B.C. First Nation builds small island, fisheries officials check for habitat damage
VICTORIA — A British Columbia First Nation has built up a small artificial island in the tidal shallows of Coles Bay off Vancouver Island, triggering an investigation by fisheries officials into whether it involved habitat destruction and if authorization should have been required.
Two yellow excavators could be seen at work last week in the bay, heaping up stones and gravel on top of an existing rock outcrop, in a project the Department of Fisheries and Ocean said was linked to a 'clam garden.'
Nearby resident Richard Smith said he watched dump trucks carry loads of rock to the shore, where the excavators hauled it into the bay, also building a temporary land bridge during the construction process.
He said the rock outcrop was previously visible at low tide, but the island is now exposed at all times after the construction, which lasted from May 26 to May 30.
The Canadian Press watched the excavators at work on May 30, then saw that they had left the scene later that day.
That afternoon, about 20 workers, some wearing outfits with the logo of the Pauquachin First Nation, were on the bay's mud flats spreading what one described as 'shell hash.' The worker declined to be identified.
Shell hash, made of finely ground sea shells, is used in some aquaculture operations to promote growth of mollusks, such as clams.
The Department of Fisheries and Ocean was asked by The Canadian Press about the construction last Friday, and on Tuesday the department said in a statement it was 'aware of work being undertaken involving excavators and dump trucks to move and stockpile rocks in Coles Bay, B.C., to facilitate construction of a clam garden,' a traditional form of aquaculture.
It said fisheries officers and biologists visited the site on Monday to evaluate the work.
'Assessment of the work will determine whether there has been any harmful alternation, disruption or destruction of fish and fish habitat that would require authorization under the Fisheries Act,' the statement said, adding that 'it would be premature to comment further at this time.'
Work above the high-water mark occurred on Pauquachin territory, maps show.
The First Nation did not respond to questions about the work.
But it had previously announced an event in August to build a 'traditional sea garden' in Coles Bay, with guests invited to help construct a 250-metre long wall on the tidal flats using 'mindfully sourced and prepared rocks' from a quarry.
'A traditionally designed sea garden will nurture clam beds, welcome the return of numerous sea life, provide food sustainability, awaken sleeping traditional teachings, harvesting practices and sharing to future generations,' a description says on a Pauquachin First Nation website.
Shellfish harvesting in Coles Bay was prohibited in 1997 on health grounds because of pollution from septic systems.
The Pauquachin First Nation of 423 people along the western shore of the Saanich Peninsula has said the prohibition represents an 'infringement' of traditional fishing rights granted under an 1852 treaty.
Chief Rebecca David said in a June 2023 letter to the provincial government that government-authorized septic systems represent the 'primary source of pollution,' calling on Ottawa and Victoria to fulfil obligations under the 1852 treaty by cleaning up the bay so shellfish harvesting can resume.
The University of Victoria's Environmental Law Centre said in a report attached to David's letter that the closure of shellfish harvesting had deprived families of a critical food source and 'failure to redress the pollution' represents 'a grievous breach of treaty rights.'
David's letter calls for the decontamination of Coles Bay to serve as a 'pilot project for developing a systemic approach to decontaminating shellfish beaches in British Columbia.'
The Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship said in a statement the province 'has supported Pauquachin's efforts to rehabilitate shellfish harvest in Coles Bay through regularly scheduled meetings and other technical support.'
It did not respond directly to questions about the construction in Coles Bay.
The lack of public information about the work has frustrated Smith, who said he is a 'big supporter of reconciliation' and supports 'anything that we can do to assist, co-operate and partner' with First Nations in almost any sphere.
'My frustration is really with the enforcement people or the people that are supposed to be governing this, who provide me with no information at all,' he said.
Smith said this uncertainty is weighing heavily on him given the environmental stakes.
'It's the ocean and we all have to protect the ocean,' he said. 'That's part of our lives … theirs (the First Nation's), everybody's, and I'm constantly out on the beach, cleaning it, pulling tires out of the water.'
