Copyright © 2001 NLThomas
All Rights Reserved

On the 4th Anniversary of the Delgamuukw decision in which the Supreme Court of Canada recognized Aboriginal skwelkwekwelttitle Nicole Manuel and her two sons Mahekan Anderson and Aaron Manuel grieve over their eviction and the destruction of their home at McGillivray Lake in Skwelkwekwelt.

Their residence destroyed by Mr. Darcy Alexander and Mr. Masayoshi Ohkubo of Sun Peaks Ski Resort, British Columbia Assets and Lands Corporation, Geoff Plant the Attorney General of British Columbia and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Their cordwood home was destroyed on December 10, 2001, the International Day of Human Rights. Sun Peaks Ski Resort employees took great glee in destroying the house and destroying the sweat lodges and desecrating traditional sacred items.

Their spirit was badly shaken but their determination to rebuild their life on the land has been reinforced by their love and affection to their traditional territory. -- Skwelkwekwelt Protection Center

On December 11, 2001 Nicole and her family decided to return to McGilliveray Lake. It was the day after they were evicted from their home at McGillivray Lake. They decided to go back to the sight to see their home but they were met with great sadness as a family because their home was totally destroyed by the Sun Peaks employees under contract from the British Columbia Assets and Lands Corporation. Her children broke down in tears and fell to the ground.

They had to walk some five kilometers in very deep snow to the McGillivray Lake home site because Sun Peaks Ski Resort and BCAL deployed heavy equipment to build snow made roadblocks on the road. They built three such roadblocks a kilometer between. Beverly Manuel had to remain with the truck because they did not feel safe leaving their vehicle alone because of the snowmobiles that were also using the road. Nicole, her 2 sons and a friend walked the five miles in great fear that the snowmobiles would try and pick a fight with them because one snowmobiler rather threateningly asked them "What are you doing her?".

Nicole and her family had to walk back to the truck and it took them over half an hour to turn the truck around. It was a tough and risky business and it just proves that Sun Peaks and the British Columbia government have no respect for the "safety" of the Secwepemc peoples.

It is clear that Sun Peaks a Japanese company is claiming Secwepemc land and the BC government is selling the land despite the fact they do not own it or depend on it as Secwepemc peoples do.

It was also the feelings of the peoples of Skwelkwek'welt that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police were merely working for Sun Peaks and BCAL. The Court Order did not call for the destruction of Nicole's family home and was to be in Court on December 11, 2001 but they stood by and let Sun Peaks and BCAL destroy her home. It is clear that the RCMP wanted to facilitate the destruction of the home and allow that fact to overcome any substantive legal argument that they knew they did not have a good chance of winning.

At one point the Secwepemc peoples of Skwelkwek'welt want to just stop the expansion of Sun Peaks but now they feel Sun Peaks has to go.

It is important to realize that the BC government is working hard to give out recreational and non-forest product rights to people and that this will effect the rights of all indigenous peoples. What is going on at Sun Peaks is merely the tip of the iceberg. We cannot sleep on our rights.

/S/ Arthur Manuel,

Chief Neskonlith Indian Band
E-mail: artmanuel@earthlink.net