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Could an Indigenous-Owned Pipeline Be a Force for Good? – The Walrus

A wealth gap exists between Indigenous peoples and other Canadians. Some First Nations believe buying the Trans Mountain pipeline might fix it

Nov. 21, 2022

On a hot Friday afternoon in late July 2018, nine identical shovels stood upright in freshly tilled dirt, ready for their photo op. Donning white hard hats, a group of politicians, corporate officials, and Enoch Cree Nation leaders had gathered at a groundbreaking ceremony tied to the Trans Mountain expansion. Trans Mountain has been a linchpin of Canada’s oil industry since it was built nearly seventy years ago, and its expansion on the First Nation’s land—a project that would extend the existing pipeline, for exports, from Alberta to the Port of Vancouver—would triple daily capacity to 890,000 barrels of oil.

Breaking ground would be the easy part. From the time it was proposed in 2013 by then owner Kinder Morgan, a Texas-based oil-and-gas corporation, the Trans Mountain expansion faced widespread resistance. First Nations like Tsleil-Waututh, located on BC’s coast, knew their territory would bear the brunt of increased tanker traffic. And, for citizens worried about the realities of climate change, building a lifeline for Canadian oil seemed a noxious mission.

Read More: https://thewalrus.ca/could-an-indigenous-owned-pipeline-be-a-force-for-good/

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