Letters Feb. 26: Shutting down Canada, too much effort for speculation tax

Who speaks for the Wet鈥檚uwet鈥檜n people?

Five people. That is all that it took to shut down Canada鈥檚 railroads and cripple our economy.

Five people who claim their traditions are being violated by having a natural gas pipeline cross their land. And many others are buying into it, taking part in protests they really know nothing about.

Our country is being held hostage, but it is not about traditions. It is really about an internal power struggle within the Wet鈥檚uwet鈥檜n community. It is a dispute over who speaks for the Wet鈥檚uwet鈥檜n.

Several of your readers have assumed that the hereditary chiefs get their title by birthright. That is not how it works.

They are chosen to be a hereditary chief and to carry a chief鈥檚 name. These five people stripped three women of their names and took them for themselves. This is not Wet鈥檚uwet鈥檜n tradition.

Coincidentally, the three woman hereditary chiefs were all in favour of the pipeline being built through the traditional lands. You need to remember that the Wet鈥檚uwet鈥檜n is a matriarchal society where land and title come from the mother鈥檚 clan.

Matriarchs are highly respected and what was done by these five people was highly disrespectful and violated Wet鈥檚uwet鈥檜n tradition.

In the Wet鈥檚uwet鈥檜n culture, disputes are solved at a feast. I suggest that these illegal hereditary chiefs sort this out in the Feast Hall and not in front of the media (which is really feeding their power trip).

It is these five people who are really the ones violating Wet鈥檚uwet鈥檜n traditions.

Suzanne Anderson
Duncan

Lessons from history for 91原创s today

My two sons and I have a combined total of 108 years of full-time military duty to God, Queen and Country. This is one of many reasons why I look with some trepidation at the failure of leadership in our country at this critical time.

Whatever happened to 鈥減eace, order and good government鈥�?

In my view, the situation has become so dangerous that I must make two points which will be understandable to my fellow history buffs:

First, the spirit of Neville Chamberlain seems to be loose in Ottawa and, indeed, walking the halls of power.

Second, when will God in His mercy grant us a resurrected Sir Winston Churchill to rescue us from our self inflicted folly.

With apologies to those who choose to ignore history.

Ian Sibbald
Courtenay

Paid protesters suffer when projects axed

The cancellation of the Frontier mine by Teck Resources is a devastating blow to us paid protesters.

This project was estimated to have created at least 5,000 full-time, well-paid agitator positions; the loss of income to enlightened communities across Canada will be devastating.

The provincial NDP and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have done their best to support the protest industry and my hat is off to them, but the future does not look good for us professional dissidents if more fossil fuel based megaprojects are axed.

Kay M. Gimbel
Victoria

Why go to so much effort and expense for the speculation tax?

I have just received my notice in the mail that 鈥淚 must make a declaration by March 31, 2020鈥� that I am exempt from the speculation and vacancy tax.

No biggie. I鈥檒l go online and do that.

The problems I have are:

1. If 99 per cent of British Columbians are exempt (as they say they are), why go to the expense of mailing notices to everybody? Why go to the expense of having a toll-free number to call seven days a week until March 31? Why go to the expense on having translation services available for callers who don鈥檛 understand what鈥檚 wrong with using their own property as they see fit?

2. I thought that reverse billing was illegal. 鈥淵ou will be charged a fee unless you tell us not to charge you.鈥�

3. I can only guess that as soon as I declare that I am exempt, that Steven Emery, administrator of the Speculation and Vacancy Tax, will throw away my declaration and go to the expense of mailing me the same requirement for an exemption next year. Seems wasteful.

4. There are regions in our province where it鈥檚 OK to speculate and allow your property to be vacant if you wish. Does that seem fair to British Columbians who live in regions where it鈥檚 not OK?

My grandchildren wonder why I鈥檓 grumpy sometimes.

Don Boult
Saanich