The Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) is calling for more respect for road safety on reserve land following two pedestrian collisions on its Eslhá7an (Mission 1 Reserve) in the past week.
The reserve has been a hub for road accidents, with the most recent incidents following a fatal accident in March that saw the death of a 21-year-old Squamish Nation lacrosse player.
On Monday afternoon (Sept. 2), 52-year-old Tewanee Joseph was jogging home at the end of a long run, taking the narrow Fourth Street Lane off Forbes Avenue, when he was knocked to the ground by a passing car.
“I got about a quarter of the way down the alley when I felt something jolt me forward,” said Joseph.
“I fell onto my hands and my head. My right foot got dragged behind me as I fell, and the wheel of the car ran over my foot.”
Joseph said the male driver continued to drive up the dead-end lane before turning around and making a swift exit back towards Forbes Avenue.
“He had his windows open, so I asked him what he was doing. He claimed he was an Uber driver and shot back up the road. He did not stop at all, and he absolutely knew he hit me,” said Joseph, adding that the man was driving a Honda Pilot.
“It was a clear hit and run.”
Joseph, who suffered deep cuts to his knees, hands and head and a broken phone, said the incident shook him up, but he has larger concerns over the safety of the wider community. With construction being carried out on Third Street, many cars have been cutting through restricted Squamish Nation land to avoid traffic build up, he said.
“I understand people are frustrated with the work going on, like everybody is, but trespassing and coming through the reserve, trying to get to wherever they can quickly and without any regard, poses a threat to community members, children or elders,” he said.
Elected council member Sxwíxwtn (Wilson Williams) said he is aware of a child being involved in a collision on the reserve just days after Joseph’s incident. While the family has chosen not to report the incident to police, it has heightened fear and concern over walking in the area, he said.
“We have daycares, high schools, adult schools with night classes, Mother Bear programs where mothers go with their babies to programs during the day, elderly people that may be in a wheelchair or walking with their mobility device or cane, that have to walk on the road,” he said.
It is prohibited to drive on reserve land unless you are there for business purposes such as taxis, Uber drivers and food delivery services, said Williams, adding that there are “plenty of signs” that state as such.
“I’ve been around long enough to know that we’ve really enhanced signage, but it looks like we’ll need to do more patrols. We’re looking at installing cameras, enforcing bylaws, and we’re asking for proper crosswalks,” he said.
With less attention given to the maintenance and upgrading of reserve land, the streets on Eslhá7an (Mission 1 Reserve) are not built to cater to large amounts of traffic, added Williams.
“We don’t have the proper infrastructure in our villages. We basically have small, thin roads, we don’t have sidewalks, we don’t have proper crossings, so everyone should really be driving below 30 kilometres per hour, slower than a school zone.”
There are even talks among the Nation about turning the reserve land into a gated community, he said.
“We just want to make sure there’s attention and that respect there of not just thinking twice of coming through the community, but respecting our signage, not turning and not coming through at all,” he said.
“People just have to pay the dues and get through traffic like everyone else does, we’ve lost too many people on these streets.”
Mina Kerr-Lazenby is the North Shore News’ Indigenous and civic affairs reporter. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.
