Call to sign a petition asking BC Hydro to voluntarily withdraw the SLAPP suit against Peace Valley residents

Posted on by Laila

David Eby did a good thing this week. Nope, he didn’t call a public inquiry ( still waiting David), but he did reintroduce legislation that would ward off nuisance lawsuits filed just to shut up public debate and  peaceful protest.

The legislation “allows people to apply to have lawsuits against them dismissed if it relates to an expression on a matter of public interest.

Under the legislation the defendant can make an application to the court.

The plaintiff would then have to satisfy the court that there are grounds to believe that the lawsuit has “substantial merit” and that the applicant has “no valid defence”.

In addition, the plaintiff must show that the harm suffered by the applicant’s expression “is serious enough that the public interest in continuing the proceeding outweighs the public interest in protecting that expression”.

It’s a good thing. But it won’t help the Peace Valley residents who peacefully camped along the Peace River in subzero weather the winter of 2015/2016. 

The legislation is only retroactive until May 2018.  So the remaining defendants, all women except for one, live with a $460 million dollar lawsuit over their heads. It’s not enough several are losing their homes, their dreams and family history, BC Hydro still wants more.

This government is never going to stop this dam. Sadly, sometimes man still needs to learn things the hard way. But I still hope, like that old Stevie Nick’s song, that a landslide brings it down when crews are on a break, because only mother nature can stop this now….ironically even the CD Howe institute said recently it should still be canceled. https://www.google.ca/amp/s/biv.com/article/2019/01/cancel-site-c-build-gas-plants-wind-power-cd-howe%3famp

Usually I don’t do petitions. They rarely do anything but make people feel like they did something. Which isn’t a bad thing..unless you immediately forget about the issue.

I can’t forget about this. The fight  The dam. The valley. The beauty of it’s vast expanses and most of all its people. I think the right thing to do, in the spirit of this new legislation,is for BC Hydro to drop the SLAPP suit. Let them grieve what has been taken, and what is yet to be lost.

My friend Shelley started this petition today, wanting this insurmountable burden lifted from our friends. Her heart is big and she wants to see this happen. It’s my hope you’ll all sign and share and tag Michelle Mungall and BC Hydro with it too.

Stopping suits like this is exactly why this legislation was created. This was never about the money for BC Hydro. This was about silencing them… and if they couldn’t crush their spirit, they’d crush them with crippling debt.

Withdrawing this SLAPP suit, is the right thing to do.

 

Please sign Shelley’s petition at the link HERE: 

https://www.change.org/p/bc-ndp-demand-bc-hydro-drop-460-million-slapp-suit-against-site-c-opponents?recruiter=136639040&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=share_petition&utm_term=share_petition&recruited_by_id=5cd93fc9-f7aa-4d6b-bf89-973b57da333e&utm_content=fht-14303538-en-ca%3Av5&fbclid=IwAR2O3sHQIROpnWZZh4ZN4nv2c0X1_Nmh5lnuHtYCYxZNU_NpkxH67uYXILc

 

27 thoughts on “Call to sign a petition asking BC Hydro to voluntarily withdraw the SLAPP suit against Peace Valley residents”

  1. These two in particular should give some thought to the old saying that starts with, “There but for the grace of…”

    https://www.google.ca/search?q=michelle+mungall+site+c+protest&client=safari&hl=en-ca&prmd=nimv&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwixwI7OsL_gAhW0KX0KHe0QCDcQ_AUoAnoECAwQAg&biw=768&bih=931#imgrc=39rqxXpBK2RlOM

    https://www.google.ca/search?q=john+horgan+site+c+sucks&client=safari&hl=en-ca&prmd=nimv&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj9ktynsb_gAhUNCTQIHUrlAfcQ_AUoAnoECAwQAg&biw=768&bih=931&dpr=2#imgrc=T_yMUM-1nY2QlM

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    1. Sigh. Yep. Now Mungall is the biggest site c cheerleader around. 🙄

      This suit needs to be dropped. It’s quite surreal…$460 million. I don’t think a lot of people realized it was still happening.

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  3. It is doubtful B.C. Hydro will withdraw the “slap suit”. B.C. Hydro does not want to appear to be backing down. If you have a look at the history of B.C. Hydro, and you can go back to the 1950/60s, it has engaged in some very nasty business. They want to keep the “slap suit” in place as a message to any one who wants to fight back.

    It might be better if we had a petition asking the provincial government to force B.C. Hydro to with draw the “slap suit”. As it now stands, if the NDP, who are the government, do not force B.C. Hydro to withdraw the “slap suit” then the only thing the NDP is saying is, they’re good with “slap suits”. that does not work for me, as a long time supporter of the NDP. Yes, some real pressure on the NPD is in order now.

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    1. The petition does ask the province as well eaf, but theres no indication they would be amicable since they’ve not done a damn thing on it since being elected. As written in my other comment, there is precedent here in BC for retroactive legislation.

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  4. So, what kind of judge or justice system would even allow this kind of designed corruption by Hydro and Government in a court to be tried anyways.

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    1. To send a message that they will bog anyone down with legal fees etc with a ridiculous lawsuit if you try anything

      One woman was named because she had a freezer outside her home where people could drop off food for the campers. She wasnt at the camp. They also added John and Jane Doe in the event they could prove anyone else helped,they would be added to the suit too.

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      1. Has any reporter actually asked BC politicians how they view the long and checkered record of corruption and SNC Lavalin? Seems like everyone in government is fine doing business with these guys.

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    1. That is written right into the petition, if people actually read it 😉

      It goes without saying and this is where the Greens can pull influence if they choose particularly Sonia Furstenau who is very familiar with SLAPP suits as a result of her excellent work on Shawnigan Lake.

      I don’t know why the ndp only made it retroactive to May 15, 2018 which is the date it was first introduced. I dont know if legislstive requirements prevent that or if that was a choice. Considering they chose to continue site c- and it was a choice, unlike IPP’s – they may not want to drop it lest protests begin again when the Boons are required to move, which happens soon I believe.

      Please do contact Eby, Horgan and Mungalls offices, along with the rest of the NDP and Green mlas, and advise of the responses you are given.

      You can find contact info for your mla here : https://www.leg.bc.ca/learn-about-us/members

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    2. Also, just in.

      I talked to one of the lawyers I know and he sent me this link. Its actually a precedent where the validity of retroactive legislation here in BC, was affirmed by the Supreme court in the BC govt case with big tobacco.

      So, I see no reason why this legislation can’t be amended to be retroactive to allow the defendants here to apply for relief too.

      https://www.internationallawoffice.com/Newsletters/Litigation/Canada/Dentons/Supreme-Court-Affirms-Validity-of-Retroactive-Legislation

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  10. Horgan and Mungal actually disgust me because if there,s a scale that measures hypocrisy, these two would be on the worse end. I think Mungal could actually be worse because of her shameful 180 turn for full support of Site C. What a shameful and cowardly boot licking politician who couldn’t stand on her own two feet cause didn’t have a spine to do it.

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      3. Sorry i’m a bit slow in the brain this morning. I guess the anger is a reflection and response to the rotten things our politicians do because they’re so shamelessly and brazenly two faced and absorbed in their self serving little bubble. They are the ones who create the cynicism and problems for so many and waste so much money that could have been a great help to all the droves of people in serious need of help. Children especially. That really get’s me going and pissed at the the wasters in government when it comes to children in need. Some politicians should be locked up for the damage they create because of their negligent selfish ways. Now about how i really feel. Well, better keep it to myself. HAHA. Have a great day.

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