50 YEARS AGO (1970): The Sandra Carol, a crab boat owned and skippered by Noel Burton of Masset, sank in five fathoms of water near the Queen Charlotte Cannery on July 29. On its way to the salmon ground, the boat had just switched over to seining gear from crab fishing. The boat was floated on the afternoon tide the next day. The cabin was reported to have been badly damaged, but the hull was in fair condition. The boat was beached with the aid of a truck and winch. Cause of sinking was unknown.
40 YEARS AGO (1980): The Queen Charlotte City/Skidegate Landing Advisory Planning Commission was attempting to locate a site for a combined emergency and general purpose helicopter landing pad in the Queen Charlotte area. The past few years had seen a dramatic increase in the number of daily helicopter landing and take-offs in Queen Charlotte. At the time, general helicopter traffic was using the community hall grounds, which was reported to be inappropriate for several reasons, including safety risk to children. Alternate sites such as the government dock and cemetery area had been considered, but were also felt to be inadequate.
30 YEARS AGO (1990): The federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans denied there had been a violation in fisheries jurisdiction with American coast guard accompanied trollers fishing in the disputed area of Dixon Entrance, despite concerns raised the previous week by the province. “From our position to date, we have been able to find nobody to substantiate that … the U.S. Coast Guard was assisting their boats to fish south of the line,” said Fisheries and Oceans’ Tom Perry, Operations Manager of the North Coast Division. Mr. Perry said that the previous week when B.C. Fisheries Minister John Savage claimed the U.S. was “openly contesting Canadian sovereignty” by sending a coast guard vessel into waters over the A-B line with U.S. fishing boats, the DFO found no trace of evidence.
20 YEARS AGO (2000): The Council of the Haida Nation was preparing to go up against the province when court proceedings were expected to begin on July 31, 2000. The CHN was seeking to have Weyerhaeuser’s Tree Farm Licence 39 Block 6 declared invalid, and claimed the province illegally replaced the TFL in 1981, 1995, and 2000. “At state is the cultural heritage of the Haida Nation,” said Guujaaw, CHN president. “That licence is illegal and has always been illegal, it was issued illegally and replaced illegally,” he said.
ALSO READ: From the archives of the Haida Gwaii Observer
Do you have something to add to this story or something else we should report on? Email:karissa.gall@blackpress.ca.
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