Death by a thousand cuts: a comic

The last 50 years have seen the traditional territory of the Dane-zaa, now the homeland of the modern Blueberry River and Doig River First Nations, transformed beyond recognition.

By 2016 more than 110,000 kilometres of roads, pipelines and transmission and seismic lines had been cut across 40,000 square kilometres of land. The collective sum of this environmental devastation has been likened to a “death by a thousand cuts.”

The traditional territory of the Blueberry River First Nations overlaps with the Montney formation, one of the largest deposits of natural gas on the planet. Illustration: Carol Linnitt / The Narwhal

Out of desperation, Blueberry River continues to seek protection for the last few intact wilderness areas in court, claiming that their treaty with Canada, signed in 1900 in reaction to the depredations of the Klondike gold rush, has been breached.

The following nonfiction comic was more than a year in the making, and is published now as a court case brought by Blueberry River continues to wind through B.C. Supreme Court with a potentially precedent-setting decision coming in 2020.

Special thanks to the Uncharted Journalism Fund, Robin Ridington and Jeffrey Ellis. Written by Blueberry River First Nations and Christopher Pollon. Pencils by Daniel Lafrance. Inks by Kelly Chen. Production by Carol Linnitt and The Narwhal.