TransLink has been granted a court injunction to prevent anti-pipeline protests from interfering with its SkyTrain facilities ahead of a planned demonstration tonight near the Commercial-Broadway station.
The Metro Vancouver bus company announced that it filed an injunction application in B.C. Supreme Court Wednesday, noting that this particular station is “a vital link” for 25,000 customers daily.
The injunction prevents protesters from “from physically obstructing, interfering, or otherwise impeding” the public transit network.
“While TransLink supports the right to peaceful protest, the safety of our customers and our staff is our priority,” a statement from TransLink reads. “We have taken the step of requesting an injunction for all properties to ensure the hundreds of thousands of people who rely on the Expo and Millennium Lines, Canada Line, SeaBus and other TransLink facilities every day can get to their destinations safely.”
Wednesday night’s protest rally is being organized by Climate Convergence Metro Vancouver.
“Building off weeks of coast to coast actions, Vancouverites will come together once again to demonstrate their solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en Nation in its fight to assert its rights against the Coastal GasLink Pipeline and demand that RCMP end the occupation of their territory,” a news release from the group reads.
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“They will also reaffirm that Indigenous-led resistance to the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion remains just as strong despite a recent unjust Federal court decision.”
The injunction won’t prevent protests from blocking municipally and provincially owned roadways, so bus customers should be prepared for delays and detours, TransLink warned.
Last week, the West Coast Express was cancelled Friday morning due to a blockade along the rail tracks in Port Coquitlam, owned by the Canadian National Railway.
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