FAX BLITZ: to BC-RCMP/TC Energy gooFs..

 (You can too - in fact, PLEASE DO:  For justice!  Here's the link from the aws Wilderness Committee:  https://www.wildernews/ChannelYrRage

& here's my letter, for inspiration:

I'm writing to express my profound horror that you & TC Energy back the BC-RCMP's deplorable treatment / trespassing of Wet’suwet’en 1st Nations to make way for your (CGL) pipeline : Whatever you may believe/ were told by the BC-NDP, THESE are the FACTS:

●Article 10 of U.N.D.R.I.P. (UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which BC HAS instated) is V clear that “Indigenous peoples shall not be forcibly removed from their lands or territories": NOW U KNOW

●RCMP action on Wet’suwet’en territory is a shameful violation of Indigenous rights & ignores the Supreme Court of Canada ruling that recognizes Aboriginal title TO THAT AREA

●Pointing machine guns at unarmed women & journalists is totally unacceptable! These officers must be held accountable for putting civilians at risk & continuing to use force where they have NO JURISDICTION 

●That the RCMP saw fit to carry out this crass operation on behalf of a gas pipeline co. EXACTLY WHEN emergency resources were needed for flood relief in southern BC proves who the force - & YOUR CO. - prioritize (& it's NOT US BCers!)

●TC Energy has exhibited nothing but entitled arrogance since starting this "economic dud" (experts' words, not mine) - a reckless endeavor which belies ALL science re. Fracking/ LNG: I.E. it's polluting, uneconomical, unsustainable.. & ruins ANY chance we have at meeting BC's/ Canada's climate goals

PLEASE: Quit acting like you're God's gift to BC (you're not even BCer-approved, let alone lawful.. or even liked!) DO THE RIGHT THING & STAND DOWN. Leave Wet’suwet’en territory & the Yintah - as you were asked, by its rightful leaders/ residents, many times. Abide by the Courts & allow the Chiefs to exercise their sovereignty - before you spark an ugly war.. (YOU are the criminals here, & will lose!)

Consider yourselves warned, by just 1 of the MANY who support the Wet’suwet’en people defending their hereditary lands from your diabolical operations.

FYI: informed BCers oppose ALL fracking, LNG & new FossilFuel projects in this province. So you know.

Thank you very much.

SARAH (SAZ) CHESTERMAN

WHAT'LL iT TAKE for GOVT. to PROTECT BC's BiODiVERSiTY-RiCH FORESTs -- & RESPECT the 1st Nations hereditary chiefs' lawful decision-making rights over their territories??

Here's yet another letter I've recently written to BC's powers-that-be - Premier Horgan, Forestry Minister Katrine Conroy et al.. via Sierra Club BC's aws letter-writing tool (extended & detailed to maximum capacity - without apology..)

Premier Horgan, Minister Conroy et al,

I watched this summer as the RCMP violently policed Indigenous forest protectors at the Fairy Creek/Ada’itsx Blockades & even more baffling, blocking the #Wetsuweten rightful hereditary chiefs & #1stNations members/residents from ACCESSING THEIR OWN LANDS & thereby reneging on all U.N.D.R.I.P. required PRIOR INFORMED CONSENT for forcing the #CGL (COASTAL GAS LINK) O&G PIPELINE THRU SACRED SITES & WATERS OF THE WET'SUWET'EN people-!!??

Such harmful, hateful, hypocritical --& yes, heartbreaking-- violations against promised Indigenous sovereignty (ESP. IN LIGHT OF THIS YEAR'S EXPOSÉ OF THE GOVT-SANCTIONED ABUSIVE/ OPPRESSIVR TREATMENT of Indigenous children kidnapped from their homes suffered at Residential Schools -- LIKE SOMETHING BELONGING IN A DICKENS NOVEL, NOT REAL-LIFE HISTORIC CANADA!!?? -- SHOCKED CANADIANS & BROUGHT A SWELL OF PUBLIC SYMPATHY & SUPPORT FOR BC's NEGLECTED INDIGENOUS SURIVORS.. which promised a newfound respect for their pre-Res-school cultural heritage --& stewardship of Nature at a level that could be THE key to our (humans') ongoing future existence on Earth.

