Condo Developers vs. Musqueam

Vancouver: Sept. 29, 2012
Today was a good day for the Musqueam, but not such a good day for Vancouver’s Century Group. A final decision was made today in Vancouver to not issue another permit extension to the condominium developers. After human remains were found in the Marpole Midden site in January, the Musqueam Band have been keeping a long vigil to protect the ancient burial ground.

Picture from Straight.com. Amnesty International Canada meeting participants stand alongside Musqueam protesters. (Carlito Pablo)

Media and bias: Viewer beware!
This is a very tricky situation. Both sides of the issue seem understandable. It is difficult to view the situation without some element of bias. Depending on who is interviewed, or even which media personage files a report, one side or the other appears to be more or less reasonable. This is the power of the Fourth Estate; while supposedly presenting an unbiased view of purely objective facts, bias catches the consumer unawares and allows situations to become muddied and contentious.

Certainly the developers have spent a lot of money purchasing the land, engineering plans, and preparing to build this large-scale project. But the Musqueam have rights here: an ancient burial ground on their traditional lands should not be desecrated. The prospective developers Century Group wonder how or if they can be compensated for their loss. The Musqueam may be able to strike a deal to purchase the lands. See the story here http://bc.ctvnews.ca/musqueam-win-battle-against-marpole-development-1.977247