B.C. pipeline protests continue to halt Ontario trains for 5th day in a row
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Indigenous LNG supporters chide human rights advocates over pipeline comments
BURNS LAKE, B.C. — A collective of First Nations who support the liquefied natural gas industry in British Columbia say human rights advocates failed to do their research when they called for a pipeline project to be halted.
The First Nations LNG Alliance has issued open letters to the B.C. human rights commissioner and the United Nations Committee to End Racial Discrimination over statements they made about the Coastal GasLink project.
They called for the project to be stopped in the face of opposition from Wet'suwet'en hereditary clan chiefs who say the project has no authority without their consent.
Both said the free, prior and informed consent of all affected Indigenous groups should be granted before any project is allowed to proceed.
Coastal GasLink has signed agreements with 20 elected First Nation councils along the pipeline's 670-kilometre path but the Wet'suwet'en chiefs say within their territory, those councils only administer small reserves and it's the hereditary chiefs who hold jurisdiction over a broader area covering 22,000 square kilometres.
Karen Ogen-Toews, CEO of the First Nations Alliance, says in the letter to commissioner Kasari Govender that the pipeline was approved through a democratic process that Indigenous people participated in freely, and neither the committee nor commissioner consulted supportive Indigenous groups before taking a position.
No one could be reached for comment at the UN committee and Govender was not available for an interview Tuesday.
"It is disheartening to see that the input from 20 First Nations, who participated extensively during five years of consultation on the pipeline, and have successfully negotiated agreements with Coastal GasLink, is so easily dismissed by the B.C. Human Rights Commission," Ogen-Toews says in one of the open letters.
Ogen-Toews was elected chief of the Wet'suwet'en First Nation representing 255 members on and off reserve lands for six years. The Wet'suwet'en First Nation covers a smaller area than the Wet'suwet'en Nation over which the hereditary clan chiefs claim authority.
The letter accuses Govender of ignoring the social and economic benefits already realized by workers and communities from the project. More than one-third of work on the project has been completed by Indigenous people and Coastal GasLink has earmarked $620 million in contracting opportunities for First Nations in the province, it says.
The letter also accuses both the provincial commission and the UN committee of issuing public statements without talking to supportive First Nations.
"Both groups know nothing about the importance we place on finding a way out of endlessly trying to manage poverty, and finding the kind of opportunities for our First Nations people that non-Indigenous people have enjoyed for centuries," the letter says.
The UN committee also called the federal government to stop two other major resource projects, the Site C dam and Trans Mountain pipeline expansions.
Na'moks, a spokesman for the Wet'suwet'en hereditary clan chiefs, has said they will never consent to the project.
The chiefs issued an eviction notice to Coastal GasLink after the B.C. Supreme Court extended an injunction on Dec. 31 to the company.
The RCMP has established a checkpoint along a logging road that leads to a pipeline work site, as well as two camps and a small settlement established by supporters of the hereditary chiefs.
Last year, 14 people were arrested when the RCMP enforced a previous injunction granted to the company.
The First Nations LNG Alliance has issued open letters to the B.C. human rights commissioner and the United Nations Committee to End Racial Discrimination over statements they made about the Coastal GasLink project.
They called for the project to be stopped in the face of opposition from Wet'suwet'en hereditary clan chiefs who say the project has no authority without their consent.
Both said the free, prior and informed consent of all affected Indigenous groups should be granted before any project is allowed to proceed.
Coastal GasLink has signed agreements with 20 elected First Nation councils along the pipeline's 670-kilometre path but the Wet'suwet'en chiefs say within their territory, those councils only administer small reserves and it's the hereditary chiefs who hold jurisdiction over a broader area covering 22,000 square kilometres.
Karen Ogen-Toews, CEO of the First Nations Alliance, says in the letter to commissioner Kasari Govender that the pipeline was approved through a democratic process that Indigenous people participated in freely, and neither the committee nor commissioner consulted supportive Indigenous groups before taking a position.
No one could be reached for comment at the UN committee and Govender was not available for an interview Tuesday.
"It is disheartening to see that the input from 20 First Nations, who participated extensively during five years of consultation on the pipeline, and have successfully negotiated agreements with Coastal GasLink, is so easily dismissed by the B.C. Human Rights Commission," Ogen-Toews says in one of the open letters.
Ogen-Toews was elected chief of the Wet'suwet'en First Nation representing 255 members on and off reserve lands for six years. The Wet'suwet'en First Nation covers a smaller area than the Wet'suwet'en Nation over which the hereditary clan chiefs claim authority.
The letter accuses Govender of ignoring the social and economic benefits already realized by workers and communities from the project. More than one-third of work on the project has been completed by Indigenous people and Coastal GasLink has earmarked $620 million in contracting opportunities for First Nations in the province, it says.
The letter also accuses both the provincial commission and the UN committee of issuing public statements without talking to supportive First Nations.
"Both groups know nothing about the importance we place on finding a way out of endlessly trying to manage poverty, and finding the kind of opportunities for our First Nations people that non-Indigenous people have enjoyed for centuries," the letter says.
