KM: heats up - March 10 Protect the Inlet Action....

[Oscar]

Kinder Morgan opposition heats up with onset of construction and Protect the Inlet action March 10

[ https://canadians.org/blog/kinder-morga ... n-march-10 ]

March 7, 2018 - 3:45 pm

"The moment to stop the dangerous Kinder Morgan pipeline and tanker project is upon us."

These are the first words of a call to action this Saturday, March 10th to protect the inlet against the Kinder Morgan pipeline. [ https://canadians.org/event/burnaby-protect-inlet ]

The project of Coast Salish members and spiritual leaders, called Kwekwecnewtxw, is billed as a powerful and creative mass mobilization. It will begin with a march from Lake City Way skytrain station to a yet to be announced final location.

Meeting SpotAs described at protecttheinlet.ca Coast Salish spiritual leaders and members are inviting thousands of people to join this mobilization and send a clear message to Prime Minister Trudeau: the Kinder Morgan pipeline pipeline and tanker project will never be built.

"On March 10th, you can expect a powerful, mass and creative non-violent action to protect the water, land and the climate. This is just the beginning – Kwekwecnewtxw is here to stay."

Stewart Phillip, president and grand chief of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs told the Straight today that he and his wife Joan will be marching this Saturday which starts at 10:00am with a march beginning at the Lake City Way skytrain station (see map). [ https://www.straight.com/news/1041261/w ... n-pipeline ]

WHEN: Saturday, March 10 at 10:00 a.m.
WHERE: Lake City Way Skytrain Station, Burnaby, Unceded Coast Salish Territories

The Council of Canadians lower mainland and Vancouver Island chapters as well as staff are planning on participating. We have also invited supporters in the area to join.

Meanwhile grassroots activists are reporting that construction efforts are intensifying at both the Westridge Marine Terminal (where the Justin Trudeau brigade has had sustained efforts to slow traffic [ https://canadians.org/blog/pancakes-not ... uction-day ]) and Burnaby tank farm with crews in place beginning to cut down trees. There have been at least two [ https://bc.ctvnews.ca/woman-arrested-at ... -1.3830896 ] arrests [ http://www.burnabynow.com/news/burnaby- ... 1.23192310 ] in recent days reported by media as people block construction vehicles entering both facilities in an attempt to slow and stop these efforts.

"We're in a permitting-only spend right now while we wait to see how the judicial reviews and other matters resolve themselves," says Steven Kean, chief executive of Kinder Morgan in a CBC article today [ http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/tmx-kin ... -1.4567070 ]. He blames delayed construction on waiting to see how this permitting only strategy plays out as well as the judicial review.

This is all happening amid an ongoing heated national debate. From B.C.’s announced oil spill regulations [ https://www.nationalobserver.com/2018/0 ... der-morgan ] to Albertan’s retaliatory ban on B.C. wine [ https://www.nationalobserver.com/2018/0 ... c-wine-ban ] and Prime Minister Trudeau’s accusing Premier Horgan of wrecking the national climate plan [ http://edmontonjournal.com/opinion/colu ... 6177234ba4 ] by stalling the pipeline to none other than Bill Nye the science guy [ https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/bill-ny ... -1.3831002 ] putting Trudeau on the spot to defend approval of the embroiled tar sands pipeline.

The Council of Canadians is opposed to the Kinder Morgan pipeline. The project would increase tar sands expansion, which is inconsistent with our Paris Climate commitments, put waterways along the pipeline path and the Salish Sea at risk of a diluted bitumen spill and violate Indigenous rights.

Since August 2011 we have been participating in marches, protests and civil disobedience actions, supporting chapter activism, petitions and a court action, writing blogs, and organizing numerous public events and a six-community speaking tour.

The Council of Canadians protesting the Kinder Morgan project at the Burnaby export terminal, May 2016.

Andrea Harden-Donahue's blog
Energy & climate justice campaigner
[ https://canadians.org/blogs/andrea-harden-donahue ]