A prominent B.C. native leader warned yesterday that conflict over the fate of the University of British Columbia golf course - set to be ceded to the Musqueam band as part of talks with the province - could lead to an Oka-style conflict.
At the same time, two supporters of Premier Gordon Campbell who have gathered hundreds of names on a petition to express their concerns, urged him off giving up the golf course, suggesting that the Liberal government has to put any plan up for public scrutiny before signing off on it.
Judith Sayers, a member of the First Nations Summit executive, said the golf course has been a land-claims issue "for many, many years," and congratulated Mr. Campbell for being "pro-active" by discussing its transfer to the adjacent Musqueam community. The course is in the Premier's riding.
"Then you've got all these people in west Point Grey that don't want to do anything, that don't want it to happen," she said. "People have got to see the reality of trying to resolve these situations before they reach the point of Caledonia or Oka. ..."
Ms. Sayers was referring to high-profile, violent clashes between natives, non-natives and police that have taken place in Oka near Montreal and at Caledonia in Southern Ontario.
"When people are at the point when they feel they have to protect their natural resources, the frustration is such that those things can always happen."
The petition organizers - Bob Hindmarch and Martz Zlotnik - suggested yesterday that Mr. Campbell would face serious pressure from angered constituents if the course is ceded to the Musqueam - a likelihood first reported in The Globe and Mail.
The fate of the course is uncertain as the province and Musqueam, prompted by a B.C. appeal court ruling, try to come up with a deal on the fate of the 120-acre public course, which has been open since 1929.
Both men, supporters and friends of the Premier, ruled out the possibility of undue political pressure, describing their views as observations that the Liberal government should heed.
"I am not trying to blackmail him into doing things," said Mr. Hindmarch, who earned a place in the UBC Sports Hall of Fame as the school's most successful hockey coach.
But, he said, there are people worried about losing the course to the native community.
"There are people not just in the Point Grey riding that are involved with this. This is a public golf course being used by people all over the city," he said.
Mr. Hindmarch called for public hearings on the deal the province is developing with the Musqueam, telling the province to embrace an openness approach that is a routine in municipal politics.
"Is it politically expedient? No. Is it practical? The city does it all the time."
Mr. Zlotnik, a former business partner of the Premier who is now a Vancouver parks commissioner, agreed.
"It would be good if they came to some kind of understanding that then went to public scrutiny."In Vancouver yesterday to discuss the proposed independent tribunal to resolve federal native land claims, Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice steered clear of the golf course controversy, noting that his government is not involved in the discussions.
But he said that he understood the difficulty of resolving land claims in urban areas, particularly when they involve green space.
"It's an area people feel strongly about, but we do have to move forward on these historic grievances," Mr. Prentice told reporters.
"I'm confident that, at the end of the day, it will be resolved satisfactorily."
The Musqueam have declined comment.