Sinixt hunter Richard Desautel outside the Nelson courthouse in March, 2017. Photo: Bill Metcalfe
Canadian Press, Dec 29, 2017
Judge rules man’s tribe lived on both sides of the border
An American Indigenous man’s right to hunt in Canada has been upheld by a judge because his ancestors traditionally hunted in this country.
Richard Desautel was charged with violations under British Columbia’s Wildlife Act after he shot and killed a cow elk near Castlegar, B.C. in 2010. Read the rest of this entry
Sinixt elder Marilyn James at courthouse earlier this year.
Sinixt elder Marilyn James was charged with mischief and being unlawfully in a dwelling place
Bill Metcalfe, Nelson Star, August 25, 2017
Marilyn James is not allowed to go anywhere near Melissa Dorey or Angela Tuovinen for six months, according to the terms of a peace bond imposed in B.C. Provincial Court in Nelson by Judge Ronald Webb on Wednesday.
Judge Webb imposed the peace bond instead of sentencing the Slocan Valley resident and Sinixt elder for a charge of mischief, for which he found her guilty and then gave her an absolute discharge. Read the rest of this entry
Richard Desautel (middle) stands outside Nelson courthouse on Monday with members of the Colville Confederated Tribes after his acquittal. (Bob Keating/CBC).
Judge rules the Sinixt have not lost their connection to a huge swath of southern B.C.
By Adrian Nieoczym, CBC News, March 27, 2017
A First Nation declared extinct by the federal government 60 years ago has won a court battle to have its existence recognized.
A provincial court judge in Nelson, B.C., acquitted a Sinixt man from Washington state on Monday of hunting without a licence and hunting without being a resident. Richard Desautel had been charged after killing an elk near Castlegar in 2010. Read the rest of this entry
The Sinixt First Nation has published a handbill proclaiming its existence but has not yet proven it in court. (Sinixt First Nation/www.sinixtnation)
‘They were pushed out by a variety of forces including …a prevailing racist attitude’
By Yvette Brend, CBC News, November 29, 2016
The Sinixt First Nation is in the midst of an unprecedented Canadian court battle to win Aboriginal rights to its wildlife-rich traditional territory in B.C. by proving it is not extinct. Read the rest of this entry
Sinixt elder Marilyn James, sentenced to 14 days house arrest for defending her people’s territory.
by Greg Nesteroff – Nelson Star, June 24, 2014
Marilyn James, a Slocan Valley resident and local Sinixt leader, was sentenced to 14 days house arrest this morning after a BC Supreme Court judge found her in criminal contempt, but she immediately signalled she would not comply with the terms.
“Take me [to jail] now,” James told Justice Mark McEwan moments after he finished reading his judgement. “I will not stay in my home for two weeks.” James and Dennis Zarelli were arrested on Perry Ridge on March 4 after McEwan continued an injunction application brought by Galena Contracting, a company hired by BC Timber Sales to extend a logging road. Zarelli earlier pled guilty and received the same sentence.
Sinixt blockade camp, March 2014.
by Greg Nesteroff, Nelson Star, May 21, 2014
A man who blocked a Slocan Valley logging road in March has received a 14-day conditional sentence and 18 months probation. Dennis Zarelli, 37, admitted to criminal contempt of court when he appeared before BC Supreme Court Justice Mark McEwan today. Read the rest of this entry
Marilyn James of the Sinixt nation speaks to supporters at Nelson, BC, court house, March 17, 2014.
by Sam Van Schie , Nelson Star, March 17, 2014
Two people arrested earlier this month for blocking a Slocan Valley logging road are now facing charges of contempt of court.
The accused — Marilyn James and her son Dennis Zarelli, both of the Sinixt Nation — were scheduled to appear at BC Supreme Court in Nelson this morning. However, when their case was called before Justice Mark McEwan, only James was present. A man standing in for Zarelli, who asked to be called Justin, explained that his friend was unable to attend court because his wife had recently died. Read the rest of this entry
Sinixt and supporters, Feb 2014.
Sinixt Nation, Feb 17, 2014
It was a great day around the fire. Approximately 40-45 people throughout the day stopped by to celebrate. For longer than a month, the Sinixt Nation have made a stand at Sentinel Mountain proving once again that the Sinixt Nation do exist! Read the rest of this entry
Sinixt and supporters at blockade fire, January 2014.
by Greg Nesteroff, Nelson Star, Jan 23, 2014
Local members of the Sinixt First Nation and supporters are maintaining a low-key blockade on a Pass Creek logging road to assert what they say is their right to consultation and cultural preservation. Read the rest of this entry
Sinixt Nation is being threatened with “Trespassing on Crown Land” by the Ministry of Forest, Lands and Natural Resource Operations for establishing a Sinixt cultural encampment within Sinixt territory on slhu7kin/Perry Ridge. The recent treatment by the Ministry and the RCMP towards our concerns and matters is a continuation of the same inhumane processes that led to the extinction status of the Sinixt/Arrow Lakes Indian Band by Canada in 1956. Read the rest of this entry
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