Stó:lō education activities were being held against the wishes of the federal government beginning in 1973. Classes and meetings continued in defiance of orders to desist as the Stó:lō people believed they had the legal right to use the buildings as they saw fit.

On May 3, 1976, an occupation was held in one of the Coqualeetza buildings by local Stó:lō people, including women and children, in protest of the federal government’s insistence on retaining the rights to the property. The occupation became a standoff, with Canadian Armed Forces posting snipers on a nearby rooftop and marching in fatigues. Police battered down the door of the occupied building and arrested 26 people, who were later released without charge. Among the protesters were the former Lt. Governor of British Columbia and his wife. Several of the protesters afterward saw their faces splashed on the front page of the Chilliwack Progress.