Climate activist successfully climbs to new treetop camp to stop logging for pipeline 

Unceded Coast Salish Territories (VANCOUVER, BC) — A climate activist has re-occupied a forested area in the way of the TransMountain Expansion (TMX) pipeline near Lost Creek in Burnaby, B.C, just east of recently destroyed Holmes Creek Protection camp. Timothee Govare, with the help of a small crew, climbed to the 20 meter high perch, where he plans to remain. The three bigleaf maples in which the suspended tent is situated are slated for cutting to clear the pipeline route. Police and private TMX security have visited the scene and appear perplexed about how to get Govare down.

A police raid on Holmes Creek Protection Camp in Burnaby in the early morning of Dec 9th saw the land protection camp trashed and the area surrounded by fencing. CN police, private security and Burlington Northern Railway police provided heavy guard for workers who cleared brush and destroyed a suspended treetop platform. A higher treehouse was surrounded by razor wire and scaffolding and was subsequently dismantled. If not stopped, the pipeline construction would see the 100-year old cottonwoods and other trees in the area felled, devastating local streams. 

The action takes place as Canada legislates its climate targets and announces spending on climate policies this month. Yet, according to the UN’s Gap report, published this month, Canada’s proposed policies forecast an increase in oil and gas production that does not align with the Paris Agreement to hold global warming to 1.5 degrees C. 

The $12-15 billion pipeline project was purchased from Texas oil giant Kinder Morgan by the federal government in 2018. Costs on the pipeline have ballooned since the purchase. The project is opposed by the Squamish Nation, Tsleil-Waututh Nation and Coldwater Indian Band, who were recently denied leave to appeal by the Supreme Court of Canada. It also conflicts with Canada's commitment under the Paris Climate Agreement to keep global temperatures from rising above 1.5 degree Celsius. The project would impact numerous drinking water sources along the route, Burrard Inlet and Tsleil-Waututh, Qayqayt and other First Nations, Burnaby Mountain and Simon Fraser University. It would also spell a 7-fold increase in tanker traffic in the Burrard inlet and an increased threat to the endangered Southern Resident Orcas. The Province of British Columbia, the State of Washington, and 20 municipalities oppose the pipeline project.

 

The existing Trans Mountain pipeline is already a major environmental and public health hazard with a long history of disastrous spills. In June this year, 50,000 gallons of crude oil spilled from a pump station located above an aquifer that supplies the Sumas First Nation with drinking water. The thirteen 67-year old tanks at the terminus of the pipeline are too close together to put out in the event of a fire, according to the Burnaby Fire Department. 240,000 people live within the 4.2 km radius of the site that is considered an evacuation zone including 32,000 members of the SFU community. A growing number of insurers have pulled out of the pipeline project. A recent warning from economists states that the TransMountain project is no longer financially viable. In November, the Canada Energy Regulator released a report stating that there is no need for any pipeline expansion if Canada takes measures to curb GHGs, and the Parliamentary Budget Office reported this week that TMX will only be marginally profitable if no further climate measures are taken. Indigenous groups, as well as the final report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls have pointed out the connection between resource extraction man-camps and violence against Indigenous women. ###