The hopes & wishes for REAL, longed-for #RECONCILIATION (which is now enshrined per #U.N.D.R.I.P. --adopted by #PremierJohnHorgan himself, as well as by federal #PMTrudeau) would seem to become more doable & tangible  by the day, with govt. Leaders across the country forced to pause & recognize the full weight of past Govt-hidden atrocities committed in what at the very least  appears to prove suspected genocide as their gruesome, publicly-suppressed intent.

Orange shirts of solidarity became the official attire for showing  your respect & sincere shame at learning what 1stNations endured at the hands of BC's colonial leaders-- who, judging from the small but highly detailed handful of books written about this exact segment of BC's history, ruthlessly carried out the UNOFFICIAL & UNSIGNED APPROPRIATION OF NATIVE SACRED & TRADITIONAL TERRITORIES, while forcing the (majority of) native inhabitants onto the tiniest possible reserves -- like rounding up & imprisoning cattle to use & abuse --& of course repress -- at will, as needed.

But since BC's govt. leaders -- unlike the rest of Canada's provinces -- deemed treaties outlining Natives' rights unneeded, today that translates into presumed 'unceded lands' of acknowledged aboriginal historic development/use dating back 1,000s of years.  If you think you can continue to disrespect & violate their most eloquent, science-backed defenses of Mother Nature's complex workings (which noone knows better than 1st Nations hereditary knowledge holders) -- by building UN-ASSESSED & #BCNDP-BACKED TAR-SANDS SUPPORTIVE INFRASTRUCTURE PROVEN TO ENSURE EVENTUAL EXTINCTION OF BC'S RESIDENT ORCAS -- then you have FAILED to grant even the most minimal protection to the land defenders doing all they can to save the precious integrity of their once-priceless --now-threatened-- rainforest ecosystems..

(WHICH ARE, IN TRUTH, SOME OF THE LAST 1-3% OF UNTOUCHED WILDERNESS AREAS WITH THE HIGHEST BIODIVERSITY COUNTS & UNLOGGED INTEGRITY OF ANY IN BC..)

*  *  *  *

FROM Fairy Creek this year, videos circulated online showing officers choking, pepper spraying, punching & dragging activists face down over rocks by their hair. [1] [2] [3] 

Reports further revealed that the RCMP continued to use exclusion zones & block the freedom of the press, long after the B.C. Supreme Court stated this wasn’t permitted by the court-ordered injunction. [4]

And now, Justice Thompson has sided with the forest protectors by denying an extension to the injunction, stating that the RCMP actions at Fairy Creek trampled civil liberties & put the court’s own reputation at risk! [5]

Take notes, because the B.C. NDP government’s reputation is also at risk.

Premier John Horgan: you have clearly stated you want an end to this conflict, yet you've shirked your responsibility to keep citizens safe. [6] Meanwhile, some of B.C.’s best allies in the fight against climate change are on the line: old-growth forests. [7]

After a summer of intense wildfires & record-breaking heatwaves, & now disastrous erosion & flooding jeopardizing B.C.'s communities, you need to keep the promises you made to save our last old-growth forests & end destructive practices like clearcutting, which is exacerbating these crises & threatening our future..

I therefore feel duty-bound to call on your B.C. government to take immediate action as follows:

●Publicly denounce the use of force by the BC-RCMP, while initiating a full & independent investigation into RCMP actions at Fairy Creek;

●Deny further provincial funding or support for RCMP enforcement at Fairy Creek & Wet'suwet'en territory/ 'yintah' (& all waterways) until an independent investigation is completed;

●Enact all recommendations in the provincial report ‘A New Future for Old-Growth Forests’ for an urgently-needed paradigm shift in the management of these rare ecosystems; [8]

●Enact a just transition for forestry workers into a new sustainable economy that doesn’t rely on old-growth logging;

●Cease & desist ALL trespassing over 1st Nations territories!  In a code red climate emergency, it is unacceptable that you continue to put industry profits over our right to a climate-safe future. And in a country that talks a good talk about truth & reconciliation, it is despicable that RCMP trample civil liberties & violently police Indigenous forest protectors on their own land!

Old-growth forests in B.C. are teetering on the brink, in danger of becoming a permanent carbon source rather than a critically important carbon sink & habitat for numerous beloved species of biodiversity, known as the 'Lungs of the North'.  Please stop fast-tracking their demise:  these iconic ancient stands are B.C.'s only valuable natural legacy left - & as you've said before, they're worth their colossal weight in gold INTACT & NOT ON THE BACK OF A TRUCK!  Logging these living protectors to fulfill Asia's demand for cheap quality lumber is the OPPOSITE of the climate action you claim to support with CleanBC..

