speak during the final morning of the hearings.  The panel sat for only an additional two and a half hours on Wednesday evening to make up for the day and a half that they delayed the proceedings.  The community was prepared, and in fact excited, to stay through the wee hours of the morning to ensure that all the speakers were given a voice.  The panel did not share that same resolve.  The chairwoman abruptly cut the hearings short at 8:30pm, despite having agreed to stay until 9:00pm.  While First Nations should not be in a position where they are forced to share their knowledge and bear their souls in an effort to protect what is rightfully theirs, let us hope that they are at least given that opportunity when they have been promised it.

The Joint Review Panel hearings began on Tuesday afternoon, a day and a half later than originally scheduled due to the panel’s unwarranted security concerns.  After a community luncheon, the Heiltsuk singers and drummers led the hereditary chiefs into the school gymnasium packed with over 400 people wearing red arm bands as a sign of solidarity.  The chiefs danced a welcome dance and ladies danced to sweep the floor and cleanse any negativity from the room.

As the sacred eagle down from the opening ceremony still floated in the air, the proceedings began and we spent the next several hours hearing moving testimony from chiefs and elders.  Elder Pauline Waterfall explained that the Heiltsuk have a responsibility to care for their resources because home is not just one’s immediate surroundings or house, but rather the entire territory.

This concept helps to explain the passion of the six chiefs who followed and provided oral testimony.  As Chief Gary Housty said, “We are the salmon people.” An oil spill would destroy their foods, way of life, and economy forever.  The community has already felt the effects of the loss of abalone, oolichan, and other diminished stocks, and cannot afford more losses.  Chief Peter Mason testified to the dangerous marine conditions that can hit the narrow channels that the supertankers would navigate.  He has witnessed 30-foot waves that could no doubt lead to disaster.  Throughout the afternoon, each speaker offered compelling testimony demonstrating the Heiltsuk people’s reliance on the resources from the ocean and the dangers that tanker traffic would bring.

Anyone who has spent any time in the community would expect nothing less, but it is nonetheless amazing how the chiefs and the rest of the Heiltsuk people can act with so much poise and integrity in the face of disrespect and injustice. During his testimony Chief Harvey Humchitt calmly explained that they were disappointed and upset that the hearings had been postponed and truncated.  He reminded the panel that it is an honour to be invited to a feast or potlatch, alluding to the panel’s refusal to attend Sunday’s feast at which they were to be introduced and welcomed to the community.  Chief Humchitt also asked to take the staff that had been presented to Head Chief Wauyala’s grandfather by Queen Victoria and place it on the panel’s table, as a reminder of the Queen’s promise that her government would always look after the Heiltsuk people. While the panel refused, we can only hope that they got the message.

It was an honour to witness and take part in the events in Bella Bella on Sunday. After several months of preparing to give testimony, the Heiltsuk community organized a day of events to coincide with the arrival of the Joint Review Panel.

Dozens of children and their families walked up to the airport from the school and lined the road, holding signs voicing their opposition to the Enbridge pipeline and tanker traffic on the coast. Many more community members, representatives from neighboring Nations, and other supporters gathered outside the airport with their own signs to hold up for the JRP to see. Dressed in full regalia, the hereditary chiefs lined up on the tarmac to welcome the head chief who was returning home for the hearings. As Chief Wauyala stepped off the plane, the Heiltsuk singers and drummers erupted in song and brought a powerful energy to the scene.

The assembly returned to town where they were joined by more peaceful protesters. The singers and drummers led a procession to the community hall for a feast. For the next several hours chiefs, community members, guests from the Gitga’at, Kitasoo, and Oweekeno Nations, and visitors from elsewhere around the coast spoke out, making their unwavering opposition to the pipeline and tankers clear.  The community feasted on herring eggs, salmon, halibut, and oolichan, clearly demonstrating their connection with the seas and how much they stand to lose.

While each and every speaker was passionate and articulate, the youth in Bella Bella may have been the most remarkable at expressing their opposition. From the elementary students who walked the three miles to the airport and back to meet the plane, to those who sang a touching song with their Heiltsuk language teacher, to the high school students leading a 48-hour hunger strike, the youth have been a tremendous source of strength and inspiration for the entire community. I have spoken to children from kindergarten on up and it is remarkable how informed and concerned they are. We at Pacific Wild are proud to follow their lead and continue to oppose the Enbridge pipeline, tanker traffic, and any other threats that would damage the future of coastal people.  We wish those giving oral testimony over the next few days well and we thank them for standing strong.

Day 1. March 2, 2012

A community dinner was held on the eve of the JRP Hearings in Hartley Bay. Everyone wore a smile, yet as 12-year-old Morgan Hill pointed out, “what you can’t hear are the anxious heartbeats”.  This anxiety is not only one of nervousness related to the proceedings taking place in the community over the following days, but more profoundly the looming angst associated with the threat of the proposed pipeline project.

