shíshálh lhe hiwus (Chief) yalxwemult (Lenora Joe) expressed disappointment in a Jan. 19 press release regarding “misleading, inflammatory, and disrespectful,” social media comments aimed at the Nation.
A Facebook posting and comment stream that was singled out in the release was an item that displayed a photo of what the Nation characterized as “a confrontational sign affixed to the shíshálh longhouse located within what is referred to as Garden Bay Marine Park."
The release stated that “the posts are accompanied by disturbing comments which include untrue and misleading statements about the shíshálh swiya Dock Management Plan (DMP), and inflammatory and disrespectful statements about shíshálh and shíshálh people."
In the document, yalxwemult stated that the Nation denounced the inflammatory and disrespectful comments and defacement of the longhouse “in the strongest terms."
The objective of the DMP, as explained in the release, is to protect and restore the environment while allowing for thoughtful and focused dock development. The province recently extended the comment period for the Nation’s application for DMP amendments to Feb. 16.
"Reconciliation is hard and it takes courage," said the statement. "Discussion around the shíshálh swiya Dock Management Plan has clearly shown that a lot of education is still needed, and we need to collectively reject attitudes that are racist or hateful."
Moving forward, the release stated that "shíshálh will be taking immediate action by reaching out to our partners within the provincial government to coordinate an effective and appropriate response. We will review and consider what the public has submitted and will then work on a government-to-government path to chart a way forward focused on the goals of the plan – protection of cultural resources, fisheries, and the environment."
“The plan arises from the fact that huge damage has been done to cultural resources, fisheries, and the environment throughout shíshálh swiya by hundreds of docks. The plan was developed over a decade based on existing standards, advice from third party experts, and our knowledge keepers. We have been implementing the plan for some time and we know it works. The plan is one measure to begin to decrease the impact of docks on the precious resources we all hold dear, resources that future generations will rely upon.”
