Voluntary Irony

A recent CBC story called B.C. to expand involuntary care for those with addiction issues sets out the about-face by BC Premier Eby on the controversial issue of involuntary secure care for individuals with mental health issues.
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Premier David Eby has announced that the province will build secure regional facilities to house those detained under the Mental Health Act, as part of a public safety pitch ahead of B.C.'s election period. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
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The article includes:

As part of his public safety pitch, Eby said that the province was in discussions with the Kwikwetlem First Nation over its claim to the land on which the former Riverview Hospital for those with mental health issues sits.
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The government says that it is working on plans for a future redevelopment of the Riverview site as part of those discussions, which could potentially settle the nation's claim to the land.
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​A map of the traditional territory asserted by the Kwikwetlem shows the extent of their claim (small pink area is their actual reserve lands:

​​The Kwitwetlem have an on-reserve population of just 44. They established their land claim lawsuit in 2017, including the Riverview lands. In 2021 the BC government, with David Eby as Attorney General, made the Kwitwetlem a legal partner in the redevelopment of Riverview, renaming it Sumiqwuelu.

As discussed in The Cooler’s April 2023 story Cul-De-Sac Warriors, the Kwitwetlem are quite litigious, explaining that their need to develop a business park on the river floodplain at their Reserve #2,  is to earn money to pay their legal bills.

Following the successful Tsilhqot’in land claim lawsuit, the Kwikwetlem established their own legal action to cash-in on the era of (still-continuing)  woke judiciary. In a 2017 Daily Hive story titled Kwikwetlem First Nation demands land title over Riverview Hospital, the chief’s news release includes:

Through community consultation and legal review, the Kwikwetlem First Nation have decided to announce their position on Riverview based on their claim of title. The Kwikwetlem First Nation wish to make it clear that they expect to become an owner of the Riverview Lands and lead the future development of these lands.

The Kwikwetlem First Nation envision a development scenario for Riverview that is based on highest and best use with a goal towards maximizing the benefits to the Nation as land owner. In response to the myriad of recommendations for the future development of the Riverview Lands, the Kwikwetlem First Nation will contemplate any use that makes economic sense.

So, they want the land for highest and best use and not to restore it to the natural condition it was in during the thousands of years it was apparently enjoyed by their ancestors. Do they have a pressing need for such development income, say to overcome extreme poverty, or do they just want to become very wealthy?
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Per the following table from their 2022-2023 Annual Report, the Kwikwetlem received more than $13.5 million from various government and other sources. They expended just over $9.75 million. The surplus $3.75 million went into the bank, so their situation must not be too dire:
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Beyond government and agency payments, the Kwikwetlem also have an enterprise partnership to generate their own income, and the forementioned business park is part of that. There appears to be more than adequate funding to support the governance and community needs of 44 people.

But they want a lot more, and now that Riverview is back in the mental health spotlight they are well positioned to negotiate a lucrative deal. Until then, their land claim lawsuit puts the re-establishment of a most important treatment facility on hold while a significant number of the people that need immediate care are their native brethren.

Land claims brought by less-than-2% of BC’s population, living on-reserve, are harming the other more-than-98%. Earlier this month following significant financial losses, Canfor announced it was shutting down 2 small town sawmills due in large part to government policy that makes timber supply uncertain.

Adding greatly to that uncertainty, a deal involving the Federal, Provincial and First Nation governments was introduced late last year under the pretext of fighting Climate Change. As discussed in a November 2023 CBC News​ piece titled B.C., Ottawa, First Nations announce conservation agreement worth $1B:

The federal government said Friday's announcement of the deal, called the "Tripartite Framework Agreement on Nature Conservation," is the first major nature agreement of its kind and will serve as a model of collaboration with First Nations to halt and reverse the loss of nature.

This virtue-signals that Canada and BC are committed to the trendy 30 by 30 world-wide crusade. In order to reach that goal of 30% conserved land by 2030 in BC, they need to take away a further 15% of provincial lands currently available for general enterprise and place them under indigenous control. This likely would be achieved by formally recognizing various First Nation traditional territories and designating Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas (IPCA) within them.

The BC Wilderness Committee was quoted in the CBC News article:

Now, the government has finally clarified this funding can be used to remove areas from logging tenures and formally protect them through Indigenous leadership — they have no more excuses and no more time to waste.

However, an IPCA designation does not mean environmental preservation. First Nations would still be allowed to log, mine, etc, or could reach agreements with private companies to do so and receive direct payment in return.

Subsequently in early 2024, the provincial government then attempted to radically change the Land Act by officially establishing indigenous jurisdiction over all the lands and resources within their traditional territories, foregoing any need for IPCA designations. Organization’s such the Fraser Institute were quick to point out the folly, as their February press release sets out:

B.C.’s NDP government wants to change the province’s Land Act and essentially establish a co-management partnership with more than 200 First Nations who will become joint landlords of more than 90 per cent of B.C. and own veto power over any land-use decisions.

This may have been the last straw for Canfor, and will be for others like them if the present government revives those changes to the Land Act after re-election.

Back to safety on the streets, it is sweet karma that the author of the book How To Sue The Police, is now the big bad involuntary care enforcer. It is also amusing to see Eby hamstrung on the Riverview solution by a land claim lawsuit … the kind of legal maneuver he might have initiated in his advocacy days back at Pivot Legal Society, where their website declares:

Our office is on the stolen lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.​ (emphasis added)

Premier Eby now presides over that colonial thievery and, if the new involuntary secure care policies are actually put into action, he will be loathed by the same people that used to adore his social activism. Of course it may all be just an election ploy.
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