To the Editor:
“We will stand our ground and we won’t back down!” we supporters of the Ktunaxa nation in support of Jumbo Wild/Qu’tmuk sang. Over 300 of us stand resilient and defiant, challenging the Liberal government of B.C.’s decision to declare Jumbo an uninhabited municipality, defying the majority of Kootenay citizens in opposition to the development of the Jumbo Glacier Resort, sidestepping democracy for profit.
The Kootenay Presbytery of the United Church of Canada hopes to help the Ktunaxa Nation in their quest to have our courts, government, developers and skiers understand that some parts of the world are worth keeping as they are because they are sacred spaces. Places sacred to the relationship between human and creation, between creation and creator.
Jumbo Wild supporters choose the well-being of the grizzly bear and mountain caribou over profit. How many bears will be shot and scared away from their critical habitat because of nervous tourists?
Summer glacier skiing was too dangerous for the Canadian national ski team because of crevasses, so why is glacier summer skiing OK for tourists?
Six thousand six hundred beds indicates a municipality larger than most towns in this region. Where are all the customers coming from and why do transient tourist dollars have priority over full-time taxpaying Kootenay residents?
For over 20 years there have been glaring inconsistencies as to why the proposed Jumbo water infrastructure is designed for 50,000 people, and why the B.C. Ministry of Forests archeology branch uncharacteristically weaseled out of requiring an Archeological Impact Assessment of the proposed resort area. Oberto Oberti whines about being misunderstood — but he has never given us the real facts. Where is the full plan so we can all see it and evaluate it? Alarm bells are ringing — taxpayers will be paying for something we are not allowed to know.
For those who think Jumbo Wild supporters are naysayers, consider that the proposed Jumbo resort is a symbol for the corruption that has seized the provincial Liberal government. Standing up for Jumbo Wild and the sacred Ktunaxa territory is to stand up for governmental integrity and the honoring of the democratic process.
Yahk
