Westwood Ridges closed by DND?

[Smokey©]

Any DND land for sale has to go through native negotiation (main reason existing unused land is vacant and not part of the university) and that is not likely to be of any benefit to the hikers. They best show support to the Regional District in obtaining permission of other lands to access Regional and City land that is currently only accessible by going onto property where permission is not always freely given. BULLETS travel up to two miles, so I tend to stay away from behind rifle ranges. Not everyone shooting them are straight shooters. Ask any military man how good those are that attend training. Not all are top notch.

[PaulStevens]

I seem to recall this trail being closed off with barbed wire and DND signs before. But that was years ago. I also remember seeing the wire after it was cut down. Who cut it down, I don't know (wasn't me).

When people get used to having a trail they love, and they have walked their family and friends and dogs up and down it for years and years on end, they develop an attachment to it, like they own it. So my guess is history will repeat itself and someone (or a group of someones) will again cut the wire to open it up and carry on as they did in the past, despite the risk.

Same holds true with other trails up in the Mt. Benson area. The logging companies put up gates, only to have them cut, or ripped out, or new trails put around the gates by the ATV, dirt bike and 4x4 crowd of bush whackers, some of whom have 12000 pound winches mounted on their rigs that can rip most anything out of the way.

It's almost impossible to ban people from hiking trails they have come to enjoy.

[PaulStevens]

Of course, we can get all tinfoily and say, they are hiding secret alien installation..

Now there's a thought. Conspiracy theories anyone?

[The Hiker of the Cosmos]

One this is not private property or property owned by the DND nor do they have a deed to it.
This is Crown land owned by the crown which is the representative of the People.
Hence this land is all Public land owned by all of the people of this country, how can one be trespassing
on ones own property?.

The so called safety issue is a lie & a red herring to hide behind when the DND simply wants no civilians to
play on their turf and wants to keep it to itself, i guess they never learned how to share.

They never use it for training, their statement about danger from artillery fire which the first reports on this matter
referred to are asinine as all such practice takes place in Manitoba.
Safety is just an excuse to hide behind the needless forced expulsion of the citizenry from their own property when the DND never uses said property outside the firing range.

Anyone who has ever been up there as i was today for a 4 hour hike in that area knows that because of distance, deflection angles & topography more then 90% of said area is utterly safe from any firing activity with zero chance of anyone being hurt as has been the case by the way for over 30 years, nary a scratch for anyone.

Repeat this is the property of the people and is as private as BC Ferries is a private company...not. DND has no more right to tell civilians what to do there then they would on front street or in your own private back yard.

If the K2N & K2 trails which runs just above and parallel with the hydro right away and Westwood lake is a danger area then so is the dog off leash hydro right away and if it is then so is the Westwood lake trail itself. So this is all lies and political BS or then the dog off leash area must be closed and so must the Westwood lake trail, if not then the K2N & K2 trails are utterly safe, it is one or the other, not whichever is expedient to ones agenda which clearly the DND has here as they have no credible position or rational for their stance on this matter.

As for all the Military butt kissers and sycophants, it is clear that you all have never seen a couch & dough nut that you didn't love and have mastered the art of your feet never touching the floor as you have never been up there, have no idea of the topography or the reality of the ground being discussed or the actual safety facts as they exist on the ground,i suggest you take a look up there so you will know what you are talking about instead of acting like a bunch of knee jerk pro military red necks.

This is not a police state run by the military but a country for the people, of the people, by the people.
Shutting down Mt.Benson is as acceptable as it would be for the Military on dead mans island at Stanley Park declaring Stanley Park off limits to the public because they want it for themselves.

I know the ground on Mt.Benson, there is no danger, further more as this is supposedly an organized and disciplined military, surely they can set a schedule for their firing range and publish it daily rendering the whole matter moot. If anyone knows what a firing range looks like they would know that the design literally precludes a possible incident not to mention the other factors i referenced that make it moot in of itself.

The arrogance of the base commander is amazing, refusing contact with the public, the media, City of Nanaimo, hiking and biking groups, just an edict from on high as if he was a king, who does he think he is.

