This morning we left Katzi with a song
It was supposed to be windy and rainy, but it was not. It was calm, warm even sunny at moments. MLA Michael Sather paddled with us. After two hours of hard paddling.
As we entered Musqueam territory we were escorted by the Musqueam Fisheries officers:
We arrived at the Discovery Center
We were welcomed by the First Nations of New Westminster. Grand Chief Stewart Philips and his wife Joan were also there, and they joined us on the paddle.
MP Fin Donnelly spoke about his Bill C518 to move salmon feedlots into tanks, and he joined us on the paddle
MLA MLA Spencer Chandra Herbert as joined us on the paddle as well and we got underway again and paddled hard as a light breeze came up behind us.
We passed though the heavily industrialized waters of downtown Vancouver. I marveled that young wild salmon swim through these waters by the millions. We smelled the sewer of Annacis Island, the sweet smell of massive donut production, cedar being milled and odors I could not identify. Then entered the North Arm of the Fraser. This was a lovely passage and just as it began to turn to dusk we approached the Musqueam beach.
And they welcomed us.
As the winds came up and the storm deepened 20 people in canoes arrived from Vancouver Island in beautiful carved canoes.
We are all here to communicate to Justice Cohen that we want the disease records of all the salmon farms so that we can know their affect on our wild salmon.