Please sign this online petition to help protect Spaet Mountain. It is very easy. http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/715000790
Then, forward this email to your networks.

Enjoy your holidays. I hope you are able to rejuvenate yourself for a New Year of happiness — with a healthy dose of social justice and environmental stewardship!

I am still wondering too…I guess in the corporate world there is noyhing worse then a educated injun who is still trying to get her grade twelve english lit and t\who tends to write things the way she sees the things in her realm and some how manages to use the corps’ own info as amunition to fight back for indiginous rights.

Feel free to post the article(s) here Rose, or send them to me if you prefer.

I’ve recently come across information implicating the BC Liberals in a give-away of 43 hectares of Crown Land next to Goldstream Provincial
Park in July 2001 — a month after being sworn into office. This land is now part of the Bear Mountain Resort on Spaet/Skirt Mountain, a
property at the centre of a major controversy over protection of Aboriginal cultural sites and ecosystem encroachment. A major player in this Crown land transfer was Robert Flitton, current Residential Development Manager for Bear Mountain and a former Deputy Minister of Lands in the Bill Bennett and Vander Zalm governments. This information has been confirmed in a Land Titles search and the sources documented below, including comments by former NDP MLA Bob Williams from Hansard in the late 1980s.

I believe that this may emerge as an explosive issue for the Campbell Liberal government. It suggests a pattern of untendered Crown Land
disposition that was interrupted in 1991 when Social Credit was voted out of office, then resumed immediately after the BC Liberals assumed
power in 2001. We are only beginning to uncover the details.

I am happy to field any questions related to the 2001 land transfer or the Robert Flitton connection, or provide pertinent documentation. Questions relating to Aboriginal concern over the protection of sacred sites should be directed to Wendy Edwards, Tsartlip Lands Manager,
250-652-3988 ( lands@tsartlip.com) and Cheryl Bryce, Songees Lands Manager, 386-1047 ( landsmanager@shawbiz.ca).

**001 CROWN LAND TRANSFER ON SKIRT MOUNTAIN

On 4 July 2001 (a month after being sworn into office), the BC Liberals sold 43.8 hectares of Crown Land on Skirt Mountain, immediately adjacent to the eastern boundary of Goldstream Provincial Park, to Western Forest Products. The price: $1,051,000.

On 31 December 2001, Western Forest Products sold the land to LGB9 (Len G. Barry’s holding company). The price: $1,051,000. This is less than the price of many of the homes on Skirt Mountain!

This land, rezoned by Langford on 14 May 2002 from GB1 (Greenbelt 1) to a new CD6 (Comprehensive Development 6 - Bear Mountain) Zone,
includes some or all of the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 8th, and 12th holes of Bear Mountain’s Golf Course, located at the base of Mount Finlayson.

PRINCIPAL PLAYER: ROBERT D. FLITTON

At the centre of these transactions is a man named Robert D. Flitton, Residential Development Manager for Bear Mountain, who has a very
interesting history. According to a biography on the Senate of Canada website, “Mr. Flitton was a self-employed businessman in the British
Columbia real estate and development industry.” In 1982 he was elected National President of the Canadian Home Builders Association and
chaired the CHBA’s Government Liaison Committee for 2 years. He then moved into the BC provincial government, serving as a Deputy Minister
for five years under Social Credit premiers Bill Bennett and William Vanderzalm.

Flitton’s appointment as Deputy Minister of Lands by Bennett was discussed in the BC Legislature on 17 May 1988, during a debate on the
Riverview-Westwood Plateau development in Port Moody and Coquitlam and the role of provincially owned BC Enterprise Corporation in disbursing those former Crown Lands. NDP MLA Bob Williams, a professional planner, said: ” The deputy minister was Robert Flitton…. Mr.
Flitton has been an active, card-carrying member of the Social Credit Party through most of his career. Mr. Flitton was a vice-president of
the Social Credit Party in Kamloops. Mr. Flitton was active on the executive of the Social Credit Party in Prince George. Mr. Flitton…”
Williams was then interrupted on a point of order by Lands and Forests Minister Grace McCarthy, who accused Williams of “beginning one of his
personal attacks on a citizen of the province, in this chamber where he has immunity.” Williams resumer: ” This deal is still being delivered by this minister through this Crown corporation. This deal, hatched by Mr. Flitton, who was a Socred hack and then made deputy minister, one of the first hacks to be made deputy minister…. This was one of the most clear-cut cases of patronage and a Social Credit hack becoming the deputy.” McCarthy interrupted Williams two more times, but he continued.

