CORNWALL & SDG, Ontario – Two demonstrations have taken place this week in our region in protest of the Coastal GasLink pipeline in Kitimat, B.C., which is on Haisla Nation lands.
It has been reported that on Monday, Feb. 10 around 7 p.m. a protest took place outside of the RCMP Cornwall Detachment. Posts on social media suggest that a round dance and land recognition was set to take place.
“I can confirm that approx. six people showed up at the RCMP detachment in Cornwall,” said Const. Louise Savard. “RCMP respect and protect the right to peaceful demonstration under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.”
The following evening, on Tuesday, Feb. 11, local OPP intercepted a rolling blockade protest on HWY 401 Westbound in the Morrisburg area.
“Our members of the Provincial Liaison Team (PLT) did intercept them…shortly after 6 p.m., three vehicles with Indigenous solidarity flags,” explained SDG OPP Communications Officer Tylor Copeland. “PLT and Task Force officers conducted a traffic stop, (protesters) were spoken to regarding impeding traffic and they came up with resolution to only travel in the right hand land.”
Ofc. Copeland said that OPP officers escorted protesters to their destination of Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory.
A protest also occurred during the afternoon of Friday, Feb. 7, shutting down traffic on the Seaway International Bridge.
RELATED: Pipeline protest on Seaway Bridge stops traffic
VIA Rail has stated that it is has cancelled over 150 trips, affecting approx. 25,000 individuals since the railway blockade in Tyendinaga near Belleville, Ont. began on Thursday, Feb. 6. As of Tuesday, Feb. 11 VIA Rail allegedly cancelled all travel between Toronto and Montreal, and Toronto and Ottawa until the end of the day on Thursday, Feb. 13. Although demonstrators have not obstructed the tracks, they are reportedly set up too close to the tracks for trains to pass through safely.
Canadian National Railway (CN) said in a press release that “it will be forced to shut down significant parts of its Canadian network imminently unless the blockades on its rail lines are removed”, affecting the delivery/transportation of goods to Eastern Ontario such as propane and livestock feed.
It has been reported that protesters said they will stop train traffic until the RCMP leaves Wet’suwet’en territory in B.C.
[…] RELATED: Local demonstrations continue, protesting B.C. pipeline […]