The research is IN, the studies are DONE -- by your own commissioned Old-Growth Strategic Review Panel no less -- which called for an "urgent" paradigm shift in Forestry mgmt, which you promised to enact in full OVER A YEAR AGO.

Since then, reckless & unethical clearcutting has continued at an alarming rate & with even scarier outcomes, with 99%+ of 2021's wildfires occurring in previously-clearcut stands -- including replanted monocultures - where resulting eco-degradation accelerates spreading wildfires & leads directly to calamitous erosion, landslides etc.  

A clear example of destructive logging's disastrous effects occurred just yesterday in Agassiz, where ravaged recent cut-blocks blighting the surrounding mountainsides clearly exacerbated -- if not caused -- the deadly flooding/ landslides brought on by heavy rainfall.. along with the washing-away of bridges & highway all along the Coquihalla Highway.  As our public servants, it's your job to properly assess such events in consultation with experts & scientists whose intensive, on-the-ground research cancels out the lies of corporate/ industry lobbyists -- & take proactive measures to prevent reoccurrences & ensure public safety.

One thing's certain:  continued clearcut logging is putting BC's biodiversity, communities, people & wildlife in dire jeopardy -- to the point of guaranteeing increased risks of worsened fires, flooding & other related catastrophes which we simply cannot afford.  Further degradation of our last intact forest ecosystems is a worst-case-scenario that must be avoided at all costs -- not least because the feared outcomes will be noted as YOUR GOVT's failure.

We've seen how Climate change coupled with unchecked ecocidal/ polluting industrial development has turned places like Australia, Brazil & California into disaster-zones that, in turn, have contributed to further increased global warming & loss of invaluable carbon sinks.  Yet your govt. is failing to take these warnings seriously & learn their critical lessons.

You can prevent these tragedies - but only if you do the right thing today!

Science has warned of the dire effects of deforestation for years, yet your office has failed to take the proper protective measures that are urgently required to prevent these outcomes!!?  80%+ Cdns. made Climate a top issue in this year's federal election, & thousands more have supported the Fairy Creek & indigenous land protectors who risk their own comfort/safety to ensure BC's sustainable future.  You need to follow suit -- LISTEN to those who pay your salaries (US!) rather than the corporations who don't give a damn about anything but their own selfish profits!

Continuing to allow destruction of our most eco-rich & valuable ancient forests by approving cutblocks in these old-growth stands is particularly bloody-minded in light of your adoption of UNDRIP as a reconciliation measure:  your inaction on Old-Growth forest protection is inexcusable, & claiming "lost jobs"/ "lost revenue" is simply unfair, given the subsidies you dole out ad infinitum to the most polluting industries, instead of transitioning to sustainable ops in all sectors, in line with CleanBC/ NetZero claimed goals.

Also shameful is continually refusing to provide the proper funding that will ease indigenous transition to preserving, NOT LOGGING, our precious 1,000-year-old forest ecosystems, given the countless benefits they bring to our environments, biodiversity, healthy tourism, clean water quality & vibrant natural surroundings for which we are (/were?) world-famous.  And which First Nations managed - spectacularly & sustainably - for millenia, before white Europeans came along & almost destroyed the lot in 150 years or less:  SHAMEFUL.

In fact, allowing BC's globally-rare forest ecosystems to be clearcut is like demolishing the great pyramids for the price of their stones:  the seriousness of that calamity is less than what your office continues to greenlight, as if our forests aren't  the KEYS to tackling the worst of climate change - which they certainly ARE.

The time to transition is NOW - as the decisions you make today will impact all of us – including your children & grandchildren.

How do you want to be remembered –  as the ones who violently protected big industry profits at the expense of our planet? Or as playing a significant role in building the sustainable economy that ensures a shared climate-safe future for all?

Your choices matter.  We the people are waiting & watching in fear.  Please rise to the occasion & do the right thing, as leaders in an apparent 'democracy' -- before it's too late to save ourselves & the world from the preventable effects of irresponsible status-quo stasis.

Thank you.

