Some members of the Li千史i艂dax虒 史 community are frustrated by Campbell River city council's lack of action regarding supporting the city's Indigenous population.
Jamie Bryant, whose grandmother was from Cape Mudge, has written a letter to the city calling for truth and reconciliation.
According to Bryant's letter, red dresses along Highway 19 have been stolen or destroyed, along with signage supporting the red dress movement, which advocates for the missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people in Canada and the United States.
"This loss is more than symbolic, it represents a lack of respect and acknowledgement of the ongoing systemic issues affecting Indigenous people in our city and abroad," reads the letter.
The REDress Project was created by Jaime Black, a Red River M茅tis artist from Thunder Bay, Ont., as an art installation in response to the epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous women in North America. The first installation was in March 2011 at the University of Winnipeg. The project has grown and has influenced similar campaigns and movements such as Idle No More, Walking With Our Sisters and AmINext.
In the letter, Bryant says the community reached out to Mayor Kermit Dahl on multiple occasions in February, "urging him to make a public statement condemning this discriminatory behaviour."
On Nov. 5, Bryant says a delegation was invited to a meeting with Dahl, Rose Klukas (director of economic development and Indigenous relations), and CAO Elle Brovold. However, they have yet to hear a public statement from the city. Bryant told the Campbell River Mirror that she was absent because she was at a youth suicide prevention workshop.
In attendance at the meeting were Chief Chris Roberts of the Wei Wai Kum First Nation, Chief Steven Dick of the Kwiakah First Nation, Rachel Blaney, MP, Cory Cliffe, founder of the 7 Generation Stewards Society, and Leslie Hnatiw, a Wei Wai Kum First Nation member.
Chief Roberts told the Campbell River Mirror in an email that he thought the meeting was "productive and respectful".
The meeting was also regarding the council's reluctance to restore the names of Discovery Passage, Quinsam River and Tyee Spit to their original names: Li千史i艂dax史 虒 Passage, K史蓹ns蓹m, and 蕯uxstalis. Initially, at an Oct. 8 meeting, council was reluctant to back the request because they believed it was "out of step with current public opinion."
"When I heard the hesitation, and I heard the feedback from some council members, I was hurt to the core of my being, and so I started a petition for the reinstatement of those place names," Bryant told The Mirror.
She heard about the dresses through her
However, on Nov. 5, council reversed course and officially backed the request for the name changes, writing a letter to the BC Geographical Names Society and asking the province to work with the Li千史i艂dax史 Nations.
"Now, 10 months after initial contact with the mayor, and over two weeks after the meeting, we have confirmed that, at least, another nine red dresses have been ripped off poles and broken into multiple pieces," reads the letter.
Bryant's letter calls for the City of Campbell River to establish a plan for Truth and Reconciliation, "starting with the creation of a trauma-informed, anti-racist reconciliation representative position within council."
The person in the position would act as a bridge between Campbell River and the local First Nations, lead and promote reconciliation, education and awareness, ensure Indigenous voices are heard and respected when it comes to city planning and decision-making, develop and implement long-term strategies for building equitable and sustainable relationships with Indigenous communities, and hold the mayor and council accountable.
The Campbell RCMP are also investigating the removed and damaged red dresses along Highway 19. The last one occurred overnight on Nov. 24, at the airport main overpass, where several painted wooden dresses were torn down and destroyed.
"Multiple people have put their time, money, and heart into making these dresses," said Const. Maury Tyre. "We are asking anyone who may have knowledge regarding those responsible for damaging the the dresses to contact the police."
People are encouraged to call the RCMP at 250-286-6221 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-333-8477.
