Victory For BC Southern Interior People
VICTORY FOR BC SOUTHERN INTERIOR PEOPLE POWER (Civil Disobedience) STOPS BC LIBERAL Gordy Scrambles and BC Hydro from stealing/privatising HUNDREDS of BC rivers and large creeks for “Independent Power Projects” IPPs.
In 2005 or so my Metis hunting/fishing partner Mountain Man Mick informed me that a private company was conducting an environmental review of Glacier and Howser creek as a visibility study to dam up both creeks and build two seven km tunnels fourteen feet in diameter to divert both creeks to one penstock above Duncan Lake.
They also planned to build a hydro line up Howser creek into the East Kootenay. What remained wilderness in the large Howser drainage was an important red cedar old growth wilderness corridor between the West/East Kootenay.
Elk, Grizzly, Wolverine and a few Mountain Caribou depended on viable wilderness corridors to move east/west over the steep Purcell Mountains.
At first I did not believe Mick.
It made absolutely no sense. Glacier and Howser Creek were in the middle of no where. In the winter/spring there was little water for hydro production.
Finally the “cat was out of the bag”. It was true. BC Liberals, BC Hydro with former executives from Enron were going to steal and privatise hundreds of BC water ways.
Myself (Tommy Tree Hugger), Water Woman (Eloise Charet), Mountain Man Mick and his partner at the time Storm, decided to throw a Metis “monkey wrench” into the works.
We were camping beside Glacier Creek at Mick and Storm’s homestead. The Women decide to throw the I Ching for guidance.
Glacier Creek was roaring with a summer freshet. Boulders crashed against boulders tumbling down from the glacier.
In the candle light on the dirt floor of the teepee, the I Ching ruins were tossed into the air.
Mick and I past a joint and waited for the women to read the Book and decide what our plan of action would be to protect Sanity and the vast wilderness of mid the Purcell mountains.
“ Are we blocking the road or what, where and when?” I piped up.
“ What does the Ching say?” Mick wanted to know.
It turned out there was some kind of positive affirmation to protect Sanity and stop BC Liberals and BC hydro’s effort to destroy hundreds of BC fish bearing waterways.
The next morning we painted a big banner. “ NO GLACIER GREED POWER” we had changed Glacier Green Power to Greed power for the photo op. A few friends arrived for the photo.
We went a couple km below Mick’s homestead. 15 semi wild horses followed us to a place were the logging road had slid off into Glacier creek. The Ministry of Force (forestry) had contracted to fix the road again. For the 3rd or 4th year in a row. It was a long steep slide down to the raging creek. You could feel the cool mist that drifted up from the canyon. The creek was way way down in the gorge.
The banner was strung across the broken logging road. You could walk back across but no vehicle could pass. It was the perfect place for the 3 Metis to take control of the remote logging road. We NOW owned the road. It would not be long before satan showed up with the Ministry of Force and the RCMP.
I had a new camera and was put in charge of media for our campaign to divert stupidity from BC’s southern interior.
We gathered the 7 folks in front of the “No Glacier Greed Power”. I snapped off a couple photos and headed south for the 3 hour drive to Nelson and the “ Nelson Daily News” paper that was beginning to take a dim interest in our campaign that was slowly gaining momentum.
The dam proponent and the various levels of government bureaucrats were slyly introducing the citizens of BC to the most vicious obvious theft of clean precious water in the known universe.
I arrived at the “NDN” editors office about 2pm.
It was hard to believe but there was the “Glacier Greed Power” top dog talking to the editor Bob Hall and a couple reporters. I could not believe it. What a coincidence or was it?
Apparently the top dog was not happy with a story published the day before about a public meeting he had hosted to “hood wink” locals at the north end of Kootenay Lake.
The public “show and tell” had been taken over by one of our strongest assets “Ingar Kronseth” a veteran of the Danish resistance against the Nazi’s. She had reorganised the “show and tell” into a question and answer meeting that had really upset the “top dog” and his corporate communist backers.
He was just a front man for an international group based around a satellite company of DuPont from Montreal. These were serious campers that would later make some real death threats that back fired. (More later on that note)
Bob, the editor knew I was part of the resistance against Canada’s federal and provincial effort to privatise and give BC’s rivers and creeks to coke dealers.
I introduced myself to the Greed Power boss, he immediately shook my hand and handed me a slick brochure.
I played him like a fish and told him I had heard of the project. Then I dropped the bomb:
“Have you heard about the blockade just before Mick and Storms homestead?”
“What Mick and Storm are my friends.”
“Not anymore… I think they were just pretending to sell you their river rock farm. Fishing you for information about this ridiculous corporate communist take over of our public rights.”
“Blah blah blah… he was spattering when I turned on the camera and everyone in the editorial office gathered around. The editor smelt $. News paper sold better when the hippies blockaded what the editor believed was progress.
The editor appointed a young woman student reporter to do an interview. Of course he would not lower himself or a seasoned reporter to do the interview. As it turned out the young Woman was likely more capable.
The editorial office was now buzzing with negative vibrations. Greed Power’s top dog was beside himself.
“Can I be interviewed as well with this Tree Hugger? He asked the editor. Before the editor could answer: “You certainly can. You may have all the money in world, too corrupt our political elite and buy off local politician to support this commie/capitalist plot but I have the people. I’ll bet you $20 BUCKS we will have a thousand people on Glacier creek next summer to stop you.”
He stuck out his hand to bet $20 bucks against the power of the People.
When we got into the interview room,…. old man, Mr Greed was steaming. Everything had been seemingly going his way. His license to “print money” was under attack.
The reporter asked: Do you gentlemen mind if I record this interview?
No no no of course not we both agreed.
She took a statement from me first regarding our opposition to the Insanity.
Then she asked him to tell his tall tale.
“Well the Ministry of Forestry staff at the Kootenay Lake 6 mile office has asked us to take over the maintenance of the “forestry road” up Glacier. We are also going fix that slide area that these ramble rousers are blockading. We are going to fix the road for the public to use that go hiking at Monica Meadows.” He was so proud of himself you could smell it.
It was unbelievable; Glacier Greed Power already had secret agreements with the lazy useless government bureaucrats at the 6 mile Ministry of Force’s Kootenay lake office.
“Could you repeat that. You are telling us that the M.o.F has already given you 30 km of public forestry road? But you are only conducting an environmental review to destroy these creeks; how can Glacier Greed Power already own a public road. Who at the 6 office told you this? Do you have a contract?”
The reporter was viciously taking notes. She was thrilled you could tell she was enjoying interview.
Little did Mr Greed Power know but he had just nailed the first spike in a 3 year battle that would change BC history. More to come on our VICTORY against Insanity.
