Snaw-naw-as chief David Bob gave strong opposition to expansion plans for a marina near Parksville.

He voiced his concerns about Beachcomber Marina’s plans in a letter to the Regional District of Nanaimo. “This entire area is a sacred site to the Snaw-naw-as First Nation and extends beyond the foreshore, out into the waters where you are proposing your rezoning,” the letter said.

“The reason this entire area is a sacred site to us is that over the centuries the ocean levels have risen and fallen and there are significant middens in that area.” He wrote that his nation “will oppose this legally, politically and take the necessary action to stop the expansion of this development in this area.”