Tuesday, June 7th, 2011 (Cold Lake, Alberta) The clock on the Dene Suline peace camp north of Cold Lake seems to have been set. Members of the peace camp are believed to have till today at 4:30 pm to dismantle their tipis, tents and remove their campfires and vacate the peace protection camp at Berry Point at English Bay in Cold Lake, Alberta.
 
“This land holds historical and spiritual significance for the Dene Suline people. This is the area where we hold ceremony, where we gather berries and traditional medicines, it holds the grave sites of my ancestors and archaeological artefacts that date back over 4,000 years. That is worth far more than an RV park,” said Dene Suline and peace camp member Carrie Lawrence. “We have erected this peace camp to ensure we can continue to practice our spiritual, cultural and treaty rights. Right’s are more important than RV’s.
 
This is the fourth week of the peace and protection camp to stop the destruction of the Dene Suline’s sacred burial grounds at English Bay near Cold Lake, Alberta (Berry Point).
 
“We call on the Government of Alberta to respect the rights and requests of the Dene Suline people,” asserted Lawrence. “Many of us are willing to risk arrest to peacefully protect our traditional territory and the rights of the Dene Suline people but we wish the government would just listen to reason and put this RV camp somewhere else.”
 
Police are expected to move into the camp when the order expires at 4:30 on Tuesday, June 7th.

For more information, please contact:
Carrie Lawrence – 587-201-1434