The usual morning quiet and stillness was pierced by the sounds of multiple floatplanes and a helicopter landing in Hartley Bay as representatives of the JRP and Enbridge spilled into the Memorial Hall for the first day of hearings.  Once everyone had taken their seats, the chiefs and speakers of the community were drummed into the room.  First the men. Then the women. Then the chiefs, each accompanied by a small child.   All were clad in traditional regalia, from head to tow.

The s’moogyet (chiefs) and their galum alguax (speakers, literally translated as voice box) were first to take the floor.  The governance structure of the Gitga’at, or people of the cane, was explained as well as the chief and speaker custom.  In Giga’at culture, what a chief says- whether it is right or wrong- becomes law and cannot be disputed.  Thus it is the speakers that are entrusted to talk on behalf of their chiefs, if they make mistakes they can be corrected.  It is uncustomary for chiefs to speak, especially at an event such as this.  We were reminded time and time again that we had heard something very rare, the chiefs had spoken out in opposition to the proposed project.  “We will be firm in our resolve that we don’t want tankers in our traditional waters”.  This is now the truth, the law, of the Gitga¹at people.

Speaker Bob Hill explains how a Gitga’at ayaawx, or law, is “developed over time and become a part of our history.  All of our traditions are based on these laws.”  He tells a story of how he spoke with linguists and anthropologists in search of an accurate translation of the way in which these laws, traditions, histories and knowledge are passed along -birthright is the translation they settled on.

The s’moogyet (chiefs) and their galum alguax (speakers) gave way for Gitga’at women who took their place in front of the panel. Tears begin to stream from eyes, young and old, as Morgan Hill introduces her uu’lis (great-grandmother) and shares the lessons and experiences she has learned from her.  Her words are wise, especially for a twelve year old.  “We are trying to live here in the perfect balance that is supposed to be.  Every action has its consequences”, she explains.  She describes watching a flock of snipes in flight, “they travel in a group all going the same way and then, suddenly, they turn and go as a group in one direction at the same time.  It¹s a beautiful site to see individual birds join together as they fly united in perfect unison.  Gitga’at people are like those birds, joined together.”

The spotlight is passed along to 14 year-old Hillary Johnny Robinson, better known in the community as Johnny-Jo, after her grandfather Chief Johnny Clifton.  She describes time spent at Kiel, the spring harvesting camp located on Princess Royal Island just south of Hartley Bay.   Johnny speaks with admiration as she explains how just last spring, she was taught by her grandmother how to cut her very first halibut.  She has learned to harvest seaweed and explains how at the end of a long day, the kids are rewarded by a visit to sea lion rock.  There is a profound love and sense of pride in every word Johnny uses to describe the land, seas, rivers and rituals of the Gitga’at territory.  She fights tears as she states, “I don¹t want to have to travel someplace to visit a spirit bear in a zoo”.

Helen Clifton, Johnny Jo’s great grandmother and matriarch of Hartley Bay speaks next.  She shares with the panel a grocery list of things she would need them to provide if an oil spill were to spoil traditional fishing, hunting and harvesting sites. It’s long, and undoubtedly can’t be found in the grocery store.  A few of the items on this grocery list include seaweed, seagull eggs, halibut, black cod, red cod, ling cod, spring salmon, seal, chitons, china slippers, sockeye salmon, herring eggs, eulachon grease, crab, cockles, clams, sea cucumber, salmon berries, crab apples, wild prunes, moose and many, many others.  Ms. Clifton, with the help of her family, gathers, preserves and stores enough food for herself and her four family households that live in Hartley Bay.

Helen also provides an insight into Gitga’at history, she describes how her people have moved their village multiple times; each time being forced from the land due to flood, raid, disease or something equally traumatizing.  “We will move no more”, she says as she dismisses the thought of having to relocate due to a catastrophic oil spill near her home.  In August, the Gitga’at will celebrate their 125th year in Hartley Bay.

Two more powerful women speak to close off the first day of proceedings. Eva Hill explains how in Hartley Bay, it really does take a village to raise a child.  She asks us to look around the hall, “you will see everyone who is important to me and to raising my children because they are responsible for teaching me and my children everything there is to know about my culture and
history”.

Simone Reece concludes the day by stating that “if by some horrible injustice this pipeline goes through and we are faced with tanker traffic, we’ll spend our days and nights living with fear and anxiety, living in a state of constant stress.  And when there is a leak or a tanker goes aground and our waters and land are ruined, there will be no more Txalgiiw [Hartley Bay], no more Gitga’at. My grandbabies and great-grandbabies will be deprived of this extraordinary culture”

Day 2. March 3, 2012

People stream into the memorial centre for the second day of hearings, clad in the Eagle clan t-shirts that were gifted by Cameron Hill during last night’s feast.  The JRP reluctantly agreed to attend the feast, but were welcomed so warmly that their hesitation quickly melted away.  Within minutes, they rose from their seats at the head table to join in on the butterfly dance.  The JRP, along with 200 Gitga’at members and friends danced, feasted and practiced the oral tradition of speech for hours on end.

