The Council of Canadians Victoria chapter is at a solidarity rally against the Dakota Access Pipeline at this hour.
The Facebook outreach for the gathering says, “Come out in solidarity with the Sacred Stone Camp in Standing Rock, ND. We ask individuals to come out with their drums, rattles, regalia, songs, prayers and voices to support the water protectors at Sacred Stone Camp. Stop the Dakota Access Pipeline! #mniwiconi #noDAPL We will also be collecting donations to be sent to Standing Rock Camp.”
Yesterday, Politico reported, “The Obama administration said Friday that no decision has been made on the disputed easement for the Dakota Access pipeline, tamping down expectations that the project could see a green light as soon as Monday. …Trump’s upset victory this week likely sets the stage for the $3.7 billion oil pipeline’s eventual approval, no matter what the outgoing administration decides. Work on the pipeline has been stalled at a disputed Missouri River crossing near the Standing Rock Sioux reservation in North Dakota, where protesters have been camped out for months in one of the largest ongoing environmental standoffs of recent years.”
There will also be a #NoDAPL Day of Action at Army Corps of Engineers on November 15.
The outreach for that notes, “Indigenous leaders are calling on us to take to the streets and disrupt ‘business-as-usual’ one week after the election to demand that President Obama’s Army Corps of Engineers and the incoming administration stop the Dakota Access Pipeline — and all those after it. On Tuesday, November 15th, join a massive day of action in solidarity with those at Standing Rock, and demand the Federal government and the Army Corps reject this pipeline. If you’re planning an action outside the US, you could organize it outside an involved bank building or US embassy.”
It is expected that the Army Corps of Engineers could begin drilling under the Missouri River within days.
The Dakota Access Pipeline is being built by Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners and Calgary-based Enbridge Inc. The pipeline could carry up to 570,000 barrels per day of fracked oil from North Dakota to Illinois. It would cross 200 waterways, including the Missouri River, which is upstream of Lake Oahe, the Standing Rock Sioux tribe’s main source of drinking water, and the Mississippi River.
Enbridge has a $1.5 billion share in the pipeline, while TD Securities, Scotiabank and RBC have provided project-level loans to the companies involved in it.
The Council of Canadians first expressed its solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux on August 19 and since then our chapters in Regina, Chilliwack, Kent County, Montreal, Fredericton, Saint John, Moncton, Prince Edward Island, Peterborough-Kawarthas, London and now Victoria, along with staff in Vancouver and Ottawa, have participated in solidarity actions.
On October 30, we sent 1000 pairs of earplugs to the water protectors at Standing Rock given they have been subjected to police use of sound cannons that cause great pain and permanent hearing loss.
#RezpectOurWater #NoDAPL #DakotaAccessPipeline
