Indigenous leaders burn pipeline agreement and set up road blockade

Chiefs at the protest burned a benefits agreement signed with TC Energy and the provincial government from a decade ago, displaying their rejection of the project.

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  • August 26, 2024
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Indigenous leaders burn pipeline agreement and set up road blockade
X / PBIcanada
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Gitanyow Hereditary Chiefs are leading new opposition and blocking the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission (PRGT) pipeline in British Columbia. The opposition reignites tensions four years after nationwide protests against the Coastal GasLink pipeline.

Chiefs at the protest burned a benefits agreement signed with TC Energy and the provincial government from a decade ago, displaying their new rejection of the project.

Two chiefs of the Ganeda Clan, Gamlakyeltxw Wil Marsden and Watakhayetsxw Deborah Good, set up a blockade and check point, effectively shutting down their territories to pipeline traffic on the Nass Forest Service on Thursday.

The PRGT pipeline is an 800-kilometre project intended to transport fracked gas from BC’s northeast to LNG export facilities on the coast. The pipeline would cross over 1,000 waterways, raising concerns about its impact on major salmon-bearing rivers.

"They’re trying to build a 1,000-man camp just down the road at Nass camp, and we’re here to tell them to go around," Chief Gamlakyeltxw Wil Marsden said at the blockade before setting the agreement ablaze. "They’re not welcome. And as far as we’re concerned, this pipeline needs a new environmental assessment."

The agreement was approved by the BC government in 2015. According to Vernon Now, the project was sold by TC Energy to the Nisga’a Lisims National Government and Texas-based Western LNG.

Pipeline construction, set to begin in the coming months, has faced pushback due to concerns about climate impacts and environmental damage from similar projects.

Youth in the community, who say they were excluded from past decisions, are now actively opposing the pipeline, citing fears for their future and the environment. The Nisg̱a’a government, along with Western LNG and Rockies LNG, is involved in the pipeline and a proposed floating LNG facility.

The pipeline’s environmental assessment certificate is due to expire on November 25 unless substantial progress is recognized. The project has been met with resistance due to its potential to disrupt culturally significant lands and impact wildlife.

Despite initial agreements, many in the Gitanyow community now reject the pipeline, emphasizing the need to protect their lands for future generations.

Many at a youth-led meeting on August 19 spoke in direct opposition to the pipeline, with all citing climate change as their main concern.

"The youth and future generations were left out of [the pipeline] conversations, and I’m scared for my future," Drew Harris, an event organizer, said. "Our rivers are drying up. Our fish counts are going down. If we continue to contaminate our waters, pollute our air and deplete our food sources, where does that leave us?"

Leaders expressed a desire to honour their ancestors by protecting the land and making decisions that benefit future generations.

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