Leonard Peltier Case Study

The main issue brought forward by the public at the start of the meeting was the current incarceration of Leonard Peltier. The consensus amongst the three speakers of the public on the subject was for the Council of Victoria to work with other world groups such as Amnesty International, the European Parliament and the Dalai Lama in the search clemency on his behalf. This is an issue that permeates throughout Victoria as the Mayor of Victoria, Lisa Helps, has deemed the year of 2017 to be a year of reconciliation between First Nations and the city. The community felt that simply calling the year a “the Year of Truth and Reconciliation” and actually acting on the name would provide much more meaning to the community and those involved making Leonard Peltier approval significant. Leonard Peltier was approved to become an
However, after reading Mayor Nils Jensen’s letter to the Council and Mayor Helps, the continuation of the Pemberton Trail Network is something that would impact Victoria not only physically but psychologically as well. Additionally, it ties in with the year of reconciliation. Nilsen argues 2017 would be a perfect time to complete the project. In addition, by naming the combined route the Lekwungen Sesquicentennial Trail and it would honor Victoria’s First Nations neighbours. In doing so, the city would be required to invest a small amount of money, which would allow for over half of the entire trail system to be complete. The trail system requires collaboration between the Oak Bay district and the city of Victoria. The two districts are required as the Victoria side of the trail actually contains a gap that separates the two trails. By linking the Pemberton trail on the Victoria side and the Centennial trail on the Oak Bay side, Jensen states that the walking path would successfully bridge the two communities