my view of Mt. Trematon Nature Reserve situation, different from Laurence's

I have a very different view of the alleged witch hunt that Laurence writes about, where some Lasqueti people are thought to be unfair to a person who loves his part of Lasqueti.

I got involved when I was included on some emails about a decommissioned roadway through the Mt. Trematon Nature Reserve having been re-commissioned. The emails alleged that JR had done excavator work on the roadway, filling in a water bar across the road (meant to deter vehicle traffic and channel water from a ditch on one side of the road to the ditch on the other side) and filled in the stream leading from Trematon Lake, using a culvert too small to accommodate the expected winter flow, and making a roadway across the stream, all on the Nature Reserve property.

I've known Jason since he was very young, and lived with him and his family when he and Isaac were in high school in Victoria. I called him and asked him about the work. He told me that he had been doing a favour for a buddy, and that the buddy had a verbal easement through the Nature Reserve property to his own land-locked parcel. I told Jason that the verbal easement was worth less than the paper it wasn't written on, and asked him to do no further work on the Nature Reserve property.

I understand that Shayne and Art Houston (past owner of Mt. Trematon property) were friends, and jointly owned the Trematon Lake property. Access was through Art's property. I believeit when Shayne says he has some paperwork indicating that he is to have access, but it was not ever registered on Art's property, and when it was sold to the Gordon family (who subsequently gave it to the Islands Trust Fund), there was no registered easement, which is the only kind that counts. Furthermore, as I understand it, only the Islands Trust Fund has an easement over Tio and Valeria's land.

Some time later, I went up to the Nature Reserve and met Trevor (Shayne's son) and a couple of other people who were camped nearby, on what they thought was their property. They had done considerable further work near the Nature Reserve property, clearing forest and building roads and clearings. According to what I heard and saw, there was considerable 4-wheel ATV traffic across the Nature Reserve property, and through Tio and Valeria's. The Islands Trust Fund was concerned, and had their lawyer write to the owner, Shayne, I understand asking that the trespasses stop. Later, signs were put up at the Nature Reserve boundary prohibiting motorized vehicles, hunting and a number of other things I don't remember. A few days later, when I returned, the signs had been torn off the trees where they had been posted.

On the day that they were moving the first half of the portable classroom from the school (maybe Wednesday), I again went to the property. I had to pass (on foot, on Lakes/Centre Road) the portable, because it had become stuck and was making slow progress along the road. There were four young men and one that might have been older present. I didn't see the older one clearly, because he was under the truck towing the portable, apparently making repairs to the engine. The young ones were Trevor (Shayne's son), Christian (who lives here), Nathan Millicheap, and a young man whose name I was told was Nick. Christian was on an ATV, and was friendly. considerate and polite. Nick was driving an ATV (with Nathan as a passenger behind him). Trevor, who was also polite, was driving a pilot truck, and the older man was driving the towing vehicle. Nick was verbally aggressive and also quite aggressively driving the ATV. He was rude and verbally threatening. He apparently thought that we were planning to blockade the road, or otherwise try to thwart their plans.

A spot had been cleared on Tio's property, beside the roadway, and I think that the first half of the portable is parked there, though I haven't seen it. The second half was parked today (Sunday) in the clearing just beyond Sean and Jessie's place, at the top of the hill before Lennie Road, along with the towing vehicle and a dump truck and some other stuff.

I know from Bruce and Domena that Shayne approached them to seek access across their property to the Trematon Lake parcel. This indicates to me that he knew he did not have access. They did not grant him access, though they own half the Trematon Lake property, with Shayne owning half. As far as I know, Shayne did not approach the Islands Trust Fund to seek permission for access, but allowed his son and others to trespass and do repairs to a private roadway that was not theirs, and to use it for regular ATV and occasional heavy equipment access to his property.

The Islands Trust Fund specifically did not want locals to intervene in the situation, but wanted everything to be calm and proper, even though they knew a settlement (through the courts if necessary) would be slow. As far as I know there has been no confrontation and no combative situation with local people.

I believe that Laurence has been misinformed and misled by Shayne. The onus is not on those who have been witnessing the trespasses to communicate with someone we don't know, and only vaguely know of. We've talked with Trevor, who told us he was a co-owner with his father. Had Shayne wanted to find a non-aggressive solution, he should have talked to the owners of the properties he wanted to cross. Nobody, as far as I know, has believed anyone to be, or treated anyone like they were a giant asshole (though Nick was behaving a lot like one). I certainly haven't witnessed anything like this, or heard of it.  If Shayne would like to talk to me, or to anyone else, he should call or email. I'd be happy to arrange a meeting. But the real damage has been suffered by the Islands Trust Fund, whose property has been altered and trespassed against, and have had to hire a survey crew to locate and clearly mark the property line between the two parcels, and have incurred significant additional costs.

The real situation is between Shayne and the ITF. I'm happy to be contacted by Shayne (or anyone else) who thinks the community has been unfair or rude or combative or witch hunting. I might not be able to fix anything , but I might be, and at least I'll understand what Shayne and Laurence are saying.

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