RCMP maintains presence on Wet’suwet’en territory as Coastal GasLink continues to install its fracked gas pipeline

Photo by Dogwood. 

In early-November 2022, Matt Simmons of the Narwhal reported that Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chief Na’moks was told by a pipeline security guard: “If you pass this gate, sir, my understanding is that you will be arrested by the RCMP.” He was two kilometres away from where Coastal GasLink is drilling under Wedzin Kwa. 

To hear from Chief Na’moks about this, join our webinar on February 21.

On September 14, 2022, Houston Today reported: “Coastal GasLink has resumed work to run its natural gas pipeline through a tunnel underneath the Morice River.”

The article continues: “The company would not release details other than to say two ‘trenchless watercourse crossings’ are underway underneath the Morice River south of Houston and at Crocker Creek in northeastern B.C.”

By the time of its Monthly Construction Update released on December 26, 2022, Coastal GasLink said that in Section 7, which includes the crossing of Wedzin Kwa, “32.4% of pipe installed, includes activities from stringing through to backfilling.”

And now in the latest Monthly Construction Update released on January 26, 2023, the company says: “40.2% of pipe installed.”

While it has been previously reported that “the active tunneling work is expected to take two and half to three months”, this latest monthly construction update suggests the drilling is not yet complete after five months.

Yesterday, the Prince George Post reported: “The company says it will have a better idea by the summer whether it will need to push construction into 2024. While 84 per cent of construction is complete, there are some remaining challenging areas such as river crossings that can only be undertaken during the winter months, Bevin Wirzba, TC Energy’s  executive vice-president of strategy and corporate development, said [February 14].”

C-IRG on the yintah

Meanwhile, the RCMP has not left Wet’suwet’en territory.

Photo: Kris Statnyk, Na’moks’ legal counsel, asked to talk with the RCMP. Sergeant Jason Charney approached the gate but did not speak (early-November 2022).

This despite the call from the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on December 13, 2019 – now more than 3 years ago – for the RCMP and associated private security to be withdrawn from their traditional lands.

On April 29, 2022, the UN Committee issued its third rebuke calling for the RCMP and notably “the Community-Industry Response Group (C-IRG)” to leave the territory.

Webinar, February 21

Please join us on Tuesday February 21 at 1 pm PT/4 pm ET to hear Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chief Na’moks provide an update on the RCMP presence on his territory and to hear his comments on the growing calls for the C-IRG to be dismantled.

To register for this, click here.

Webinar speakers: Chief Na’moks, human rights lawyer Shivangi Misra, academic-activist Keith Cherry, moderator Seb Bonet.