As of this evening, 53 people have been arrested in a sustained act of resistance against Kinder Morgan’s drilling on Burnaby Mountain.
The protest camp against the Texas-based oil company has been ongoing since September 3rd. Burnaby Mountain is located on unceded Indigenous lands, which, based on our current knowledge, includes the territories of the Musqueam, Skxwú7mesh, Stó:lo, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations.
On November 20th, Indigenous protectors and their settler allies were displaced by the Burnaby RCMP. The police force is not accountable to the City of Burnaby and there is no transparent or democratic process in the Burnaby RCMP’s decision-making.
Kinder Morgan has sued the community group, Burnaby Residents Opposed to Kinder Morgan Expansion (BROKE), for damages of $5.4 million because they spoke out. The oil company is using legal suits to bully and silence critics.
The company intends to expand its Trans Mountain pipeline, transporting crude oil and refined products from Edmonton to Burnaby. This would triple carrying capacity, bringing 890,000 barrels every day.
Despite the arrests, police intimidation, and legal threats, countless people continue to remain steadfast on the mountain. In their resistance to the continuation of colonial expansion into unceded indigenous lands and their opposition to a system which ignores ecological consequences, these communities are showing that another way is possible. In solidarity with these land defenders, we urge everyone to find out how they can support efforts to resist the pipeline.
Visit these sites to find ways to support, be involved, and receive updates:
Burnaby Mountain Updates facebook page
Fundraiser for the Burnaby Mountain Caretakers/BROKE
BROKE Against Big Oil Indiegogo campaign
Burnaby Pipeline Watch website
Below are pictures from today, taken by The Mainlander photographer Mauricio Rivera.
C Brown
November 23, 2014 at 11:14 am
The truth is the majority of naturally occurring hydrocarbons were created by algae blooms and plankton that once covered large inland bodies of water that used to be on top of where the Athabaskan sands are found today. Carbon is the sixth most common element in our solar system, Earth’s geology has the ability to readily absorb and release carbon in continuous cycles since time immemorial.
However since March 1988 Fraser Valley residents breathe & eat garbage smoke 24/7. The pipeline protests against transporting ancient, decaying pond scum are being used as smoke screen to hide the fact that over the past 26 years Burnaby has burnt 7,500,000 tons of garbage at a five acre site located a few minutes drive south of Marine Way, a bit west of Marine Drive. Within another 25 years over 15 million tons of garbage would of been burned.
When a pile of garbage is burnt 25% of it turns into toxic ash laden with concentrated poisonous residues. The other 75% of the garbage gets released into the air as toxic smoke, hence after more than a quarter century worth of Burnaby’s garbage burning they have dumped 1,800,000 tons of toxic ash and 5,700,000 tons of toxic smoke into our ecosphere. Burnaby’s burning garbage creates megatons of dioxins accumulating so thick at times they form a fog that is visible from on top of the hill.
Perhaps once arrested the protesters could get tested for dioxins poisoning, dioxins released from garbage burning have been proven to cause Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in adults as well as children. Symptoms of ADHD are exhibited by persons; “that display a wide range of symptoms, such as restlessness, inability to stay focused, mood swings, temper tantrums, problems completing tasks, disorganization, inability to cope with stress, and impulsivity.”
The truth about garbage incinerators like Burnaby’s:
http://youtu.be/g8ycXLvOuBM
To learn more about the biogenic origins of petroleum please visit:
http://dnr.louisiana.gov/assets/TAD/education/BGBB/3/accumulation.html