Council of Canadians members from London, Guelph, & Hamilton visit ‘Dam Line 9’ blockade
Activists including Council of Canadians chapter members continue to interrupt work at Enbridge’s Line 9, steadfast to remain on the site until their voices are heard. The ongoing protest is on site in Deshkaan Ziibing, Anishinabek Territory, near Innerkip in south-western Ontario. Entering the third day of the blockade, many of the group are risking arrest yet plan to stay, committed to the protection of the water and the environment Line 9 threatens.
(COC London Chapter arrives with food and their Enbridge Tarsands Snake)
“I believe that the environmental degradation currently happening affects all of us and all of the activism we are organizing around. Climate change and it’s detrimental reality puts marginalized communities most at risk. This is a women’s issue, this is a race issue, a class issue, an animal rights issue, a sovereignty issue. Those who have the least amount of power and contribute the least amount of waste and harm carry and experience the brunt of these devastating impacts to our earth, air and water. In order to actually work from an anti-oppressive framework in our activist approaches to making change, we must put climate change and the many projects that contribute to it at the forefront.” Sarah S., Blockader
“As a parent, my concern is that this project poses a danger to the future generations who do not have a voice in these important decisions.” Mia, Blockader
(Planting a garden, in it for the long haul)
Endbridge Spokeswoman Kristen Higgins said the site is “secured” and that Enbridge respects the rights of individuals and groups to voice their concerns. “We share concerns about safety and maintaining the safety of the line.” Higgins also said Line 9 has a good safety record.
After being a no show for a meeting with the blockaders, Enbridge also began deleting comments from their blog about this action site (which they say is to encourage discussion about the ‘facts’ around Line 9). Despite claiming to want to ‘dialogue’ with the blockaders and have a discussion about facts, not surpassingly their actions show the only discussion they want is a censured conversation with false facts.
Enbridge’s words lack credibility considering their awful safety record. The spill in Michigan, where 20,000 barrels of crude leaked into the Kalamazoo River in 2010. The spill caused people to permanently lose their homes and severely impacted people’s health. The spill cost more than $1 billion and the cleanup is still not yet finished over three years later. The pipeline that spilled into the Kalamazoo River was a similar age and design as Enbridge’s Line 9 pipeline. As is out lined in the Not Worth The Risk report, the changes to Line 9 are a disaster waiting to happen in our near future.
In addition to the extensive damage to the environment caused by the Tar Sands, the transport of the raw material is far more susceptible to pipeline breaks and damaging spills. Not only can this toxic and corrosive mixture spread through the soil to threaten property and the water tables; it also crosses 3 major rivers leading to Lake Ontario — the source of our drinking water. Enbridge’s Line 9 carries many risks but few rewards for communities along the pipeline’s route.
(“Visitors from the sky this morning! They circled around for about 6min,
directly buzzing back and forth overhead the site 4 times.”)
Blockaders are inviting supporters to come them at the site and/or donate supplies. The site is located on Oxford County Rd 5 (aka 17th Line) in Innerkip, ON (near Woodstock) between Township Rd 10 and Township Rd 9 (aka Braemar Side Road).
To learn more about Line 9 please see:
Not Worth The Risk Report
Dam Line 9 blockade – protect the Thames River
Line 9 blockade in Toronto highlights imminent danger
Bronte Creek blockade questions the ‘integrity’ of Enbridge’s Line 9 pipeline
NEB Approves Line 9, Chapters Fight Back
Toronto Star article on unreported Line 9 spills
Thunder Bay Chapter intervenes on Line 9 lawsuit
#noline9 #damline9 #waterislife
