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First Nation in B.C. demands province respect Joffre Lakes Park closure dates (www.cbc.ca)

submitted 1 week ago by rabber@lemmy.ca to c/canada@lemmy.ca

17 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Special race based privileges in a public park. I'm not a fan.

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[-] Archangel1313@lemmy.ca 14 points 1 week ago

These are unceded lands, which makes them private property. Technically, they don't have to open them up to the public, at all.

If the province can't respect their wishes, they should just put gates up on all the access roads and close the park altogether. Fuck the tourists.

[-] FiniteBanjo@feddit.online 9 points 1 week ago

Special race based privileges in a public park. I’m not a fan.

It is a sovereign nation. You will respect their territory or you are an invader.

[+] rabber@lemmy.ca -7 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

It's not a public park then.

How come I don't get a special time allotment to "reconnect" with joffre lakes? Born here, hiked that well before instagram ruined it, and I have a connection to that place too. With the crowds though, I'll probably never go there again.

They should just completely shut it down tbh.

[-] adespoton@lemmy.ca 5 points 1 week ago

Or, you could get to know the people who own it. I’ve been invited all sorts of places that are closed to the public. In this case, they’re trying to keep it open to the public as much as they can, within reason.

I see it kind of like if I let someone house sit for me, and then they turned around and set it up as an AirBnB, and some of the guests came in and trashed the place. Even if the house sitter made improvements to the place, it’s not their house. When the owners come back, they’re within their rights to kick everyone out and ask for reparations from the house sitter. But they may decide to work out a compromise instead so that everyone gets something, even if everyone gets less than they feel they deserve.

[-] FiniteBanjo@feddit.online 4 points 1 week ago

It’s not a public park then.

Well, technically, all public parks are owned by the nation state(s) which govern them.

You're not allowed to visit a park in another nation without permissions pretty much anywhere else on earth, you should feel privileged that you can visit this one except for specific days or seasons.

[-] rabber@lemmy.ca -4 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

you should feel privileged that you can visit this one

But the infrastructure is paid for by taxpayers. That park requires an incredible amount of maintenance. They should just gate it and cut funding.

Or, the government could make more desperately needed parks near vancouver and this whole problem would just go away. Everyone's mad about the state of joffre lakes, not just the FN.

[-] FiniteBanjo@feddit.online 6 points 1 week ago

Hey, if you want to lose the park forever, I doubt the Natives are going to voice much opposition to that.

[-] rabber@lemmy.ca -5 points 1 week ago

That's what I would vouch for at this point. Closing it to certain skin colours is just going to piss people off and divide further. People don't respect nature so just close it.

[-] FiniteBanjo@feddit.online 4 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Closing it to different Nation's Citizenships*.

[-] rabber@lemmy.ca -3 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Which you need to be of a certain ethnicity to obtain.

My family has been living in canada since like 1890 so I guess I am a homeless invader at this rate. My family has been here so long that we no longer have any ties to germany and me "moving home" is impossible.

I care about those woods as much as any FN my age. My great grandfather helped construct many of the bridges on that road. My great uncle was a trapper in the vicinity. His cabin is still standing. Maybe they should implement facial ID? If you are from the city or you are new to canada, fuck off, lol.

[-] FiniteBanjo@feddit.online 6 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Your induction into the tribes would be at the tribes' discretion just like it was Canada's discretion to let you in from Germany. Calling out "racism" for people just trying to protect what little they have left is the peak of absurdity.

I'm not sure what outrageous situation you're imagining but you're not going to walk into the park and be apprehended by a bunch of dudes in a loincloth who hold a skin color picker chart up to you and say "he's too pink, throw him in the Wigwam to await questioning."

[-] rabber@lemmy.ca -3 points 1 week ago

I have literally been stopped by FN due to my skin colour

Example. Capilano Indian Reserve No. 5 in north vancouver. I like to tent camp there when I visit vancouver for concerts at the RV park. Years ago, when I asked about where the trail is to the river, they literally told me it's for FN only with a straight face lol

I know what white privilege is btw and I guess it's a taste of my own medicine.

[-] BCsven@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 week ago

Well there's the issue, you weren't on public land, you are on reserve land that indigenous have rights to. Reserve, as in Reserved for them, as a token for stealing all the rest.