Editor:
My wife and I built our retirement homestead on water access only property in the swiya traditional territory.
A recent comment from a Squamish Nation councillor said colonial panic over shared decision making is ridiculous.
Let me explain my panic. I applaud First Nations getting a much louder voice in resource use. They have proven they are truly stewards of the land. My problem is while the NDP government is flying the banner reconciliation, the DMP was announced as non-negotiable. That means I have no voice.
I estimate the fees for dock tenure will be $6,000 and the cost of compliance with the new dock rules will be somewhere between $15,000 and $20,000. One requirement is that cedar decking must be removed and a see-through grid installed. When we asked why, explanation was refused. That one item will cost me more than the original cost of the dock and ramp and decking combined.
I searched the internet for reasons for this onerous requirement and discovered the East Coast of the U.S. is very concerned about eelgrass as a nursery for aquatic life. Eelgrass requires two-to-three metre depth sand or silt bottom. My dock is in six-metre depth over granite rubble that nature has quarried off the steep shoreline.
So my reaction was this requirement is very expensive and to me appears totally unnecessary in my circumstance.
The cost of compliance is a worry on the short term. The refusal to give me a voice is an assault on democracy and causes panic.
So my message to the shíshálh Nation is, I welcome you to the decision table why did I have to leave?
Perhaps you can ask the question for me.
Barry Shaw,
Kelly Island