“The land is being sold through the Enterprise Corporation: the deals that Mr. [Peter S.] Hyndman hatched with Mr. Flitton are continuing.
That deal is ongoing, and you are currently responsible for it, Madam Minister. I don’t blame you for trying to isolate yourself from it, but you’re tied; you’re part of the package…. You look at the subdivision of those lands: beautiful slopes above River-view, from the Lougheed Highway to the top of the hill, pulled out from the old Riverview Hospital lands; 25 different sales, many of which you have been participant to in the past year through your responsibility. But the players have done extremely well out of this exercise. It’s kind of relevant, particularly when we reflect on the Expo deal as well. to see how well a person can do when he makes a deal for a big package of land: then he can break it up into the pieces. They do incredibly well.”

A year earlier, on 14 July 1987, Williams told the Legislature: “B.C. Place includes all kinds of other activities. It includes all kinds of land projects, such as the member for Victoria has been concerned about: projects in Riverview, Westwood Plateau, Songhees, B.C. Place in Vancouver, Coquitlam suburbs and Whistler…Now, through this legislation, you also want to make the activities retroactive and legalize the activities of this minister over the recent months in terms of the various land deals she has been pulling together without legislative authority whatsoever….

What kind of process is there for the selling of these lands…. The flogging of land at Songhees, the inner harbour real estate values that are extraordinary…. What kind of public process is there? What kind of tendering is there? What kind will there be? Not a word. Yet we know the deals have been cut. They are proceeding. There’s a potential here for fire sales and favouritism.”

Robert Flitton served as BC Deputy Minister of Lands and Forests from 1986-1987, negotiating these transactions. His name came up again in
the Legislature on 6 April 1989, in relation to the non-compliance of Doman Industries with the terms of forest licences signed in 1977 for
the Stathcona and mid-Coast areas. Doman had agreed to open a pulp mill no later than 1981 as a condition of access to Crown timberlands.
The mill never opened. But Flitton was involved in the decision to permit Doman to maintain cut levels. Another controversy implicated Flitton and Vanderzalm in allegations of preferential treatment related to the proposed Powder Mountain development near Whister. Flitton later served as Deputy Minister of Transportation and Energy. He left the provincial government around 1991 when Social Credit was voted out of office.

Flitton was promptly hired as Government Relations Manager for Doman Industries, serving in this capacity for the next 14 years. In this position, he was Agent for Western Forest Products (a Doman subsidiary), which owned considerable land in the Highlands (where Flitton resides). On 17 February 2003, he appeared before the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, representing Doman Industries on the softwood lumber issue.

In 12 April 2002, at a public hearing in Highlands, he spoke in favour of the LGB9 development proposal, as a private citizen. In January
2005, Flitton was appointed to the district of Highlands Community Infrastructure and Services Select Committee and the Community Hall Task Force Committee. Beginning in May 2005, he was part of the ‘Were You Aware’ lobby group formed in the Highlands around development issues (see http://www.wereyouaware.ca). On 21 June 2005, Flitton spoke in favour of the LGB9 Highlands zoning bylaw at a special meeting held in Langford, which was later declared null and void by a judge for occuring outside the Highlands.

On 22 February 2006, Flitton addressed the CRD Planning and Protective Services Committee, urging approval of the Highlands Regional Context Statement (which would move the CRD Urban Containment Boundary to allow for LGB9 expansion into Highlands). Flitton identified himself at that meeting as having been “involved in the management of this land for 14 years” and the “person who consolidated this property so
someone like Bear Mountain could develop.” Flitton also said that traffic issues related to the LGB9 expansion “will be resolved by a road through Bear Mountain development to the island highway.” On 18 April 2006, Flitton again addressed Highlands council supporting the
Regional Context Statement.

On 12 September 2006, Flitton appears in the minutes of Langford city council in his capacity as Residential Projects Manager for the LGB9.

