Rising Tide serves notice on GasLink pipeline

COAST SALISH TERRITORY -  Rising Tide delivered a clear message Friday to TransCanada’s Coastal GasLink Project  – stay out of Unist’ot’en clan territory. 

The letter follows several recent attempts by the pipeline company to enter Unist’ot’en land.  At the beginning of the month, Coastal Gaslink representatives appeared at the bridge entrance to Unis’to’ten territory with an offer to clan representative Freda Huson to let them do exploration work. They were not permitted entry. The Company has also been  using helicopters to try to land in the territory.

Rising Tide delivered their letter to the project office in Vancouver  in solidarity with “the Unist’ot’en as they defend their land from proposed pipelines that will serve to further the destruction of land, water and wildlife that sustains Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities.” 

The letter, reluctantly accepted by a project office employee, says: 

To Whom It May Concern:

Be advised that we are here to stand in solidarity with the Unsit’ot’en people of the Wet’suwet’en Nation as they stand against pipeline development on their unceded territory. Your presence on the territory is in direct violation of the Free, Prior and Informed Consent protocol that has been in place for thousands of years, and is recognized as a Right by the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Your presence on sovereign Unist’ot’en Territory is not welcome. It is imperative that you respect the wishes of the rightful caretakers of this land. Band officials have no jurisdiction off reserve. Hereditary chiefs have spoken and they have said no. The consultation is over. No amount of money or so called jobs will change their minds.

The Unist’ot’en are claiming their right to develop their land as they see fit. There is a family living on the territory. They have built a cabin, a traditional pit house and a permaculture garden. They are in the process of building a healing center for their community and are not interested in welcoming any pipeline projects through their territory.

We stand in solidarity with these courageous people who see the devastating impacts that fossil fuel expansion is having on the land of Indigenous people all over Northern so-called British Columbia. Tar Sands development and oil extraction are devastating communities and wildlife in the north. Fracking is destroying the water, causing increased health concerns and contributing to climate change.

The Unis’ot’en are standing firm to preserve and reinvigorate the small reserves of water and land that are left in this area. You can be a part of the needed shift in our energy use. Direct the profits you have made from this destructive industry to renewable energy initiatives. Shift your thinking to consider, as the Unist’ot’en are, future generations.

Rising Tide, Vancouver Coast Salish Territories.