A group is promising civil disobedience if the city proceeds with its plan to remove the lower and middle dams at Colliery Dam Park.
Dave Cutts, local coordinator of Veterans of Clayoquot, told the News Bulletin Tuesday he plans to organize a group and occupy the dams to protect them from being demolished.
On Monday, council voted 5-4 to remove the dams and eliminate the risk to hundreds of people in the Chase River floodplain should the dams fail. The meeting was attended by hundreds of community members intent on saving the dams and the lakes in the park.
The dams are scheduled to be removed sometime in July.
Cutts said a meeting of concerned residents who wish to join the movement is scheduled for Sunday (May 19) at 11 a.m. on the lower dam to plan upcoming actions.
“Unfortunately, thanks to council’s foolishness (Monday) we’re going to Plan B which is not what we wanted to do but we’re going to do it,” said Cutts. “We’re not going to stand by and watch those dams get ripped out and left as mud holes. We’re going to go all the way to protect them.”
Over the past 20 years, Veterans of Clayoquot has been successful in defending the War of the Woods at Clayoquot and Cathedral Grove, worked to relocate the Nanaimo Parkway away from the lower dam at Colliery Dam Park, and saved Mount Benson from being clearcut.
“All four campaigns succeeded,” said Cutts. “We have every expectation that with the help of concerned citizens, we will succeed again.”
