Press Release
Thursday May 29th 6pm
Friends House, 60 Lowther, Toronto, ON M5R 1C7
6pm Video Updates 7pm Solidarity Discussion
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Since 2010 Unist’ot’en clan members have been maintaining a permanent presence on their traditional territory in so-called Northern British Columbia. The reason for doing so is to assert sovereignty over lands which were never ceded to the Canadian government and to begin a process of decolonization and return to the land. The Camp also stands as the enforcement of a clan decision to ban all of the proposed Fracked Gas and Tar Sands pipelines intending to cross over their territory.
Recently, the notorious fossil fuel giant Chevron has announced it intends to begin construction on its Pacific Trail Pipeline by June 15th of this year. At a recent open house in Prince George representatives from the company declared that if the community did not sign on to the pipeline it would be “tough luck for them” and that if the Unist’ot’en Camp did not stand aside they threatened to have the blockade removed by force.
On Thursday May 29th join with allies in Toronto to hear about the latest developments in the showdown with Chevron, what is being planned in response, and how we can be in solidarity from here in Toronto.
RSVP on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/events/513634472092146/
Endorsed by: Unist’ot’en Camp, Chevron’s Dirty Hand, East End Against Line 9, Mining Injustice Solidarity Network, No One Is Illegal Toronto, Rising Tide Toronto, Toronto 350, West End Against Line 9
One immediate way to contribute is via the People Support Unist’ot’en Fundrazr Campaign. https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/dkgyf/ab/e3I2Yf.
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Additional information:
Chevron’s Pacific Trails Pipeline is the first of a series of proposed pipelines intending to carry fracked gas and tar sands bitumen across the great northern forests to the West Coast for export via supertankers to destinations overseas. Waiting in the wings are a multitude of projects including Shell’s Coastal GasLink and Enbridge’s Northern Gateway which both seek to cross Unist’ot’en land in order to get to proposed terminals at Kitimat.
Following from the Unist’ot’en decision, all five clans of the Wet’suwet’en now stand in united opposition to the pipeline projects. To the north of them, the Gitxsan have also taken steps to oppose the northern pipelines destined for Prince Rupert. Altogether, this leaves the Canadian government’s plans for a massive pipeline corridor for the export of fracked gas and tar sands oil completely blocked.As much as the NGO-led campaigns in British Columbia have ignored the wisdom of Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs by focusing exclusively on Enbridge Northern Gateway, the battle for whether the
unceded territories of the North West Turtle Island remain pipeline-free will go down over Chevron’s Pacific Trail as it is the first and trailblazer for the rest.
Since establishing the Unist’ot’en Camp on the traditional territory of Talbits Kwa, the Unist’tot’en have controlled entry into their territory through a Free Prior Informed Consent protocol, intercepted and evicted surveyors several times, and continue traditional practices such as gathering berries, hunting, and trapping. In the meantime, companies such as Chevron have been attempting to bypass the authority of the clan’s
hereditary chiefs by approaching Indian Act Band Councils, board-room based tribal institutions, and hosting “information sessions” on the reserve which dangle 50” television sets as door prizes to entice community members.As the mainstream NGO campaigns remain afraid to challenge BC’s plan to transform the West Coast
into a hub of LNG plants, the Unist’ot’en have reached out to grassroots allies from coast to coast to stand with them in an effort that goes beyond symbolic action in order to preserve the integrity of the land for all future generations.
After the video update there will be a facilitated discussion to discuss avenues for Toronto-based solidarity with the Unist’ot’en!
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Links
Unist’ot’en Camp: http://www.unistotencamp.com
About the Pipelines: http://unistotencamp.com/?
Facebook: Unist’ot’en Camp https://www.facebook.com/
Caravan to Camp: http://forestaction.wikidot.
Articles
BC LNG faces growing First Nations opposition
http://commonsensecanadian.ca/
Standing on the Land to Stand Against Pipelines
http://www.crimethinc.com/
Activists Plot How to Block New Pipelines in BC
http://warriorpublications.
