Late one evening last month, I was spending a bit of rare quality time with one of my adult daughters when my phone erupted with calls and messages about Lemay Forest. The ongoing discussion about the fate of the forest was about to turn into the reality of bulldozers moving in, clearing trees and sacred lodges.
Personally, I didn’t see what I was to do. I have to admit, I’m not much of a confrontational activist and I certainly wasn’t about to drop everything and drive for two hours to engage in an exercise in learning to be one. I could put a post on social media. I could let some people vent at me. To what end? There was no level of panic that was available to me in that moment to do anything truly constructive.
Similarly, the Green Party of Manitoba can say some supportive words but we have neither the finances nor the people capacity to leverage the situation in many meaningful ways.
Don’t get me wrong, I am full of appreciation and respect for the folks who take the time, and risk, to stand in front of the developers and protect the forest (or stop a pipeline or defend our water).
What worries me more is that this is exhausting. Lemay Forest, Sio Sands, the Beausejour water treatment impact on the Brokenhead, the Parker Wetlands, forestry in the Duck Mountain. There aren’t enough activists to go around. Some are sued by governments or corporations that have far more financial resources than the individuals or not-for-profits involved.
There has got to be a better way.
The Lemay Forest is one of the last intact river bottom forests in the City of Winnipeg. We’ve known this for a long time. We’ve known that it is home to a wide variety of species of trees, brush, birds, and wildlife. It is clear that it serves as an important wildlife corridor ().
Recently, Winnipeg councilor Markus Chambers proposed expropriating the land (The mayor, Scott Gillingham is opposed to the idea, as is, of course, the developer). The NDP government has pledged to protect 30% of Manitoba’s wilderness by 2030 in alignment with CPAWS Manitoba’s proposals. The Manitoba Liberals, in the 2023 election, committed to rebuilding wildlife corridors across the province. And, of course, the Green Party of Manitoba has pledged to meet or exceed these goals too.
We clearly have some political agreement that we want to do better in protecting wilderness and wildlife. We actually have to do it. Why are we waiting until a developer from Toronto, who is interested only in profit, is put into direct conflict with a handful of local people who are advocating for wilderness and wildlife? Not that I’m totally opposed to the profit motive, but we need to do better to avoid the conflict because it so often results in the people with the money winning the legal battles. That isn’t the wildlife.
We are going to have to get proactive. The demands of the climate crisis mean we have to be more prepared for wildfires, floods, droughts, and wilder weather. Part of that process means protecting wild areas, wildlife, and water.
what about the responsibility of all Canadians and the 94 Calls from the Rruth and Reconciliation or the 231 Calls for Justice from the National Inquiry, nor one word on your responsibility under UNDRIP.
40 years of lodges, ceremony, healing and reconnecting.
This is and continues to be Cultural Genocide.
Where are the actions from all levels of government, I know you can do better.
KeeshKunDug
I do have to admit that, while I have read the TRC, support the Calls to Action, and am working on furthering my understand of both that and the MMIWG Calls to Justice, I don’t feel particularly confident enough in my knowledge to be expressing these values directly. When I start considering speaking to these points, I feel I risk coming across as a white guy talking, well,… talking like white guys always have. That is something I will have to consider going forward and remember to keep both the TRC, MMIWG, and UNDRIP in mind.
I appreciate being held to a higher standard. Thank you for that.
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PS. As Policy & Platform Chair of the Green Party of Manitoba, I’ll mention that we are hoping to create references on our policy documents to the TRC and MMIWG Calls. The limit is time, people, and knowledge. If anyone out there would be interested in volunteering to do some of that work, we’d love to hear from them!
great comments Blair, much appreciated!