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Protesters lock themselves to Washington port to block Trans Mountain pipeline shipment

Five demonstraters, supported by kayakers, have stopped the ship from docking
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A group of protesters have block a ship carrying pipe for the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion from docking in the Port of Vancouver, WA, on Nov.5, 2019.(Portland Rising Tide/Facebook)

A handful of protesters locked themselves to a dock at the Port of Vancouver in Washington State on Tuesday morning in a bid to stop a shipment meant for the Trans Mountain pipeline from getting to B.C.

According to the Portland Rising Tide, five protesters from Oregon and Washington climbed onto the dock with the help of dozens of kayakers and other boats, and prevented an incoming cargo ship, believed to be carrying materials for the Trans Mountain expansion, from docking for several hours.

Video posted by the activists at about 10:30 a.m. showed local police officers attempting to detain those on the dock.

“This is not just a Canadian problem, but an American problem, too,” Cedar George-Parker, a member of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation on Burrard Inlet, said in a news release. “We need people in the U.S. to stand in solidarity and take action to stop this pipeline. The border will not divide us.”

This is the third protest targeting the port in recent months, after activists learned that pipe materials were being shipped to Washington, then transported by rail to B.C.

READ MORE: Saskatchewan granted intervener status in First Nations TMX project appeal

The expansion of the controversial project was approved for a second time in June, after the Federal Court of Appeal tore up the original approval last year due to insufficient environmental review and inadequate Indigenous consultations.


@ashwadhwani
ashley.wadhwani@bpdigital.ca

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About the Author: Ashley Wadhwani-Smith

I began my journalistic journey at Black Press Media as a community reporter in my hometown of Maple Ridge, B.C.
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