A checkpoint set up on Morice River Rd by the Gitdumt’en Clan of the Wet’suwe’ten Nation in British Columbia. Photo: Laurie Hamelin/APTN
A checkpoint set up on Morice River Rd by the Gitdumt’en Clan of the Wet’suwe’ten Nation in British Columbia has blocked an attempt by to post an injunction notice on the gate of the Unist’ot’en camp 20 kilometres down the road according to the company.
“We hoped to be able to communicate and find solutions, but unfortunately that didn’t happen,” said Jacquelynn Benson, a spokesperson for Coastal GasLink.
“We posted the interim injunction at the new Gitdumt’en checkpoint and will now take a step back to ensure the safety of everyone involved.”
A message was also posted on a Facebook site set up by the Unist’ot’en camp at approximately 11 p.m. PT that said the company “tried to serve an injunction order today at the bridge but couldn’t,” the post said.
(Members of the Gitdumt’en Clan build a check point on Morice River Rd. Photo: Laurie Hamelin/APTN)
On Tuesday, members of the Gitdumt’en Clan set up a checkpoint on the same road that leads to the Unist’ot’en camp.
The camp has been in place since 2010.
On Friday, a B.C. judge granted an interim injunction to Coastal GasLink to have the gate that blocks access to the road leading to the CGL pipeline site removed.
Members of the camp say the gate is still in place.
“Fists raised to the new Wet’suwet’en Access Point on Gitdumt’en Territory, which is being enforced by house chiefs of all five Clans and is outside and before the injunction zone,” said the Facebook post. “The situation we have is not an Unist’ot’en problem; it’s a Wet’suwet’en and government problem.
“They are trying to reduce it down to try and move the pipeline forward, and as far as we are concerned that’s not going to happen as Hereditary Chief Kloum Khun says.”
The pipeline will run 670 km from Dawson Creek, B.C. to Kitimat on the coast where the fractured gas will be refined before being shipped.
According to the company, it needs access to the Unist’ot’en camp to continue to build a 190 km section of the pipeline through the Wet’suweten Nation.
The pipeline project seems to have divided the elected band council, and hereditary chiefs of the Wet’suwet’en Nation.
(First Nation LNG Alliance CEO Karen Ogen-Toews)
According to a statement released to APTN News from members of the First Nation LNG Alliance speaking to the Gitxaala Nation on Tuesday, CEO Karen Ogen-Toews said that the split between elected and hereditary chiefs is not serving the people.
“It is sad that within the Wet’suwet’en Nation it is broken and we need to fix it. Our people need both the hereditary chiefs and elected chiefs to work together for the people,” said Ogen-Toews.
“I pray and hope that we can come together as one people and work together so our people can prosper.”
The Unist’ot’en camp and the new checkpoint has support from all five hereditary chiefs of the Wet’suwet’en Nation according to a release posted on Facebook.
The elected council voted in favour of the deal with Coastal GasLink.
“We have the opportunity to re-instil our economy of our past… and bring it into a modern context,” said Chief Councillor Crystal Smith of Haisla Nation.
Haisla Nation signed a benefits agreement with LNG Canada. An LNG processing plant will be built in Haisla’s traditional territory.
“It is imperative that we become united, united as Indigenous communities for the benefit of our people,” Smith said.
First of all…. clause section 109 of the Constitution Act, 1867; Section 109 is the section that says the Crown’s Constitutional “Interest” is subject to the Aboriginal Constitutional “Interest” so long as the Aboriginal “Interest” has not been sold to the Crown by a valid treaty. It confirms that Aboriginal sovereignty, i.e., exclusive jurisdiction and sole possession, is the supreme law of the land pending treaty and, correspondingly, establishes the utter irrelevance of Crown Parliamentary legislation and Crown court recent inventions based upon the “common law”.
Secondly…….LNG trying to gather the pro fracking indigenous to delegitimize the brave and truly traditional Unist’ot’en and united clans is disgusting… shame on them. The “House of LNG” has done nothing but cause division and distrust within all of our communities. Our Federal Band Councils have mandates to “negotiate” on behalf of the membership, not make the decisions for us….I would still like to see all the “democratic” referendums from the actual members in each community that “approved”. Records of how many eligible voters in each community with how many voted “yes” and how many “no”. I know in our community the actual members did not even get a say. Our Federal Chief Band Councilor reiterated that 5yrs while negotiating “was not enough time” for an actual vote from the actual membership. So how many members from each community is “approving” and giving “consent?” 3? 4? on band council? out of how many indigenous members? even if the number is 6 in our community that is %1 of membership giving “consent”. Shouldn’t there be a threshold? what happened to %50 + 1? not even close. its no wonder there is such division and complications getting any projects through…if you sneak, lie and cheat then you will always get nothing but chaos. great negotiating…not.
