ER’S MMAANNAAGGER’S R
CCEE N E A M M R U N R A E S SUMM CCLLEEAREANNTT 12 EVVE SSTAARTILNEG JUOLYNtails E see inside for !de
NOW
SOOKE SFA
Annual juried arts show preparing for opening. Page 15
Wednesday, JULY 17, 2013
NEWS MIRROR
Editorial
Page 8
Entertainment
Page 3
Sports/stats
Page 22
Black Press C O M M U N I T Y
N E W S
M E D I A
NEW LOCATION! Coching Mortgage Corp. 103 - 6739 West Coast Rd. Sooke Across the street from the Post Office
Agreement #40110541
Derek Parkinson 250-642-0405
Beecher Bay residents face eviction 30-day notice is not long enough for residents Britt Santowski Sooke News Mirror
The Cheanuh First Nation (Beecher Bay First Nations, also referred to as Scia’new), located on East Sooke Road, has voted to modify their Beecher Bay Land Code Amendment to allow for development. As a result of this vote, the residents occupying the 125 campsites have been given a 30-day Notice to Vacate. “The Band held a membership-wide vote on July 10 to consider changes to its Land Code that would prepare its lands for future development,” reads the Cheanuh’s press release. “Our membership is in need of better jobs and housing,” Chief Russell Chips said in the press release. “We are committed to creating a sustainable development plan that the Cheanuh people will be proud of.” The first step in moving towards this future development is to close the campground effective August 11, 2013. The campground has 125 lots on it, and houses many permanent residents. Some, like Rene Patenaude, have lived there for decades and have come to call it home. Chipps acknowledges that this decision will sever relationships with some of the campers. When asked if they had
Britt Santowski photos
Left, Rene and Gail Patenaude sitting on their deck with the Notice of Eviction. Right, Chief Russell Chipps. indication that they would be evicted, two of the “campers,” Gail and Rene Patenaude (aged 69 and 74 respectively), said otherwise. “None whatsoever,” said Gail. They did acknowledge that they knew about the upcoming vote, “But we still didn’t think that it would happen,” said Gail. Her husband, Rene, has been a full-time resident of the park for three decades. His skill as a carpenter has resulted in the ultimate construction of a lovely, wellcared for “home” that is about 1,500 square feet in size. It began with a trailer 30 years ago. The notion of dismantling
205-6591 Lincroft Road
their “home” and relocating within 30 days, has the couple a bit overwhelmed. One could say they are in shock. On July 12, the day after they had received the Notice to Vacate, the full extent of the impact had not quite yet registered. “It’s sickening,” says Gail, speaking to her feelings of the situation, “There’s no sleep. We’re not eating.” Rene sat quietly beside Gail, his eyes brimming with unspilled tears. Edward Ezako is another “member of this community,” having lived at the campground for 10 years. He is in a state of shock about how things are unfolding.
“People have lived here for 40 years, for heaven’s sake... My neighbour across the street has a house, he’s lived here for 40 years. There are people who have lived here for 67 years. And, like, we’re all blown away by the chief’s proposal to have us get out of here in 30 days. We’re like in shock.” Bill Mundie, a terminally ill 71-year-old man with cancer is also impacted. Half of the remaining days before eviction will be spent receiving chemotherapy, making the planning of a move nigh impossible. Regarding Mundie’s situation and condition, Chief Chipps said, “We are not animals here, and -- you saw my sister
OCEANFRONT OPEN HOUSES THIS WEEKEND
here earlier? She’s (Sharon Cooper) been over there talking to him, and trying to see what he needs to, to um, be in or out. We understand that, what’s going on there and we’ll figure that out, with him, himself, not over in the middle of the campground. But she just came from there. He has a cancer issue. We know that. We’ll take care of him.” Sharon Cooper is sister to the chief, and a key spokesperson. Frustration from the campers also comes from the conflicting message that the Beecher Bay First Nations has allowed residents to build more permanent structures. Chief Chipps said that
in his time as chief, he has only approved the building of one structure. “I’ve approved one addition in my lifetime as chief and that was for one camper who was donating a boat... he said that he just loves it out here, and he knows that because Beecher Bay’s been involved in economic development since I became chief, and he always knew that I would be doing something sooner or later, that we would even have it taken down. And he actually asked me how much notification would I give him to tear it down and I said ‘Well I’d only give you one day.’ It’s kind of a sarcastic joke between the two of us.” According to Chipps, the camper was “fine with that.” It might be the case that the chief has only approved one addition in his eight years. According to Edward Ezako, the approval process has always been through the chief’s cousin. “We have always been told that we had to go to ... to his cousin Mike. We have always had to go to him to get approval for everything that we have done. And he has approved everything that we have done.” When asked if there was anything in writing to solidify his claim, Ezako responds, “There’s never ever been anything in writing, it’s a very... you approach him gingerly and you plead your case... Some people are allowed to build and some people aren’t. It’s that simple.”
Continued on page 5
107-2057 Kaltasin Road
$409,900
SUN 2-4 Mariner’s Village Better than NEW! Upscale Executive 2 BR 2 Bath Condo Chef’s Gourmet Granite Kitchen & Master with‘To die for’ ensuite
SAT 2-4
$249,900
Harbourview Manor Totally remediated development-Choice 2BR corner unit Unobstructed Views, Huge Living Room, Walk-on Pebble Beach
OLIVER KATZ Personal Real Estate Corporation
250 642 6480