Happy New Year 2021 Update: C.R.A.B Moving Forward

Happy New Year!

On December 11th, 2020, C.R.A.B Water for Life Society supporters met with Chief Kukpi7 Judy Wilson from UBCIC, Jenny Kwan MP, Parks Board Commissioner John Irwin, and City Councillor Michael Wiebe over zoom to discuss building a coalition to complete and expand C.R.A.B park. At this point each elected official is consulting with their respective groups in the hopes of returning to the coalition with their support so that we can be a united front when confronting the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority. The director of Community and Aboriginal Affairs for the VFPA has been failing to engage with the community and refused to attend or send another port representative to the meeting.

We plan on having a scared fire at C.R.A.B Park in February with Elder Veronica and Kukpi7 Wilson in order to name the Longhouse and bring ceremony to this work.

The coalition will meet again in early March to take further action on the expansion and completion of C.R.A.B Park. Thank you all for signing and sharing!

The image shared with this update is a picture of the barbed wire fence surrounding lot 5, with the tankers in the lot visible in the background, and our colorful and sparkling holiday decorations adorning it.

 

Here Are Our Updated List of Demands:

- Immediately remove the containers and tankers in Lot 5

- Expand the Freshwater Bird Marsh

- Lot 5 becomes entirely public green space

- Build an Indigenous Longhouse

- Return the land to the host nations, the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Swx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlil̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) nations.

- No TMX (Trans Mountain Pipeline) oil barge tankers in Burrard Inlet

- Both Berths in front of CRAB Park must only be used for clean, environmentally friendly shore power. No dirty freighters in front of C.R.A.B Park!