September 11, 2004

The Skwelkwekwelt Protection Center, along with various support groups, held a rally at Sun Peaks on August 29 to protest the on-going expansion of the Sun Peaks Ski Resort. On the same day, Secwepemc members began construction of what was to be a permanent structure. This structure was to:

* monitor environmental damage at Skwelkwekwelt
* inform visitors and investors of the on-going unsettled land issue in the area
* assert and exercise our Secwepemc Title and Rights to our unceded lands by occupying our lands
* educate our people, our guest, the public, and the courts of laws we stand on and the legal right to live on our lands
* restore Secwepemc culture and language to our people (as taught by our traditional Elders)

When we began the occupation of our lands, we were immediately attacked by the Sun Peaks Ski Resort Corporation, bc government officials (acting under the illegal BC Land Act), the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the court system, and certain Shuswap chiefs.

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Resistance Without Reservation! by Harsha Walia and Stefan Christoff

The Olympics Land Grab by Naomi Klein

Sun Peaks aboriginal land dispute By Harold Lavendar

“I take this as genocide”. Secwepemc battle BC government over land, Aboriginal Title by Kim Petersen

Seven Questions with Land, Freedom & Decolonization organizer Harjap Grewal in Seven Oaks Magazine

Seven Oaks Magazine – Realizing Native Sovereignty at Sun Peaks by Charles Demers

Video. Demo at Sun Peaks from Working TV

CKUT Radio, Montreal Wolverine at the Convergence, Saturday night August 28th

Interview with Janice Billy, Skwelkwek’welt Protection Centre

CKUT Radio: Resistance Without Reservation. A radio documentary about the Skwelkwek’welt Protection Center by Stefan Christoff

Arthur Manuel

The Supreme Court of British Columbia banned Aboriginal political presence at Sun Peaks in an interlocutory injunction on September 3, 2004. The interlocutory injunction prohibits the Skwelkwek’welt Protection Center from having a camp at Sun Peaks to monitor the destruction and sale of their land. People who are at the camp now could be arrested at any time. This decision completely ignores or recognizes any value to our Secwepemc indigenous economy.

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September 1, 2004

Thank you to all those who supported the Convergence this weekend. Please read on to find out how you can help continue the struggle. Now that the Skwelkwek’welt defenders are building yet another permanent structure off-reserve on traditional Secwepemc territories (adjacent to Sun Peaks golf course) as an assertion of their inherent and legal Aborginal Title, it is imperative that we continue to support this crucial struggle.

On August 29, shortly after the 250-strong protestors left, the provincial government served a Trespass Notice on the Skwelkwek’welt Protection Center. The Trespass Notice articulates the position that the construction of a permanent monitoring center on unoccupied Crown Land adjacent to Sun Peaks’ expansion is a violation of the BC Land Act. Janice Billy has said “it is business-as-usual for the province and Sun Peaks. They are both treating Aboriginal Title as if it does not even exist. The BC Land Act is outdated because even the Supreme Court of Canada has recognized Aboriginal Title in all of unceded lands, including Sun Peaks.”

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Sun Peaks is seeking an injunction and an enforcement order against the Skwelkwek’welt Protection Center and native protestors in the BC Supreme Court on Friday September 3. This motion by Sun Peaks comes after the provincial government served a Trespass Notice on the Skwelkwek’welt Protection Center on August 29, though the province has not yet acted to enforce the Tresspass Notice. According to Arthur Manuel, Former Chief of Neskonlith Band, “I think the province is hesistant to move on their Trespass notice because of the legal soundness of our argument, in light of the Haida Decision.”

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