Last Saturday, hundreds gathered on traditional Tsleil-Watuth territory to show their love of the land and sea. Water protectors paddled in canoes and kayaks from Whey-ah-Wichen to the unpermitted razor wire fence Kinder Morgan put up in the water around the Westridge marine terminal. They sang and prayed in the ceremony, led by Elder Ta’ah Amy George. On land, we witnessed what was happening around the fence, gave offerings of sage, cedar, and lavender to the water. We cheered as the paddlers made their way back and welcomed the flotilla back to shore.

Justin Trudeau and the federal government bought out the Kinder Morgan pipeline in May to try and guarantee that the expansion will be built, but Indigenous frontline resistance says, “NO”. In fact, we as a group called the Prime Minister to his personal number and chanted in synchrony “NO means NO! NO pipeline!”

Pipelines and all destructive resource extraction leave the land and people, especially Indigenous women and children, worse off than before. Violent crimes by men against women and sexual exploitation often increase dramatically when a “man camp” is established near an extraction site. Toxic bitumen coming from Alberta does not only poison the land and people but when faced with a choice between dirty, unrefined bitumen or cheap shale formations, foreign buyers will choose bitumen exactly never.

Those of us who love the water, love the land and want there to be something for the generations to come understand this and what is at stake. On Saturday, we saw those people come together.

We heard from Cedar George-Parker about how after a spill, it’s possible that up to a million people will get sick. We also heard from Ocean Hyland about how protecting the water, culture and land is connected to all living beings. All of the speakers generated hope and gratitude for each other, the earth, and the movement to #stopkm.
To get involved, visit Protect the Inlet.