Canoers arrive at Cates Park where they are welcomed onto Tsleil-Waututh territory.
This past weekend the Tseil-Waututh and Squamish Nations canoed together with “one heart and one mind” to protect the Burrard Inlet in BC’s Lower Mainland from the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline project. The Trans Mountain pipeline would bring tar sands and tankers through the Inlet and the Nation’s territories. Members of several First Nations and allies canoed from Squamish territory to Tsleil-Waututh territory, ending with a speach by Sundance Chief Rueben George. Check out his speech here. Check out an article on the festival on TheTyee.
On Saturday, the Save the Salish Concert drew hundreds of people to Squamish territory with a fantastic lineup including Takaya Blaney, and local band: the Boom Booms. Speakers included Naomi Klein, Brigette DePape, and Melina Laboucon-Massimo who is the Climate and Energy Greenpeace and member of the Lubicon Cree First Nation. Last April her community was affected by the Rainbow Pipeline spill which was one of the largest spills in Alberta’s history, spilling over 28,000 barrels into the wetlands near little Buffalo. To learn more, click here.
This weekend focused on raising awareness about the impacts this pipeline and tankers could have on the water, and encouraging people to build stronger connections with the Inlet. But many know that the pipeline has other impacts as well, such as increased risk of spills and leaks and allowing for tar sands expansion. For more information, check out the Kinder Morgan profile on www.canadians.org/pipelines