North Saanich Mayor Peter Jones said on Tuesday that neither he nor the council received any notice about the work, but would have to confirm whether the First Nation contacted the municipality.
'I know for myself, I have not been contacted,' he said, adding the municipality has a 'very, very positive and very open' relationship with the First Nation.
Jones said he does not know what the First Nation is doing, but said it has been working for a long time with Victoria, Ottawa and the Capital Regional District on restoring clam beds.
'This council is very, very hopeful that the (First Nation) can, in fact, restore the clam beds to a level that would make them very, very useful to them,' he said. 'Again, I hope they are successful, and with regard to what's happening there right now, council and I have no idea.'
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 4, 2025.
Wolfgang Depner, The Canadian Press
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
3 hours ago
- CTV News
B.C. cabinet minister says she's ‘fortunate' to have just half a dozen death threats
B.C. Minister of Infrastructure Bowinn Ma pauses while speaking during the official opening of a new childcare facility operated by the YMCA, in North Vancouver, B.C., on Thursday, July 3, 2025. (Darryl Dyck / The Canadian Press) VANCOUVER — British Columbia infrastructure minister says in her eight years as a member of the legislature, she can recall receiving about half a dozen death threats, and considers herself 'pretty fortunate' as a provincial politician. Bowinn Ma says she knows it's strange to say, but she is aware of other elected officials who have been the subject of many more such threats. Ma's comments come after an explosive blasted open the front door of her North Vancouver constituency office last week, setting off an RCMP investigation. No one was hurt and police are saying little about a motive or suspects, but Ma says she won't be intimidated from continuing her work and serving the community. However, Ma says that she is worried about the lasting implications such a threat can have 'on the way that politicians serve.' When Ma was first elected, she says she took over a former members office and tore down a security wall that went across the room to make it more welcoming, but now says she'll work with a Legislature security team for a threat assessment and ongoing safety advice. But Ma says she is worried the blast can feed into a feeling among elected officials and the public that politicians are being more 'frequently targeted.' 'I worry that will drive elected officials further away from these kinds of open approaches, and that's not a criticism of elected officials. 'I mean, they've got to do what they need to do to keep themselves and their staff safe, but we also lose out as a democratic society when that happens.' Ma says Mounties told her that 'there is no indication of a repeat event' and an investigation is ongoing. At the same time, Ma says she encourages anyone passionate about running for office not to be deterred. 'I really do not want these kinds of incidents to dissuade anyone from doing the incredibly important work of serving communities,' she says. This report by Nono Shen of The Canadian Press was first published July, 5, 2025.
CBC
5 hours ago
- CBC
B.C. judge reserves decision on the fate of homeless encampment in Prince George
A B.C. Supreme Court judge has reserved his decision following a three-day hearing that concluded Friday in which the city is seeking an order allowing it to close a downtown homeless encampment and remediate the site. The city's lawyer, Jeffrey Locke, argued that supportive housing in Prince George now exceeds the requirements set out in a previous court decision that saw the encampment gain legal protection. The encampment on Lower Patricia Boulevard, known as Moccasin Flats, was first established in the spring of 2021 on city-owned land, on an empty dirt lot between an industrial yard and a steep hill leading to a residential neighbourhood. In August of that year, the city asked for an injunction to remove over 50 campers there, citing public safety risk and the need to enforce city bylaws on overnight camping. But in October 2021, the B.C. Supreme Court issued an order stating that residents could stay "absent other suitable housing and daytime facilities." That ruling was upheld in a 2022 decision, after the encampment survived a partial demolition in November 2021, which the city subsequently apologized for. Locke says, in 2023, the city changed its course of action and began working with the province and B.C. Housing to set up a 42-unit temporary transitional housing facility in Atco trailers on Third Avenue near the encampment. "The city, province, and B.C. Housing really doubled down on creating new supportive housing in Prince George," he said . Locke says the Third Avenue site serves as a safe, comfortable place to provide unhoused people with 24-hour access to secure private rooms and supportive services while they await long-term housing