Sources:
1. Robert D. Flitton biography; Senate of Canada website
http://www.parl.gc.ca/37/2
/parlbus/commbus/senate/Com-e/fore-e/witn-e/flitton-e.htm
2. Hansard, Official Report of Debates of the Legislative Assembly of
British Columbia, 17 May 1988, p. 4514.
http://www.leg.bc.ca/Hansard/34th2nd/34p_02s_880517p.htm
3. Hansard, Official Report of Debates of the Legislative Assembly of
British Columbia, 14 July 1987, p. 2527.
http://www.leg.bc.ca/HANSARD/34th1st/34p_01s_870714p.htm
4. Hansard, Official Report of Debates of the Legislative Assembly of
British Columbia, 6 April 1989, p. 5916
http://www.leg.bc.ca/HANSARD/34th3rd/34p_03s_890406p.htm
5. Hansard, Official Report of Debates of the Legislative Assembly of
British Columbia, 29 March 1989, p. 5744
http://www.leg.bc.ca/HANSARD/34th3rd/34p_03s_890329p.htm
6. Hansard, Official Report of Debates of the Legislative Assembly of
British Columbia, 17 April 1989, p. 6131
http://www.leg.bc.ca/Hansard/34th3rd/34p_03s_890417p.htm
7. ‘Mountain appeal opens,’ North Shore News (North Vancouver), 5 March 2001
http://www.nsnews.com/issues01/w031201/news/top-stories /03090101.html
8. District of Highlands, Council Minutes, 12 April 2002, 6 June 2005,
21 June 2005; 18 April 2006; Annual Report 2005
9. CRD Planning and Protective Services Commitee, Minutes, 22 February 2006
10. City of Langford, Council Minutes, 12 September 2006
11. Were You Aware (Highlands), Issues 2-14, May 2005-June 2006

Dear friend,

I am writing to you because members of the Songhees and Tsartlip First Nations have asked for support.

Last week, a sacred cave near the summit of Spaet Mountain (Skirt/Bear Mountain in Langford) was exvacated and filled with tires and trees stumps to make way for the Bear Mountain development. Construction workers were instigated by their employer into a confrontation with First Nations chiefs. The province intervened and brokered a 2-week halt to construction, which expires on December 1st.

This episode threatens to polarize relations between Aboriginals and non-Aboriginals throughout the CRD. Progressives need to make their voices heard now, to apply pressure on decision-makers for a permanent halt on construction in the vicinity of the cave, and firm boundaries on any further expansion of Bear Mountain. Local and provincial regulations must be changed to protect Aboriginal cultural sites from development and involve First Nations in a meaningful way in land use decisions.

The Songhees Nation is asking that citizens contact Mike de Jong, Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation, and the BC Archeology Branch(contact information below). Even a short email, letter or phone call can make a difference at this stage, since the status of the site has not yet been determined. Correspondence can be cc’d to Cheryl Bryce, Songhees Land Manager, landsmanager@shawbiz.ca / 1100 Admirals Road Victoria BCV9A 2P6.

LEASE CONTACT THESE OFFICIALS:

Mike De Jong Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation PO Box 9051 STN PROV GOVT
Victoria, BC V8W9E2 Mike.deJong.MLA@leg.bc.ca tel. 250 953-4844 fax. 250 356-6595

Justine Batten, Director BC Archeology Branch PO BOX 9816 STN PROV GOVT
VICTORIA BC V8W9W3 CANADA Justine.Batten@gov.bc.ca tel. 250 952-4305 fax. 250 952-4188

Bear Mountain Draft Agreement Fundamentally Flawed: UBCIC Fully Supports Tsartlip First Nation

So many of us don’t see it, but this exact situation is happeneing all over this land. It’s not isolated, and every day there seems to be something new.

It’s all the same: Canada’s the boss and we are their guests in their home. We have to do what they want or they just ignore us.

And there’s very little we can do in response that doesn’t perpetuate this myth, or that even brings long-term change. The best we are getting now is negotiating “how little can we settle for” - and of course Canada doesn’t do compromise (unless they can get more over our less)

It’s also hard for many of us to accept but it’s going to continue like this until we do something differently.

Barricades and other such moves are not enough. We have to come together and act on that level.

If we don’t than nothing will change.

They are just going to continue brokering deals on our behalf, without our consent - and we will continue to suffer, while they continue getting gads and gads of money for signing away the land and integrating into Canada, acre by acre, house by house, cent by cent.

Nearly everything coming from Canada right now is geared specifically towards this…. The corporations are all over, either drooling at the fence or exploiting the land while acting like heros with integrity.

The Band Councils, AFN, the Corporations, The Provinces, the Federal Government - it’s all business to them, and that won’t change.

Thankfully there are few though :D, yes… I think there are really millions though and many more to follow because business won’t change anytime soon.