Nicole Robinson started the day by telling stories of her time in Kiel, the Gitga’at Spring harvesting village.  Nicole returned to Kiel after a decade long hiatus just last summer, with her boyfriend and three year old daughter, Coda.  She thought that she would remember the ways and traditions of her elders from the times she spent there as a child herself.  She was mistaken.  The ways of her people are so intricate that she had to be taught again. She spent weeks with her cousin re-learning the traditions and
practices of hunting, fishing and harvesting.  Learning from ones’ elders and being able to pass on the knowledge, wilderness and experiences is the cornerstone of Gitga’at culture and tradition.

We then heard from the oldest Matriarch of Hartley Bay, Margaret Semigold Reece, otherwise known as Goolie.  At 92 years young, Goolie has raised twelve children in Hartley Bay and struggles to remember the number of grand children (39), great grand children (65) and great-great grandchildren (5, with two more on the way in 2012) she has.  “I’ve raised my family here and I want my grandkids to be able to do the same,” she says.

After a coffee break, seven distinguished men of Hartley Bay took to the stand.  One after another, they pointed out their family’s fishing grounds. Each fisher stewards a distinct area within the territory, and each fishing ground is within a stones throw of the proposed tanker route.  The men describe the harvesting areas and types of harvest gathered, but also describe many times when they have been out fishing when a sudden an unpredicted storm has hit.  The weather in Gitga’at territory is unpredictable to say the least, and Squally Channel is given that name for a reason.  Henry Clifton tells a story of fishing in Douglas Channel with his wife.  They had checked all the reports and the weather was expected to be calm for days to come.  “Yeah right”, he says, “we didn¹t even have time to put shorelines out before the weather came up.  There was a large ship approaching, his bow light was probably 30ft up and it was disappearing in the waves, that’s how rough it gets in these channels.”

Henry, along with many of the others that spoke, told stories of when the Queen of the North sank, just off the North end of Gil Island in 2006.  The residents of Hartley Bay were the first ones on the scene.  As the ship sank, passengers and crew were taken to safety and fed.  Two unfortunate souls went down with the ship, turning its’ resting place into a graveyard. According to Gitga’at tradition, a graveyard is no place to be harvesting and thus, this once productive halibut fishing ground is no longer viable. “I can’t fish at the North end of Gil island any longer.  That’s where the Queen of the North sank. It’s a graveyard”, says Henry.

The sinking of the Queen of the North has affected the Gitga’at in many ways.  For years, hydrocarbon levels on nearby clam and cockle harvesting beaches have been too high for safe consumption.  The Gitga’at were promised that the fuel that had leaked from the Queen would be cleaned up appropriately and the affected land would be remediated.  The Giga’at were promised that the diesel fuel stored in the Queen’s tanks would be removed in a responsible manner.  None of this ever happened, and to this day, the Queen continues to burp up diesel fuel on a regular basis.  “I have no faith in government and what they have promised to do. I have no faith in their statement that double-hulled tankers are safe”, states Allan Robinson. This ill-faith in government is not unfounded, and the Queen of the North case is not the only example to draw from.  In the past decades, government management has also led to the annihilation of abalone and the exclusion of Gitga’at from commercial fisheries.  “But there is no poverty.  We have all we need to feed and nourish ourselves and our culture,” says Art Sterrit, Gitga’at member.

The final Gitga’at panel was made up of three elected councillors: Marven Robinson, Cameron (Cam) Hill and Kyle Clifton.  Kyle, the marine and land use planner for Hartley Bay, describes the extensive process he went through to create a marine use plan for the territory.  All of this work would be void should the proposed project be approved.  Marven, a spirit bear guide and manager of the Gitga’at Guardian Watchman program, is passionate and remorseful in his speech.   “I would like to apologize to my nation,” he says, “if I haven’t said or done enough”.  But for those that know him or follow the media on this issue, know that Marven has taken on this issue very seriously.  The stress of the potential project is so great, it consumes Marven daily.  Cam echoes this sentiment, “I’m supposed to be a father, son, husband, friend -how can I concentrate on being any of these knowing that my livelihood is threatened?”

After the Gitga’at had shared their stories, angst and fears, the floor was turned over to Herman Meuter representing the North Coast Cetacean Society. Herman and his research partner Janie Ray have lived in Gitga’at territory, on the south end of Gil Island for twelve years now.  They are the first to conduct long-term whale research on this part of the coast.  Herman speaks for the whales.  Orca, humpback and fin whales travel the waters in Gitga’at territory.  These species, all listed as species at risk, travel here in the summer because we get a special phenomenon called upwelling -where water temperatures and atmospheric pressure force coastal waters to move eastward, thus bringing up nutrient and krill-rich water from the deep ocean to the surface on our coast.   It could be argued that these waters should be designated as critical habitat for these species at risk, which should in principle protect their habitat from industrial development projects, such as the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline.

The proceedings were closed with comments of gratitude and gratefulness from the panel.  For two short days the Panel found themselves immersed in Gitga’at culture.  In passing a member of the panel remarks that the decision becomes harder with each community they visit.  How many communities will they need to hear from before they realize this project will result in significant adverse effects and thus should not be allowed to go ahead.