Anti-Trans Mountain banners blanket Burnaby overpasses

Aug. 27, 2020

People opposed to the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project blanketed Burnaby overpasses on Wednesday afternoon.

The phrases chosen relate to the TMX project, which terminates in Burnaby, including “People and Planet Before Pipelines!” and “Defend Indigenous Rights!”

“When COVID-19 hit, we were all in the middle of organizing the next big mobilization to stop the pipeline,” said Thomas Davies, with the group Climate Convergence.

“We did the responsible thing and postponed the action. The Trudeau government did the opposite, and have brazenly pushed ahead with construction, which is obviously unsafe and non-essential. We've been pushed to find safe ways to continue organizing the huge opposition to the pipeline, so we worked with local artists and came up with something which is safe and impactful.”

Five socially distanced groups each dropped an 18-foot banner during the busiest time of the afternoon rush hour.

Trans Mountain has consistently said that it is following all proper COVID-19 safety protocols during construction.

“We are following physical distancing measures on-site and in offices through staggering work shifts and decreasing the number of people being transported in buses and vehicles,” Trans Mountain president and CEO Ian Anderson wrote in a letter earlier this year.  [Editor: But see https://ecosocialistsvancouver.org/article/photos-prove-failure-physical-distancing-trans-mountain-construction-sites-same-day]

[Top photo: A banner hung on the Kensington overpass that spans Highway 1 in Burnaby. Submitted photo]