Squamish billboards vs. B.C. scenery

First Nation approves controversial TV-like billboards for scenic B.C. localsA controversial business move by a Vancouver-area First Nation has put it at odds with residents who say they’ve become unlikely defenders of the environment against the aboriginal group.

Squamish First Nations chiefs and councillors gave final approval Thursday to erect six TV-like electronic billboards, each the size of a city bus, on its property in some of the most scenic areas of British Columbia.

Depending on whose opinion you listen to, the billboards are either a traffic hazard and a blight on B.C. scenery or a financial fix for a struggling First Nation.

The three metre by nine metre LED or light-emitting diode screens will be operating in time for Christmas and the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games.Comment:  For another billboard controversy, see Scholar Protests Pojoaque Casino's Ads.