VANCOUVER -- Opponents of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion say they will do whatever it takes to stop the project after suffering a devastating legal blow at the Federal Court of Appeal.
Tsleil-Waututh Nation member Will George says activists will be scheduling meetings in the next few days to plan future actions and “if it has to get ugly, it will get ugly.”
George says he expects more protesters to gather at existing demonstration sites in British Columbia including a “watch house” outside a shipping terminal in Burnaby and a collection of tiny homes in the Interior.
Squamish Nation Coun. Khelsilem says there are a number of people willing to defend the province's coast and the lengthy battle at the Federal Court has delayed a confrontation on the ground.
The Tsleil-Waututh and Squamish were among four Indigenous groups that lost a challenge before the court yesterday, but they may still seek leave to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada.
Construction on the federally owned project has begun at terminals and along the right-of-way in Alberta but about 88 per cent of the detailed route in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley has yet to be approved.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 5, 2020.
