Muncey, Ontario—December 30, 2015
On December 4th, Rachel Thevenard of Kitchener/Waterloo area began a “Run Against Line 9” in support of Chippewas of the Thames First Nation’s (COTTFN) Supreme Court case against the Enbridge pipeline. Rachel feels very strongly about the lack of consultation and consent in the National Energy Board’s approval of Line 9. She decided she would show her support by running along a route parallel to the Line 9 pipeline from Sarnia (Aamjiwnaang), all the way to Montreal. A “Go Fund Me” account has been started to help in the COTTFN court case. www.gofundme.com/chippewas
Rachel has already run over 600 km of a total projected distance of 831 km, at a rate of up to 50 km per day. Her amazing endeavour is coming to a conclusion soon, as she’s about to visit Quebec communities along the pipeline and ultimately reach its eastern endpoint, in Montreal East, on January 5th. Local supporters are planning a rally at the Line 9 Terminal on January 5th at noon, to greet Rachel and show solidarity with the Chippewas of the Thames First Nation. The Facebook event for the rally can be found at ligne9.info/runline9rally.
Chippewas of the Thames First Nation seeks leave from the Supreme Court to appeal a decision of the Federal Court of Appeal which upheld a National Energy Board decision granting Enbridge Pipeline Inc.’s (“Enbridge”) authorization to reverse a section of pipeline between North Westover, Ontario and Montreal, Quebec, to expand the annual capacity of Line 9 from Sarnia, Ontario to Montreal from 240,000 bpd to 300,000 bpd, and to allow heavy crude, containing diluted bitumen to be shipped on Line 9.
Chippewas of the Thames First Nation appeared before the National Energy Board and provided evidence of its existing Aboriginal and Treaty Rights in the vicinity of the pipeline project and of potential risks associated with the new activity requested by Enbridge. The duty to consult with First Nations people and accommodate their interests is a constitutional duty invoking honour of the Crown, which requires that the Crown act with good faith to provide meaningful consultation appropriate to the circumstances and must be upheld.
“We, the Chippewas of the Thames First Nation appreciate all that Rachel is doing to help support our cause. She has shown determination and dedication not just towards our case but shows such passion towards the environment. In our Indigenous beliefs, all decisions are based on the next seven generations therefore we must look at the potential hazards or threat towards our water,” says Chief Leslee White-Eye
Map of route.
https://www.google.com/maps/d/
Miigwech,