Environmental damage on Spaet Mountain: Photo by Pete Rockwell, February 2008
The more we look into the Bear Mountain resort and interchange development in Langford, the more we see that those pushing the project are determined to bulldoze rare ecosystems, First Nations heritage sites, and people's democratic rights in order to profit from expensive condos and overpriced real estate.

Developers and public officials completely failed to protect First Nations heritage sites in the area of Skirt (Spaet) Mountain. One sacred cave was destroyed by blasting and excavation in 2006, and a second may face the same fate in the coming weeks. City of Langford workers welded a steel grate over the entrance to Langford Lake Cave in February 2008 and then dumped several tons of boulders onto the grate. Dozens of culturally modified trees were cut down around the cave, which a Songhees Nation elder has named as a place of cultural significance. The interchange route will apparently intersect the 80-meter-long cavern, and blasting could begin at any time.

Garry oak ecosystems - the rarest forests in BC - have been mowed down and bulldozed, destroying the oaks, camas flower meadows, and related plant life on the rocky bluffs and plateaus of Skirt Mountain. The City of Langford maintains that protection plans and studies on rare mammals, amphibians, and reptiles in the area are not needed. Ponds and wetlands on and around the mountain are home to pacific tree frogs, red-legged frogs, great horned owls, screech owls, pileated woodpeckers, and dozens of other species that deserve protection.

Meanwhile, Langford city council has maneuvered to shut voters out of the approval process on a $25 million loan to finance the interchange. This comes after the city refused to dialogue or consult with concerned citizens and groups who requested meetings, sent letters, and made submissions to council for over two years. The province has likewise turned a deaf ear to voters while kicking in $5 million and leaving taxpayers on the hook for the whole bill should the developers default. A persistent aura of corruption and conflict of interest hangs over the project, which is aggressively promoted by Langford councillors.

Those who oppose the development face a level of retaliation rarely seen in democratic countries. A small peace camp set up in the path of the interchange was evicted in February by dozens of heavily armed RCMP officers pointing assault rifles. Over a hundred officers patrolled a kilometer-wide exclusion zone near the Trans-Canada highway for three days while feller-bunchers clearcut the forest. Shortly after, Langford mayor Stewart Young declared he would try to recover the cost of the police operation by suing the campers, a measure condemned by civil libertarians. On February 29, an organized "goon squad" of 200 construction contractors descended on a small rally on the highway, assaulting several people, destroying signs and banners, and threatening those speaking out against the destruction.

The lack of any assessments of the delicate karst (limestone) geology and watercourse hydrology in the area may leave the new interchange subject to collapses, sinkholes, and widespread watershed contamination due to runoff. Sewage, silt, and chemicals are already filtering into streams that flow from Skirt Mountain.

Recognizing the vital importance of this fight and the level of force arrayed against us, hundreds of people have pledged to support the campaign for environmental justice in Langford. They are helping out by lobbying the government of BC, contributing to our legal defense fund, and getting involved on the ground. Here's how:

Call B.C.'s Inspector of Municipalities (250-356-6575) and e-mail the following statement:

"I am concerned about the precedent set by Langford Bylaws 1148 and 1156. The process is flawed and appears to violate the spirit of the Community Charter. If your Ministry approves these bylaws, I fear the impact in my municipality and wonder if my elected Councillors will exclude me from the democratic approval process for major capital projects."

E-mail: Gary.Paget@gov.bc.ca, (Acting Inspector of Municipalities)
CC: Dale.Wall@gov.bc.ca, CS.minister@gov.bc.ca, steven.hurdle@gmail.com

Letters to the editor are always great to see!

Contribute to the legal defense trust fund.
We have already raised over $2000 to defend the campers and any potential lawsuits. Cheques can be made to "Irene Faulkner in trust" with a note directing the funds to the Bear Mountain legal fund, file number 10138.

A campaign fund for the next round of action is now open as well. Cheques for the campaign fund can be made out to VIC FAN (Vancouver Island Community Forest Action Network).

Please send contributions to:
Irene Faulkner
1124 Fort St.
Victoria, BC
V8V 3K8

Let us know you contributed, and we'll send a letter of thanks and recognition.

We are grateful to everyone who's given their energy to this campaign. Challenging this aggressive development on Vancouver Island has created a grassroots network that covers half the province, and future developments will never be the same.

Thank you!

Zoe Blunt
Call 250-885-8219 anytime (Victoria)
zoeblunt(at)gmail(dot)com

Photos, essays, maps, videos and more:
http://treesit.blogspot.com
http://insidelangford.wordpress.com
http://www.spencerspond.ca
http://www.langfordprotest.org