No explanation or opportunity to discuss the matter, offer solutions, work something out, just a dictatorial attitude which is despicable. Why the Military would want to destroy the good will of the citizenry as well as lose their support is not something i understand.

It is not just a small group of elitists who hike & bike up there but the community as a whole, a complete cross section of the population, children, your families, middle aged groups of people...............all the Military is doing is pissing people off.

It really is the Stanley Park of Nanaimo, i didn't see Colonel Klink or Sargent Schultz up there anywhere, i guess they were too busy making Artillery shells to rain down upon their imaginations, the Military never ever use it aside from the firing range.

[yorway]

Quit your whining and find somewhere else to play. There are plenty of other places out there where you can enjoy your hobby.

[The Hiker of the Cosmos]

Quit your whining and find somewhere else to play. There are plenty of other places out there where you can enjoy your hobby.

The depth of your reply astounds me, the thought you placed into the views that mean so much to you is astonishing, you clearly have so much to say on the topic at hand................NOT !!, i mean your reply is pathatic, this is an important issue to a lot of people in Nanaimo, try to actually say something about it so people can tell you know something about it, right now your reply shows you are glued to your couch and believe ignorance is bless..............it isn't.

Really, do you have any actual rational thought on the facts of the matter based on it's relative merits??

[Flugel Horn]

. .

[Buzzard]

Sorry but I have to agree with yorway.Having been brought on military bases as a child we all knew that our secret hideways,trails and forts weren,t ours to have forever.When the brass wanted THEIR land back for live fire exercises,troop training ect,we understood.Just be thankful that you had the privilege to enjoy it and move on and quit your whinning.

[The Hiker of the Cosmos]

Sorry but I have to agree with yorway.Having been brought on military bases as a child we all knew that our secret hideways,trails and forts weren,t ours to have forever.When the brass wanted THEIR land back for live fire exercises,troop training ect,we understood.Just be thankful that you had the privilege to enjoy it and move on and quit your whinning.

It is not whining rather it is asserting my rights and what belongs to me and that the DND has no right to take from me.
They forget they work for me and all other citizens not the other way around, it is not the tail wagging the dog.

No one has been able to dispute my comments in regards to ownership and that the DND is not able to own any property nor can it be thought of as private property when it is crown land owned by the public, the people of Canada therefore no trespassing is taking place.

As i mentioned before they never ever use the area outside of the firing range itself.

Think about it, if the K2 and K2N trails which run parallel with the hydro right away and the length of Westwood lake and Morrell Nature Sanctuary is a danger area as they say along with parts of the Hydro right away dog off leash area parallel to West wood lake, then why is not the entire length of the Hydro right away & the entire backside trail of Westwood lake and a large chunk of Morrell not also a danger zone.?

If the K2 and K2N trails are unsafe then the others i mentioned are as well due to their very close proximity.
They can't have it both ways.
Either they are both safe or both unsafe, the DND can't have it both ways, right now they are talking out of both sides of their mouths.

So i expect Morrell and Westwood lake to ban all people from access immediately due to their being unsafe...............right?????..........Not !!

[Buzzard]

As for all the Military butt kissers and sycophants, it is clear that you all have never seen a couch & dough nut that you didn't love and have mastered the art of your feet never touching the floor as you have never been up there, have no idea of the topography or the reality of the ground being discussed or the actual safety facts as they exist on the ground,i suggest you take a look up there so you will know what you are talking about instead of acting like a bunch of knee jerk pro military red necks.This is not a police state run by the military but a country for the people, of the people, by the people. Shutting down Mt.Benson is as acceptable as it would be for the Military on dead mans island at Stanley Park declaring Stanley Park off limits to the public because they want it for themselves. I know the ground on Mt.Benson, there is no danger, further more as this is supposedly an organized and disciplined military, surely they can set a schedule for their firing range and publish it daily rendering the whole matter moot. If anyone knows what a firing range looks like they would know that the design literally precludes a possible incident not to mention the other factors i referenced that make it moot in of itself. ..............This is what Hiker of the Cosmos thinks of us, that support DNDs right to close off property that they own.This is one of the many rants that he posted on Nanaimo Daily News......I rest my case......