Beyond Mayors, Chiefs, and Councils

We just had a wake-up call. In case you haven't heard, Council was about to vote to log our protected Community Forest. At the last moment, a Chief saved the day. But we are now forewarned — our Forest isn’t safe. Any time now, a new Council could throw down the gauntlet. 

So, once again, we’re asking ourselves, as a community, how do we protect the Six Mountains, our lifeline, our home? 

Now that we know our North Cowichan Council can ignore our public consultation, and our vote for conservation, what can we legally do? In the next election, vote in a pro-conservation Council? This is our intention, but there are no guarantees. What if…?

What if next time there’s no Chief waiting in the wings, or on stage, as the voice of reason, ready to prove why not to log our home? 

What about the other Quw’utsun Nation Chiefs and Councils? What about their 5 governments negotiating with ours, since 2021, about the fate of our shared Forest? Are they all visionaries? All advocates for conservation? We don’t know. The consultation is behind closed doors.

What if they, like we, are simply people doing their best within a flawed system? What if they, too, are caught in the pendulum swing of opposite values, of politics, the public and politicians who mirror us?

What if, by coming together we could serve as checks and balances?

What if we, the people of N. Cowichan and Quw’utsun, asked all our leaders to come out into the open together, to tell us, flat out, what their priorities are regarding our Forest?

Such a possibility requires a greater leap of imagination than to ask our ancestors — all our ancestors, all originally deeply connected to Nature — for their perspective.

In answer, no doubt, the ancestors would say, ask the Forest. Watch for signs. (Floods, fires, droughts, atmospheric rivers.)

So what if we asked our Forest how we can protect it from ourselves? Would it choose any of us as protectors? Would it trust any of us to be a sure thing? Does it see any people as more enlightened than others? And what if Nature/Life were to deliver a fire and brimstone manifesto?

Or, like a mother, would Nature point out, perhaps gently, even compassionately, that we all have forest blood on our hands? And then, like a wise elder, show us the way to expunge the stain of our collective misdoings. 

Failing a sermon from the mount, or Six Mounts, delivered by Nature let us guess. Let’s look at the options beyond our Valley, beyond our province, across the nation and the planet. 

And behold, the answer is immediately clear and manifest — as is the question, why aren’t we already talking about the obvious solution with our leaders? 

For there exists in the world an extraordinary solution— a moral, ethical, legal movement to protect ecosystems from human destruction. It’s called the Rights of Nature movement (RoN).

RoN is founded on indigenous ancestral reverence for Nature, as sacred and sacrosanct, beyond human control and ownership.

RoN is the perfect solution for our Valley where we, N. Cowichan and Quw’utsun, “own” the legal right to protect the ecosystem surrounding our home. 

RoN is a big story. In short:

RoN states that ecosystems have the right to exist, thrive, and grow. 

To ensure their protection, like corporations they require legal rights including legal personhood and standing in courts. 

RoN has legal precedent in 30 countries, including Canada. In 2021, The Magpie River/Muteshekau-shipu, in Quebec, was granted legal personhood.

Throughout the world, RoN is being embraced by indigenous and non-indigenous peoples working in partnership.

RoN could bring our divided communities together. It’s time to come together, as friends and neighbours, to talk about our shared values and greatest potential. 

How do we do this? Will our leaders lead the way? 

We’re putting out these questions in hopes they grow.

Together, we can bring about profound change, to make our highest priority the well-being of all our children, grandchildren, and descendants — that they may live in harmony with each other and Nature.

Where there’s great possibility there’s responsibility that requires action. 

What are we waiting for?

Icel Dobell
Where Do We Stand