In a recent article, Songhees Chief Ronald Sam accuses Oak Bay council of not respecting the Songhees Nation and threatening legal action against the District of Oak Bay.
I find Chief Sam’s comments, if quoted correctly, far from reconciliatory. On the contrary, Chief Sam is clearly attempting to intimidate Oak Bay council. Chief Sam failed to elaborate on his Nation’s proposal beyond insisting on economic reconciliation.
I have attempted without success to find the proposal that the Songhees Nation submitted for consideration. I suggest that if Chief Sam feels that the Songhees Nation proposal did not receive the merit it was due, that he present the proposal for all interested parties to consider.
It seems that Chief Sam expects residents to judge our elected council as disrespectful and uninterested in reconciliation. I for one have no interest in passing judgment on a council that has no prior record of disrespect or anti-reconciliation behaviour based on Chief Sam’s comments.
Keith Brown
Oak Bay