The UN committee also called the federal government to stop two other major resource projects, the Site C dam and Trans Mountain pipeline expansions.
Na'moks, a spokesman for the Wet'suwet'en hereditary clan chiefs, has said they will never consent to the project.
The chiefs issued an eviction notice to Coastal GasLink after the B.C. Supreme Court extended an injunction on Dec. 31 to the company.
The RCMP has established a checkpoint along a logging road that leads to a pipeline work site, as well as two camps and a small settlement established by supporters of the hereditary chiefs.
Last year, 14 people were arrested when the RCMP enforced a previous injunction granted to the company.
www.princegeorgecitizen.com/indigenous-lng-supporters-chide-human-rights-advocates-over-pipeline-comments-1.24057736
Coastal GasLink workforce at 1,000 women and men – and growing
Construction is ramping up on the Coastal GasLink Project, with more than 1,000 women and men, many of them local and Indigenous, working across the 670-kilometre project right-of-way in January. Employment numbers are expected to grow as activities increase, with pipe assembly beginning this summer and continuing through 2022.
The project continues to deliver benefits to Indigenous and local communities; $870 million in contracts have been awarded since the Final Investment Decision was made in October 2018. As of November 2019, the most current figures available, the project has generated more than $107 million in local spend and more than $77 million in indirect economic spinoffs. This number will continue to grow.
Coastal GasLink’s workforce is expected to grow to 2,500 at peak of construction
“Not only does construction create thousands of high-quality jobs, it creates demand for things like construction and maintenance equipment, food services, accommodation and more. Our contractors are mandated to source local wherever they can, including for equipment and supplies,” said Dan Bierd, Coastal GasLink’s vice-president of pipeline implementation.
“There are also many indirect benefits to local communities,” added Bierd.
For example, Fred Wilson of Northwest Truck Rentals in Smithers, B.C., is supplying rental vehicles to Coastal GasLink and its contractors.
“I’m proud to support both Coastal GasLink and its partner, LNG Canada,” said Wilson.
Just prior to the holidays, Wilson put his mechanic to work building a special lighted sign to show his support for the LNG project.
“My mechanic spent 39 hours making that sign from plywood. We wanted to bring some awareness to the project in our backyard,” he added.
Fred Wilson from Smithers, B.C. is proud to support Coastal GasLink and LNG Canada.
The $40-billion LNG project represents the largest single private sector investment in Canadian history.
“Not only is my business benefitting, this project is bringing long-term economic benefits to our community – hotels, local industrial and supply stores, airlines and even local restaurants. I also see a lot of Indigenous businesses working out there and benefiting. This is making a real difference to local families and is important to the long-term sustainability of our community,” said Wilson.
“The healthier our community is, the healthier the north is,” he added.
Once complete, the project is estimated to contribute $20.88 million in annual property tax benefits that will support northern community services such as fire protection, policing, hospitals, schools and waste management.
www.houston-today.com/marketplace/coastal-gaslink-workforce-at-1000-women-and-men-and-growing/
Those arrested , should be jailed and made to see a judge prior to release .let them enjoy a night in the klink and a complimentary baloney sandwich . It might smarten some of the naive useful idiots up .
Simple solution to that one , blockade every road into the Rez , letting no goods in , cutting of natural gas might also work . Tit for tat .
Or clue the Climate change groupies or MSM into the fact that every passenger using Via now has to drive their vehicles to get to work because of the block aid, let them turn on themselves.
I agree but give them the baloney sandwich first . Those spoiled brats have never tasted the stuff before .
About time they brought out the water cannons and start turning all these scofflaws into popsicles.
Here are some of the protestors Facebook pages
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100012668476796
https://www.facebook.com/red.moon.1257604
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008333559927
https://www.facebook.com/shi.lo.75
https://www.facebook.com/JoceyShadows
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100012668476796
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100012668476796
https://www.facebook.com/red.moon.1257604
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008333559927
https://www.facebook.com/shi.lo.75
https://www.facebook.com/JoceyShadows
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100012668476796
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Here is the truth about the wet'suwet'en tribe. The people on the blockades are not from the tribe, many are bused up from the USA and work for environmental groups.
The deal was signed already by the wet'suwet'en tribe.
The deal was signed already by the wet'suwet'en tribe.
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More Facebook pages of protestors
https://www.facebook.com/christine.nyce.50
https://www.facebook.com/antoinette.hemple
https://www.facebook.com/anne.spice
Just keep the trains rolling , they will either get out of the way or won’t, either way it will be a teachable experience
https://www.facebook.com/christine.nyce.50
https://www.facebook.com/antoinette.hemple
https://www.facebook.com/anne.spice
Just keep the trains rolling , they will either get out of the way or won’t, either way it will be a teachable experience
B.C. pipeline protests continue to halt Ontario trains for 5th day in a row
https://globalnews.ca/news/6530177/bc-pipeline-protests-ontario-via-rail-trains-halted-day-5/
Testing 123
...And police are looking for the driver of the truck so they can arrest him. Meanwhile, citizens who are completely fed up and had enough of watching police do nothing about an illegal blockade take the initiative and move pallets and debris off the road, and they get arrested for it. WTF is going on in this country??
