Close X
Friday, November 15, 2024
ADVT 
National

Hundreds Rally In Burnaby, B.C., Against Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion

The Canadian Press, 29 May, 2017 12:03 PM
    BURNABY, B.C. — Hundreds of people in British Columbia have completed a 75-kilometre march in protest of the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.
     
    The four-day trek called Walk For the Salish Sea ended with a rally in Burnaby, B.C., Sunday afternoon with speeches scheduled from federal Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan and Grand Chief Stewart Phillip.
     
    Texas-based Kinder Morgan recently gave a conditional financial go-ahead for the expansion, which would triple the amount of Alberta oil that flows to B.C.'s coast and increase tanker traffic by seven-fold.
     
    Rally organizer Joel Ornoy says the pipeline poses a serious risk for the environment, nearby residents and economy if a spill were to occur.
     
    In addition to putting a spotlight on the issue, Ornoy says the march raised thousands of dollars for indigenous groups fighting the pipeline proposal in the courts.
     
     
    Kinder Morgan has said the company received the necessary approvals from the federal government for the project and is aiming to begin construction this fall.
     
    But Simon Fraser University English professor Stephen Collis, who took part in the rally, said the pipeline is not a done-deal.
     
    "There is still a lack of indigenous consent and there's a lack of public consent and this event is about showing that people are still concerned and still opposed and still intending to make sure this does not happen," he said.
     
    Collis added that past litigation, including a landmark 2014 Supreme Court of Canada case that favoured the Tsilhqot'in people in B.C. in a battle over land title, sets a precedent for ongoing legal battles related to the area the Trans Mountain pipeline will cross.
     
    "Many, many (First) Nations whose territories the pipeline will cross are vocally opposed to this," he said. 
     
    Collis said it's just a matter of getting their cases through the courts.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Montreal Parents Livid After 4-Yr-Old Daughter Forced To Scrub Her Own Pee In Pre-Kindergarten

    Montreal Parents Livid After 4-Yr-Old Daughter Forced To Scrub Her Own Pee In Pre-Kindergarten
    MONTREAL — The parents of a Montreal pre-kindergarten student want a school board to act after their four-year-old daughter was forced to clean up her own urine following an accident on the playground last week.

    Montreal Parents Livid After 4-Yr-Old Daughter Forced To Scrub Her Own Pee In Pre-Kindergarten

    Calgary Jury To Hear Final Pitches From Lawyers In Gas-and-Dash Murder Trial

    Calgary Jury To Hear Final Pitches From Lawyers In Gas-and-Dash Murder Trial
    Joshua Cody Mitchell, 22, is on trial facing several charges, including second-degree murder.

    Calgary Jury To Hear Final Pitches From Lawyers In Gas-and-Dash Murder Trial

    Vancouver-Area Cafe Puts Up A Sign Saying 'Liam Neeson Eats Here For Free', So He Showed Up

    Vancouver-Area Cafe Puts Up A Sign Saying 'Liam Neeson Eats Here For Free', So He Showed Up
     A sandwich shop in New Westminster, B.C., is proving that even an A-list actor can't resist the lure of free food.

    Vancouver-Area Cafe Puts Up A Sign Saying 'Liam Neeson Eats Here For Free', So He Showed Up

    Soaring House Prices, Shifting Lifestyles Driving Condo Craze, Experts Say

    Soaring House Prices, Shifting Lifestyles Driving Condo Craze, Experts Say
    TORONTO — Janis Isaman makes no apologies for raising her six-year-old son in a two-bedroom condominium — and for eschewing the once-coveted trappings of a life in the suburbs.

    Soaring House Prices, Shifting Lifestyles Driving Condo Craze, Experts Say

    Women Outnumber Men In Canada, But Not By Much, 2016 Census Shows

    Women Outnumber Men In Canada, But Not By Much, 2016 Census Shows
    The latest census figures released Wednesday show there were 97 men for every 100 women, a figure that has held relatively steady over 15 years based on data from Statistics Canada.

    Women Outnumber Men In Canada, But Not By Much, 2016 Census Shows

    StatCan Says Rapidly Aging Population Still Yields 'Demographic Dividends'

    StatCan Says Rapidly Aging Population Still Yields 'Demographic Dividends'
    OTTAWA — After nearly four decades in the workforce, 64-year-old Louise Plouffe is looking ahead to retirement. But Tristan Plummer, 23, is looking for work.

    StatCan Says Rapidly Aging Population Still Yields 'Demographic Dividends'