“There will be no chickens crossing the road in Cache Creek today,” says Mike Retasket, Chief of the Bonaparte Indian Band.

Chief Retasket, who is also the Vice-President of Dogwood Initiative, has organized a growing demonstration near the new Ashcroft dump in the vicinity of Cache Creek. At noon today, the protest had swelled to 150 local people.

Among those in attendance were Robert Shintah, Chief of Ts’kw’aylaxw; John Ranta, Mayor of Cache Creek; and a delegation from the City Council of nearby Ashcroft (proposed site of a controversial new dump for Greater Vancouver’s waste).

The community is angry about the Province’s heavy-handed attempt to force them to accept diseased chicken carcasses in the landfill. News stories being filed today cite the fact that the landfill is not equipped to handle hazardous or special waste.

This story is another example of the government’s lack of consideration of community concerns. It reminds some observers of the joke that the current government has been calling the interior of B.C. the “heartland” because they see it as a dump for the refuse of Greater Vancouver and for abuse by Vancouver-based logging, oil and gas, and mining companies. (The joke comes from the name of the dump nearest the Legislature in Victoria: the Hartland Landfill).

On the more positive side, the story also shows the rising tide of resistance to the B.C. government in communities across the Province. Alliances among diverse groups are beginning to develop, as individuals and groups recognise their future lies in acting together as a community.

AWatch the Bulletin and our news stories for more on this story as it develops.