David Staples: Chaos has come to Canada under Trudeau — and it could quickly get much worse
Chaos has come to Canada.
If Prime Minister Justin Trudeau does not make the right moves in the next month, the chaos will become more intense and have a different flavour. It won’t only be wild-eyed activists blockading roads, railways and legislature buildings, it will be the people of Alberta rising up against Ottawa like never before.
The chaos has come crashing due to the construction of the Coastal GasLink LNG pipeline, which is supported by the Trudeau Liberals, the Horgan NDP and the leadership of the Wet’suwet’en people.
Illegal protests and blockades in support of a small faction of the Wet’suwet’en who oppose the project have sprung up across Canada.
It’s poetic justice this is happening on Horgan and Trudeau’s watch. Both their governments have done much to encourage the most aggressive of activists. For example, both governments have supported UNDRIP, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which rashly declares no major project must proceed without prior and informed consent of Indigenous groups.
This notion runs counter to Canadian law, which makes it clear there is no veto for any First Nation on a major project which is in the overall public good.
Not surprisingly, protestors against the LNG pipeline have invoked the supposed veto under UNDRIP.
To get this project moving, it now looks like only mass arrests and charges will work. But will Trudeau support his own authorities in cracking down?
If he fails, expect to see more illegal, and increasingly confrontational, protests to stop the $12 billion-plus TMX pipeline.
In Alberta, in the most important political decision since the bungled, much-delayed and hugely expensive TMX fiasco, Trudeau must now make the right call on the Teck Frontier oilsands mine approval.
Teck Frontier is the biggest oilsands project ever proposed. The $20-billion proposal has unprecedented support from all Indigenous groups in the area.
Most crucially — and the importance of this is paramount — Teck Frontier was approved by an expert federal/provincial panel after a rigorous, open and transparent 10-year regulatory process.
Why is the federal government now waffling on affirming the regulator’s approval?
In a press conference on Tuesday, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney lashed out, saying if this were about a $20-billion investment into an airplane factory in Quebec or a car plant in Ontario, the government would not try to link airplane or car emissions to approval, but would instead be falling all over itself to offer subsidies.
Two years ago Ottawa exempted a Quebec cement plant from federal environmental review, Kenney said, even as that plant produces two megatons of CO2 emissions per year (about half of what Teck Frontier will produce).
“If their central issues was carbon (emissions), they would have stopped that cement factory,” Kenney said of the Trudeau cabinet.
“They would not subsidize Bombardier and auto companies in Ontario. It’s not about emissions. It’s not about the environment. It appears to be about the West.”
Kenney said he’s tried repeatedly to address with Trudeau any outstanding issues around Alberta’s oilsands emissions but has heard nothing back. “We get zero response to that. Instead all we get are these passive aggressive messages constantly emanating from Ottawa, when all we ask that the rule of law be respected and that this country demonstrate that we are a safe place in which to invest, that we don’t follow banana republic-style rules where political preferences are substituted for regulatory decisions.”
Asked what his government’s reaction would be if Teck Frontier is rejected, Kenney said: “The reaction would be swift and serious. I hope it doesn’t come to that.”
A new and clever line of defence for Trudeau possibly rejecting Teck has come out, essentially that the decision is a lose-lose proposition, with cabinet either upsetting Alberta or accepting Teck and losing all credibility as a government committed to fighting climate change. Essentially, the notion is that Trudeau might as well upset Alberta rather than be called out as a fraud on such an important matter.
But, in fact, if Teck proceeds, the Alberta oilsands will still be below the 100-megaton emissions cap for the oilsands.
Yes, a few thousand of the most hardcore oilsands haters will be momentarily outraged. But the chaos exploding out of a rejection of Teck will be far more severe. Trudeau would empower already uncontrolled climate protestors, inject a kill shot of uncertainty into the Canadian economy for investors, and unleash a new level of political chaos in Western Canada.
His path should be clear, to stand up for peace, order and good government by approving Teck Frontier.
nationalpost.com/news/politics/david-staples-chaos-has-come-to-canada-and-it-could-quickly-get-much-worse/wcm/09fb0b42-7203-427c-b4dd-3bd612f50e01
Unless funding for those that are blockading highways and railways is coming from elsewhere???
Tides Foundation, Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation, the William & Flora Hewlett Foundation, the David & Lucile Packard Foundation, the Pew Charitable Trusts, the Rockefeller Brothers, Oak Foundation, Stand.earth, Georgia Strait Alliance, Living Oceans Society, Ecojustice, the Raincoast Conservation Foundation, etc...etc....etc....
To an outside investor, especially an American, it may seem odd to learn that, in Canada, when opponents make their case against a pipeline or any other resource project before regulators, the Canadian government sometimes pays them to do it.
It may seem especially masochistic that some environmental groups that are already well funded received money from taxpayers to try to thwart a project owned by Canadian taxpayers.
Anti-pipeline funds flow from unexpected sources