Hundreds rally in Burnaby against Trans Mountain pipeline expansion
Posted May 28, 2017 7:04 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
BURNABY (NEWS 1130) – Hundreds of people in British Columbia have completed a 75-kilometre march in protest of the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.
The four-day trek called Walk For the Salish Sea ended with a rally in Burnaby Sunday afternoon with speeches scheduled from federal Green Party Leader Elizabeth May, Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan and Grand Chief Stewart Phillip.
Texas-based Kinder Morgan recently gave a conditional financial go-ahead for the expansion, which would triple the amount of Alberta oil that flows to B.C.’s coast and increase tanker traffic by seven-fold.
Rally organizer Joel Ornoy says the pipeline poses a serious risk for the environment, nearby residents and economy if a spill were to occur.
In addition to putting a spotlight on the issue, Ornoy says the march raised thousands of dollars for indigenous groups fighting the pipeline proposal in the courts.
Kinder Morgan has said the company received the necessary approvals from the federal government for the project and is aiming to begin construction this fall.