Sarah (Saz) Chesterman

SOURCES:

[1] https://gripped.com/gripped-outdoors/crazy-scenes-from-the-fairy-creek-blockades-in-b-c/

[2] https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/sep/08/canada-logging-protest-vancouver-island

[3] https://thetyee.ca/News/2021/09/27/Someone-Going-To-Be-Injured-Killed/

[4] https://thetyee.ca/News/2021/08/16/Judge-Rebuked-Illegal-RCMP-Tactics/

[5] https://globe2go.pressreader.com/article/281492164472706

[6] https://thetyee.ca/Analysis/2021/10/04/Horgan-Fairy-Creek-Excuses-Betray-Citizens/

[7] https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/logging-climate-change-bc-report-1.5895220

[8] https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/farming-natural-resources-and-industry/forestry/stewardship/old-growth-forests/strategic-review-20200430.pdf

[9] https://www.nationalobserver.com/2021/07/05/analysis/under-siege-bcs-forests-have-started-emitting-co2-lots-it

SaRaH C.

To Canada's Climate deniers..

With the U.N. Climate Change Conference - COP26 - under way, this time in Glasgow (with Canadian PM Trudeau's presence belying our country's worse-than-ever dearth of Climate-Action progress) I feel obligated to consolidate local focus on some prevailing, relevant truths from those with the inside edge - i.e. the scientists on the frontlines of climate studies - (a) in emails with Sierra Club BC, below (b) Comments on articles such as the one reporting Extinction Rebellion's latest 'die-in' protest, here: 

Link to Vancouver Sun article

YOU & the blind 'majority' need to realize extinction & downgrade of Nature's ecosystems has been the creeping, insidious adjunct of human activity/industry since the start of the Industrial Revolution, with the worst of it concentrated in the past 2 decades - as officially confirmed by the world's top scientists - despite urgent warnings of the dire consequences of rising GHG emissions caused by polluting industries like agriculture/ logging (deforestation), mining (fossil fuels/ pollution) etc.

Science has also outlined specific counteractions we can (& must) take to mitigate & reverse outcomes such as climate change / global warming - eg. Reducing GHGs & ending deforestation of our oldest ecosystems (i.e. 'Lungs of the Earth', along with Brazil's Amazon rainforest).  Ignoring Science's calls to action exacerbates the worst effects - yet that's exactly what our leaders have done from day 1, with catastrophic results like wildfires diminishing our defences & putting whole populations at risk!

The global Climate Conference is again upon us, at which Canada - once again - must report our woeful failure to meet EVERY commitment made to IPCC-led GHG goals:  i.e. We're NOT 'doing our part' per climate action by honing the most ecocidal industries (like LNG/ TarSands) instead of transitioning to the eco-forward options available in every sector.

None of this comes solely from me/ the 'minority' - it's globally-acknowledged Science SPELLING OUT our obligations & responsibilities of the most urgent order, which we'd be fools to downplay and/or dismiss.

(Nature iS our sole provider that holds the keys to our future survival & signals how & where we're lacking/remiss:  we need to heed her messages, else follow our leaders off the cliff like lemmings)

NOW, here's Sierra Club's important email to me (my response below that, & Elisabeth's reply below mine):

B.C. old-growth announcement confirms ecological emergency 

Dear Sarah,

Your hard work, calls, emails and ongoing pressure is working.  Finally, the B.C. government has released new information and mapping on the state of old-growth forests in B.C. that confirms what we have been saying all along: we are in an ecological emergency.  Thanks to thousands of people like you, the B.C. government identified 2.6 million hectares of the most at-risk old-growth forests that require deferrals. But the government offered little details on when those deferrals will take place.

Because we've been told false promises before, Sierra Club BC remains very concerned about the lack of certainty on how the province will ensure that all logging companies in B.C. pause logging in the areas identified. Also noted is the lack of funding for Indigenous Nations and forestry workers that would enable a paradigm shift in how we manage forests.  Jens Wieting, our Senior Forest and Climate Campaigner explains:

“The work by the technical advisory panel shared today by the B.C. government shows the province’s ecological emergency in unprecedented detail and pinpoints which old-growth forests need immediate interim protection. Despite delays, it’s not too late to use this new mapping to stop the ongoing destruction of the most at-risk old-growth forests and implement the paradigm shift towards ecological integrity while respecting Indigenous jurisdiction,”

“Making the paradigm shift a reality will depend on quickly offering clarity on where and when the next logging deferrals will hit the ground and what level of support communities can count on. Without these steps, today’s announcement would be equivalent to adding tigers to the red-listed species, but not ending the hunt immediately."

The good news is that we no longer have to argue with government and industry about how much old growth is left. But with only $12 million in capacity funding for Indigenous Nations while they make decisions on logging deferrals in their territories, today’s announcement falls short on giving communities a safe and clear path to safeguarding ancient and intact forests.