solutions. Fluctuating number of occupants The city says the remaining long-term occupant of the encampment is Belvery Edward Johnny, who was identified in the city's notice of civil claim, and has been living at Moccasin Flats since it was established. "The encampment, since the dismantling of Nov. 2021, has continued to be occupied by a transient population with the exception of Mr. Johnny, who has been there the whole time," said Locke. He says the city knows of 11 people still sheltering at Moccasin Flats and said eight rooms are being held at the Third Avenue Site for encampment residents in "various states of readiness". Locke said that as the number of encampment occupants and rooms available is constantly in flux, the city would not require the residents of the encampment to decamp until seven days after they had an offer of housing. "Now we have a seamless transition from homelessness until they have a home." Suitable housing for vulnerable people Lawyers representing the residents of Moccasin Flats, however, argued that the city is premature in coming to the court seeking an order to close the encampment without housing readily available for everyone. Lawyer Claire Kanigan and co-counsel Casey St. Germain said they found there to be at least 18 residents remaining at the encampment and said there are only three rooms currently ready to be occupied at the Third Avenue site. Kanigan said there's no timeline as to when more beds will be made available and that the city should be able to prove they have enough beds before they're given permission to close the site. "The basic calculation of number of beds to number of people is foundational," she said. "It is not an overly onerous burden to meet." Kanigan said that because the city is also seeking the right to refuse anyone the ability to encamp on city-owned property if they refuse to apply to B.C. Housing or decline an offer from B.C. Housing, it would leave vulnerable people with complex needs with nowhere to go. The matter is further complicated by the city's Parks and Open Space bylaw, which was amended in 2023 to designate an area of Moccasin Flats as the only allowable place for temporary overnight shelter between 7 p.m. and 9 a.m. "This would be highly problematic," she said. "My ultimate submission is that the level of evidence the city has brought to this court has continuously narrowed." St. Germain also argued that the housing offered may be suitable for some but is not suitable for all, especially individuals who are suffering from complex mental health issues and may not be able to follow the rules of the Third Avenue site. Locke said the Third Avenue site is intended to be broadly accessible but "cannot be everything, to everyone, all at once." At the conclusion of the hearing, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Bruce Elwood said he had a lot to consider and that he hopes to complete his written decision before mid-August.
National Post
6 hours ago
- National Post
B.C. cabinet minister says she's 'fortunate' to have received just half a dozen death threats
VANCOUVER — British Columbia infrastructure minister says in her eight years as a member of the legislature, she can recall receiving about half a dozen death threats, and considers herself 'pretty fortunate' as a provincial politician. Article content Bowinn Ma says she knows it's strange to say, but she is aware of other elected officials who have been the subject of many more such threats. Article content Article content Article content Ma's comments come after an explosive blasted open the front door of her North Vancouver constituency office last week, setting off an RCMP investigation. Article content Article content No one was hurt and police are saying little about a motive or suspects, but Ma says she won't be intimidated from continuing her work and serving the community. Article content However, Ma says that she is worried about the lasting implications such a threat can have 'on the way that politicians serve.' Article content When Ma was first elected, she says she took over a former member's office and tore down a security wall that went across the room to make it more welcoming, but now says she'll work with a Legislature security team for a threat assessment and ongoing safety advice. Article content But Ma says she is worried the blast can feed into a feeling among elected officials and the public that politicians are being more 'frequently targeted.' Article content 'I worry that will drive elected officials further away from these kinds of open approaches, and that's not a criticism of elected officials. I mean, they've got to do what they need to do to keep themselves and their staff safe, but we also lose out as a democratic society when that happens.' Article content Article content Ma says Mounties told her that 'there is no indication of a repeat event' and an investigation is ongoing. Article content Article content At the same time, Ma says she encourages anyone passionate about running for office not to be deterred. Article content
