New confrontation brewing at Sun Peaks
CBC
WebPosted Aug 30 2004 02:46 PM PDT
KAMLOOPS, B.C. - First Nations protesters are building a protest camp as they renew their fight to block the expansion of the Sun Peaks Resort near Kamloops.
The small group of aboriginal activists say the Crown land is part of their traditional territory, and have been staging protests in the area for the past decade.
It's been two years since the last round of protests ended at the resort – with arrests and with court orders banning the activists from the resort.,
But those injunctions expired in June. And Neskonlith First Nation organizer Janice Billy says the issues are still there.
"It's the continuing destruction of the land, the ongoing expansion project that we're opposed to, and the non-recognition of our title to the land in this area," she says.
Sun Peaks tourism director Chris Nicholson says he's frustrated by the return of the protesters. And he says the resort is unfairly caught in a dispute between the B.C. government and local First Nations.
"It's got a legal right to exist, and everything that happened was approved in the early 90s by the provincial government," says Nicholson.
The provincial government served a trespass notice on the protest camp on Monday. But Billy says she and her supporters are not planning to back down.