We didn't see any financing to support forestry workers and there was no information on financing for Indigenous-led conservation solutions. Making the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples a reality requires adequate funding to give Indigenous Nations a real choice when it comes to ending destructive resource extraction on their lands and waters.

We don't want you to think it's all doom and gloom. Another bright spot in today's announcement is that the province announced that BC Timber Sales will stop selling logging licenses in the most at-risk forests that were identified. BC Timber Sales controls one-fifth of logging in the province, meaning this step should result in interim protection for about 500,000 hectares of the most at-risk old-growth forests.  Of course, there's always a caveat and Jens warns:

“Without binding mechanisms for all operators, there is a risk that the new mapping could unleash a race to the bottom if operators decide to cut down the identified at-risk forests before interim protection is in place."

For now, ancient trees will continue to fall but it's important to remember that our efforts are working.  The progress is not as fast as we would like, and it's not time to rest on our laurels.  But we need to celebrate the fact that today's announcement is a step in the right direction, and it wouldn't have happened without you and thousands of people around the globe who love this place and want to change our relationship with forests.

For the last year, international news from B.C. has been about police violently arresting forest defenders to clear the path for clearcutting some of the last old-growth forests on Southern Vancouver Island. The world is watching from the UN COP 26 conference in Glasgow and elsewhere, eagerly waiting for news on when at-risk old-growth forests in B.C. will be truly protected.

Thanks for being part of our community.  Every voice is needed - especially yours.

Warmly,

Elisabeth Noble
Manager of Donor Engagement

(My reply to that email:)

Thanks for this Elisabeth – & while it’s good to hear the BC Govt’s latest announcements, I trust by now we’ve all learned that their words (almost without exception) have meant exactly ZERO vis-à-vis their claimed ‘paradigm shift’, i.e. Real changes in the forests/ on the ground.. As Jens Weiting said, “Without binding mechanisms for all operators, there is a risk that the new mapping could unleash a race to the bottom if operators decide to cut down the identified at-risk forests before interim protection is in place..” – May I be so bold as to suggest that scenario is ALREADY HAPPENING, RE-confirming your subject-line’s EMERGENCY like a delayed siren & demanding extra renewed efforts to make Govt honor their intentions, B4 it truly iS too late~!?

 

With Govt delays making a mockery of their Old-Growth Panel’s URGENT recommends, I strongly feel NOW is the critical time to consolidate all individual, disparate initiatives (eg. in your Action Takers Guide) into an ALL-IN concentrated & coordinated push (pref. in alliance with other forest-defending org’s!) that UPS THE ANTE on DESIRED RESULTS:  I.E. Ensuring Govt’s permanent legislated protections for our old-growth forests.. ASAP.  We need to show Horgan’s govt. their words have lost all credibility – while more At-Risk forests are lost forever thanks to Govt’s total absence of supportive actions!?

 

We forest defenders have been valiantly doing aLL we can – taking actions, on repeat – for months/ years, to no real avail besides Govt’s endless intentions stated over actual ACCELERATED CLEARCUTS/ DEFORESTATION:  continuing more of the same will presumably prove as pointless!?  If we don’T increase pressure NOW & show Govt. we REFUSE TO LOSE (led by  non-profits we support) we risk losing our priceless Old-Growth ecosystems forever.. & THAT is unthinkable.

 

 

In solidarity, SC.

(& Elisabeth's response to mine:)

Hi Sarah,

 

We completely agree.  The work is not happening fast enough.  But I really do think there is some hope.  No question we will lose more ancient forests…but everyone who we know in government says this is the most pressure and momentum they’ve ever seen in their lives.  Changes are coming, some old growth will be protected permanently, and we cannot let them off the hook.

 

We are already seeing “The Sky is Falling” type Op-Eds from the Steelworkers and ResourceWorks.  Now is definitely the time to call your MLA, thank them, and make sure they know you’re not giving up and will continue to hold them accountable!

 

Thank you so much for sending in a donation and for your work on the front lines.  I’ve only been out for a few days – never overnight.  So grateful for everyone who is stepping up to the plate.

 

Elisabeth Noble, CFRE

Manager of Donor Engagement

Sierra Club BC

Lekwungen Territory

Inspiring generations to defend nature and confront climate change, so families, communities and the natural world can prosper together.