“Driving is a privilege, not a right.” The glossy adverts will tell you it’s important to respect the land and people while visiting Haida Gwaii, while rental companies will tell you whatever you want is magically yours to discover, in their vans and cars. Apparently neither will tell you how.
It’s wonderful to love Haida Gwaii so much you come and visit it, especially if you can afford to pay attention to it. It’s great to have the utmost respect for it, but it’s much better to combine ALL that with common sense. How you look doesn’t matter as much as how you behave, act and think.
DON’T STOP ON ROADWAYS! EVER! FOR ANY REASON!
While driving in Old Masset at the end of July (Wednesday, July 31 exactly) I came across a white minivan proudly sporting a local rental company decal across the rear window. The van was STOPPED IN THE MAIN ROAD, in the right lane, with its four- way flashers on!
ON A CORNER! ON A HILL!
Since they didn’t see how that was problematic, I pulled up alongside two cluelessly friendly women to let them know “you can’t just stop in the road.” The driver proceeded to verbally vomit excuses at me, without LISTENING or UNDERSTANDING that this isn’t just dangerous on Haida Gwaii, it’s dangerous EVERYWHERE. But maybe she drives dangerously everywhere? The tourrorist then doubled down on her defense, informing me “there was an injured bird on the road.”
<Channels Indiana> “FIRSTLY,” you don’t STOP on a BUSY ROAD for an injured bird. You pull over off the road. Want to take pictures? You pull over OFF the road. Want to stop your vehicle? YOU PULL OFF THE ROAD.
Secondly, Who is you? The dang avian ambulance? What the heck are you going to do? Emergency surgery? Take it on your vacation with you? Again, intentions aside, whatever you want to do can be done, AFTER YOU PULL OVER.
What these two women very frustratingly failed to understand is that all their happy-go-lucky, smiley-faced senseless actions harassing an injured bird COULD HAVE SERIOUSLY INJURED OTHER HUMANS. It’s nice you want to be nice, but you’re not a Saviour settling things. You’re a VISITOR. Birds die. Everything dies, but if you cause someone else’s death because YOU lack spatial awareness, that’s not the circle of life, it’s an avoidable downward spiral.
If you can afford to run a business on Haida Gwaii, visit Haida Gwaii, rent a vehicle and an Airbnb (while housing shortages abound), but you can’t understand that YOU’RE IN SOMEONE ELSE’S NEIGHBOURHOOD, COMMUNITY, WORKSPACE AND HOME, then you have more money than brains. And you’re probably 100 per cent too proud of that fact.
To all the fine folks who DO follow directions, show respect and actually know how to drive (or vet drivers beyond Visa charges) HÁW’AA! THANK YOU! HÁW’AA! So many sensible people see the magic of this place WITHOUT causing suffering every year. Be one of them.
Haida Gwaii is like anywhere else, and it’s not. But no matter where you are, you’re not the only person in the world (GASP! <clutch>). Maybe when subjecting others to yourself, think: How would you like to be treated? Is that how you’re behaving? Are your actions impacting the people around you? What is that impact?
Island life is very laid back, but there ARE people working around you. Remember Haida Gwaii exists outside your vacation, desires and demands. The destructive, cannibalistic success of tourism isn’t the only way to expand your empire of experience.
“We do not inherit the earth from our Ancestors, we borrow it from our children.”
— Melissa Moose