Protest on National Aboriginal Day over luxury home at ‘sacred burial’ site

First Nations leaders and elders from around the capital region travelled to Saltspring Island on National Aboriginal Day to join hundreds protesting a luxury home being built over a burial site on Grace Islet.

“What’s happening over there is not right,” said Tseycum Chief Vern Jacks, who paddled around the small islet with local advocates and First Nations on Saturday. “It’s so sacred. We have a lot of respect for our ancestors; we don’t build over them.”

The fight to preserve the small islet, just three-quarters of an acre, in Ganges Harbour has been long and complicated.

In 2006, a human jawbone was discovered on the eroded shore by kayakers. Within a year, an archeological assessment had confirmed the islet was a burial site with at least 15 cairns. The markings could date back more than 1,000 years as the islet was part of the well-documented Shiya’hwt waht village.

Despite the findings, the provincial archeological branch issued building permits to the owner of Grace Islet — Alberta-based businessman Barry Slawsky, the owner of the San Francisco gift shops. Slawsky could not be reached for comment.

While the heritage alteration permits came with guidelines to preserve the cairns — such as building on stilts over them — First Nations and archeologists have reported breaches to both the archeological branch and the RCMP.

“Let’s be honest, the house will cover most of the islet,” said Gary Holman, MLA for Saanich North and the Island, who was among those on hand to show their support on Saturday.

“What it comes down to in my view is that we need to get in the same room as the landowner and speak to him,” said Holman, who thinks the province should help purchase the land.

When Holman raised the issue in the legislature with Lands Minister Steve Thomson, he was told the owner followed the permit process — but Thomson indicated the government might be willing to help protect the land if all parties were on board, he said.

“The other way I could see this going is litigation, which is expensive, or civil disobedience,” he said. “There are people who think building a house on a cemetery is wrong.”

Adam Olsen, the interim leader of the B.C. Green Party and a member of the Tsartlip First Nation, said he has met with Thomson.

“He said the government has competing interests to consider and that they can’t buy all the land with sites like this,” said Olsen. “But we’re not suggesting that. It should be a case-by-case issue.”

Olsen said if there’s anything to learn from Grace Islet it’s that there are flaws in the process to protect important aboriginal sites and a committees should be struck to address them.

“We don’t want this to happen again,” he said.

Vivian Thomas, a spokeswoman for the ministry, said the landowner followed the proper channels for building at the site. In addition, she said, 13 area First Nations were consulted before the site alteration permit was issued and a monitor is on the site to ensure any archeological remains discovered stay undisturbed.

“While it is widely believed that the cairns on Grace Islet are burial cairns, no remains have been observed at the site,” she said. “The only way to truly investigate these cairns is to take them apart to determine if they contain human remains.”

The government will not be purchasing the property, Thomas said. “Given the province’s aboriginal history, it is not possible for the province to purchase all private land that might have archeological remains or artifacts.”