Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Protesters defy authorities over Trans Mountain pipeline

Police patrol as a Kinder Morgan employee drills on Burnaby Mountain
- See more at: http://www.timescolonist.com/news/local/tsartlip-members-cite-environment-in-opposing-trans-mountain-pipeline-1.1619928#sthash.UjhPkJZS.dpufCanadian protesters defy authorities over Trans Mountain pipeline

Trans Mountain 20141124_2.jpg

Police patrol as a Kinder Morgan employee drills on Burnaby Mountain - See more at: http://www.timescolonist.com/news/local/tsartlip-members-cite-environment-in-opposing-trans-mountain-pipeline-1.1619928#sthash.UjhPkJZS.dpuf

Police patrol as a Kinder Morgan employee drills on Burnaby Mountain

Canadian protesters defy authorities over Trans Mountain pipeline

Proposed expansion would triple tar sands capacity and endanger coastal waters in British Columbia, local groups say

November 25, 2014  by Renee Lewis  Al Jazeera

A proposed pipeline expansion that would transport tar sands oil through a park in British Columbia has unified Canadians from all walks of life in their opposition to the project — which they said does not respect public opinion and could endanger both land and sea.

“I’ve never seen in my 30 years of being environmentally active an issue that so galvanizes so many people,” said John Bennet, executive director of Sierra Club Canada. “It’s absolutely clear that the public, not just a handful of crazies willing to get arrested, don’t want it.”...According to a local poll, 70 percent of residents oppose the expansion....

...Indigenous peoples in Canada have a constitutional right to be consulted about any actions the government plans to take on their territory. But aboriginal protesters said their opposition is being ignored — that the hearings are a facade.

The NEB’s handling of the Trans Mountain expansion has also led to infringements on the rights of cities, according to Harsha Walia, a Burnaby resident and legal liaison tracking arrests for protesters.

“The NEB has never had the authority to override laws, but now the NEB has been empowered to overrule any municipal laws that exist,” Walia said.....  read more here


Tsartlip members cite environment in opposing Trans Mountain pipeline


Katie DeRosa / Times Colonist   November 24, 2014

Members of the Tsartlip First Nation in Central Saanich voiced their opposition to the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion at National Energy Board hearings in Victoria Monday, saying the project would increase tanker traffic along the West Coast, threatening sensitive marine life on which First Nations people rely.

Tsartlip elder and former band chief Simon Smith said First Nations groups on Vancouver Island would not rule out demonstrations against the pipeline such as the ones ongoing on Burnaby Mountain, which have led to dozens of arrests and tense clashes between police and protesters.

…“Our food source is in that area and one spill would mean a disaster to that area,” said Smith, 75, who has 16 great-grandchildren and 32 great-great grandchildren.

“My time is almost over. What I’m doing is looking after the future.”

Smith said elders are talking about bringing together the 150 tribes of the Coast Salish territory for a united voice…. Read more here


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