A natural gas pipeline company has posted an injunction order giving opponents 72 hours to clear the way to its work site in northern B.C., although the company says its focus is still to find a peaceful resolution that avoids enforcement.
The order stamped Tuesday by the B.C. Supreme Court registry addresses members of the Wet’suwet’en Nation and supporters who say the Coastal GasLink project has no authority without consent from the five hereditary clan chiefs.
It comes one year after RCMP enforcement of a similar injunction along the same road sparked rallies across Canada in support of Indigenous rights and raised questions about land claims.
The order requires the defendants to remove any obstructions including cabins and gates on any roads, bridges or work sites the company has been authorized to use.
If they don’t remove the obstructions themselves, the court says the company is at liberty to remove them.
It gives authorization to RCMP to arrest and remove anyone police have “reasonable or probable grounds” to believe has knowledge of the order and is contravening it.
“The police retain discretion as to timing and manner of enforcement of this order,” it says.
Coastal GasLink, however, says posting the order was procedural and the company has no plans to request police action.
The B.C. Supreme Court granted an injunction to the company on Dec. 31. The order stamped Tuesday provides details of the court injunction.
Previous injunction and enforcement orders remained in effect until the new order was issued, Coastal GasLink spokeswoman Suzanne Wilton said.
Obstructing access was already prohibited under the previous orders and they also included enforcement provisions.
“We continue to believe that dialogue is preferable to confrontation while engagement and a negotiated resolution remain possible,” Wilton said in an email.
The company declined an interview request.
The order does not apply to a metal gate on the west side of a bridge outside the Unist’ot’en camp, unless it is used to prevent or impede the workers’ access.
Hereditary chiefs negotiated last year with RCMP for the gate to remain outside the camp, which is home to some members of one of the First Nation’s 13 house groups, so long as it would not be used to prevent workers from accessing the work site.
Fourteen people were arrested by armed officers at a checkpoint constructed along the road leading to both the Unist’ot’en camp and the Coastal GasLink work site on Jan. 7, 2019.
The company has signed agreements with all 20 elected First Nation councils along the 670-kilometre pipeline route, but the five Wet’suwet’en hereditary clan chiefs say no one can access the land without their consent.
The pipeline is part of the $40-billion LNG Canada project that will export Canadian natural gas to Asian markets.
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Coastal GasLink shared photos Tuesday of what it says are more than 100 trees that have been felled across the logging road.
At a press conference Tuesday, hereditary chief Na’moks called for construction to cease and for the B.C. government to revoke the company’s permits.
He said the Wet’suwet’en felled the trees to protect their own safety.
“Those trees put across the road were for our safety. We must look at the history of the RCMP one year ago and what they did to our people and the guests in our territory,” he said.
Amy Smart, The Canadian Press
