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I don’t get it. The city needs to widen the causeway through Stanley Park and the entire city is up in arms because 22 trees are to be removed. In a park with over half a million trees (OK a lot less since the windstorm), 22 trees at the edge of the road are a minor issue. And I think most Vancouverites came to realize that after the windstorm took a phenomenal number of trees down on December 16th 2006.

But just outside Stanley Park, at the North end of the Lion’s Gate Bridge, there used to be a lovely little entrance to North Vancouver. The Squamish Nation land at the base of the bridge was well forested and offered a visual barrier between houses and the busy Marine Drive. That’s no longer the case. It has been slowly eroded by the band members in the name of expansion. Hideous expansion.

It started at the back side. The back road between Capilano Road and Park Royal was lined with what could almost be described as a tree tunnel. That was partly shaved back a couple of years ago. I used to like that drive. Now it is an eyesore, particularly when, earlier this year, they shaved the other side, built a berm, and erected a wall to do the job that the trees used to do. There was no reason to remove all the trees, they didn’t build anything where they took them down, and the building of the wall between the houses and the wide swath that separates it from the road indicates that there are no plans to do so.

Then, for no apparent reason, they cut down a large swath of the lovely poplar trees that lined Marine Drive. Again, it used to be a beautiful entry point. The trees were wrapped in ivy and exuded an ageless beauty.

And now, the final insult to the once thickly treed stretch…the complete shaving of the corner to erect a massive and gaudy sign worthy of Las Vegas. They have also put one at the end of the Burrard Street Bridge and one at the north end of the Second Narrows bridge (apparently two more to come there). These aren’t just billboards, which most people in Vancouver detest, but 300 square foot blinking digital monstrosities.

But beyond that, what really, really upsets me, is the mess they have made of the land they are constructed on. There was no need to have razed the corner the way they did. This is an absolute eyesore on so many levels. The First Nations have trumpeted for years that they are rightful “Stewards of the Land” and yet in recent years, have done far more damage through logging, gravel extraction, and development than many other players in the field.

The bands have fought for years to control the land they view as theirs by historical cultural rights. And now that they have it, they are doing their best to replicate the history that the Europeans first visited on the environment in as short a time as possible. Their gravel extractions in the rivers of the Lower Mainland have damaged the spawning grounds of the salmon they claim they have a right to (Seabird Island First Nation). Bands hold some of the largest logging licenses in BC (Coast Tsimshian Resources). Power projects on the Klinaklini, Ashlu and Bulson rivers that are being heavily protested by environmental watchdogs are being strongly supported by First Nations. And according to the December 2nd issue of MacLeans Magazine, “In the spectacular Coquihalla Pass, the Coldwater Indian Band has partnered with Westscapes Development for a $2-billion ski resort and golf course—to be carved out of harvest grounds at the headwaters of the increasingly threatened Coldwater River. (The band will receive 10 per cent ownership, a seat on the board, and a share of land sales.) In a stunning move last week, B.C.’s isolated Gitxsan tribe announced it will petition Ottawa to drop its Indian status, in return for a bigger prize: a share of resources on ancestral land. For that, it’s willing to hand over reserves, tax exemptions, free housing and financial supports, and the ambition of a separate order of government.”

First Nations used to partner with environmental groups and stand on the same side of the fence with respect to protection of our valuable natural spaces. Now they seem hell bent on raping them for their wealth in exactly the same manner as they once fought against. The major difference is that our government has given them the ability to do so. As always, when push comes to shove, the almighty dollar wins again…