STORY about Direct ActionEnvironmentIndigenous posted on November 22, 2012 by Zig Zag
Pipeline Surveyor Equipment Confiscated
Direct actions keep Pacific Trails Pipeline out of Unis'tot'en territory
Survey equipment seized by members of the Unis'tot'en camp on Nov. 21, 2012.
Also posted by Zig Zag:
Also in Indigenous:
From the beautiful unceded Unis’tot’en Yintah (Territory):
At 10am on the morning of November 21, 2012, surveyors from Can-Am Geomatics were denied access to Unis’tot’en territory at the bridge crossing of the Wezin Kwah (Morice River).
Wet’suwet’en hereditary chief Toghestiy engaged the surveyors in a Free Prior and Informed Consent protocol. As the surveyors declined to share information obtained from their unauthorized entry the previous day, the decision was made not to allow the surveyors back into the territory to collect their equipment.
After the protocol at the bridge, Toghestiy stated, “The surveyors claimed they were working on a contract for Apache, an American oil and gas company. Apache is the leading partner in the Pacific Trails Pipeline project which intends to connect shale gas fields in Northeastern BC with LNG Terminals in Kitimat.” The Likhts’amisyu chief reasserted that “the Unis’tot’en and Grassroots Wet’suwet’en have consistently stated that they will not allow such a pipeline to pass through their territory.”
The Unis’tot’en (aka C’ilhts’ekhyu) and Grassroots Wet’suwet’en reject Apache’s claim to have support from a majority of indigenous groups along the pipeline route. Freda Huson states, “Apache’s claim that they have support from 15 out of 16 First Nation groups is extremely misleading. They are following the government’s direction to not deal with Hereditary Chiefs who are the legitimate title holders of these lands. Instead they are attempting to deal with Indian Act governments who have no jurisdiction off of their Indian Reservations. The Supreme Court of Canada’s Delgamuukw decision explicitly shows that they are breaking their own laws.”
After the surveyors were turned back, a crew from Unis’tot’en camp snowmobiled out to Crystal Road, some 20 kms from camp to retrieve materials left behind by the work crew the previous day. The materials were successfully retrieved and brought back to camp where they are being held until Apache and PTP agree to open up appropriate lines of communication with the Unis’tot’en and grassroots Wet’suwet’en according to the Free Prior and Informed Consent Protocol and laws of their sovereign unceded territories.
http://unistotencamp.wordpress.com/2012/11/22/ptp-surveyor-equipment-confiscated/
The site for the Vancouver local of The Media Co-op has been archived and will no longer be updated. Please visit the main Media Co-op website to learn more about the organization.