It is so clear that given a fair and transparent voice, the majority of indigenous would support and cheer on the Unist’ot’en and all other nations upholding and asserting their sovereign authority and title to their territories. Using the Federal Band Councils that hold most members finances as tools of oppression is just more genocidal tactics from the colonial government entities. There is no real “reconciliation”, all a smoke screen. it’s no wonder indigenous do not trust government or resource extraction corporations. more of the same every time. what do they expect when there is no real “honor” or “truth” in negotiations?
Now people are really going to get hurt and it all falls on the government and corporations feet. Same ol, same ol. and it is the same everywhere with LNG, OIL and Mining. be sure the ones that get through hold their breath while sneaking it past the membership. “consultation” you know.
First of all…. clause section 109 of the Constitution Act, 1867; Section 109 is the section that says the Crown’s Constitutional “Interest” is subject to the Aboriginal Constitutional “Interest” so long as the Aboriginal “Interest” has not been sold to the Crown by a valid treaty. It confirms that Aboriginal sovereignty, i.e., exclusive jurisdiction and sole possession, is the supreme law of the land pending treaty and, correspondingly, establishes the utter irrelevance of Crown Parliamentary legislation and Crown court recent inventions based upon the “common law”.
Secondly…….LNG trying to gather the pro fracking indigenous to delegitimize the brave and truly traditional Unist’ot’en and united clans is disgusting… shame on them. The “House of LNG” has done nothing but cause division and distrust within all of our communities. Our Federal Band Councils have mandates to “negotiate” on behalf of the membership, not make the decisions for us….I would still like to see all the “democratic” referendums from the actual members in each community that “approved”. Records of how many eligible voters in each community with how many voted “yes” and how many “no”. I know in our community the actual members did not even get a say. Our Federal Chief Band Councilor reiterated that 5yrs while negotiating “was not enough time” for an actual vote from the actual membership. So how many members from each community is “approving” and giving “consent?” 3? 4? on band council? out of how many indigenous members? even if the number is 6 in our community that is %1 of membership giving “consent”. Shouldn’t there be a threshold? what happened to %50 + 1? not even close. its no wonder there is such division and complications getting any projects through…if you sneak, lie and cheat then you will always get nothing but chaos. great negotiating…not.
It is so clear that given a fair and transparent voice, the majority of indigenous would support and cheer on the Unist’ot’en and all other nations upholding and asserting their sovereign authority and title to their territories. Using the Federal Band Councils that hold most members finances as tools of oppression is just more genocidal tactics from the colonial government entities. There is no real “reconciliation”, all a smoke screen. it’s no wonder indigenous do not trust government or resource extraction corporations. more of the same every time. what do they expect when there is no real “honor” or “truth” in negotiations?
Now people are really going to get hurt and it all falls on the government and corporations feet. Same ol, same ol. and it is the same everywhere with LNG, OIL and Mining. be sure the ones that get through hold their breath while sneaking it past the membership. “consultation” you know.
Selling out our grandchildren’s futures …Is not in the best interests of the Firstnations people ….The short sighted interests of a few people cannot determine what future generations must deal with …. The pollution from the upgrading of this gas will destroy the water, forests, and health of all living things in the territory ….What good is money when you can not breath clean air ?Stop this madness now !!
“We hoped to be able to communicate and find solutions, but unfortunately that didn’t happen,” said Jacquelynn Benson, a spokesperson for Coastal GasLink.
What part of “NO” do you not understand, Jacquelynn?
Selling out our grandchildren’s futures …Is not in the best interests of the Firstnations people ….The short sighted interests of a few people cannot determine what future generations must deal with …. The pollution from the upgrading of this gas will destroy the water, forests, and health of all living things in the territory ….What good is money when you can not breath clean air ?Stop this madness now !!
“We hoped to be able to communicate and find solutions, but unfortunately that didn’t happen,” said Jacquelynn Benson, a spokesperson for Coastal GasLink.
What part of “NO” do you not understand, Jacquelynn?