rising_tide

Speaking Panel on Chippewas of the Thames First Nation’s legal challenge of Line 9

The Deets:

Monday June 15, 2015

7:00 pm

Friendship House

60 Lowther Ave., Toronto, Ontario

The Call Out:

Please join us in welcoming a panel of speakers from Chippewas of the Thames First Nation (COTTFN) and other front-line community members on June 15th at Friends House at 7:00pm to hear about the important court challenge against the National Energy Board which approved Enbridge’s Line 9 pipeline despite a lack of consultation with the community. The community goes to court on the following day. Details on court support actions below. 

Panel speakers:

• Myeengun Henry, Band Council Member, Chippewas of the Thames First Nation 
• Melissa Elliot, Activist, Student of the Mohawk Language, and Mother, Six Nations of the Grand River
• Lindsay Gray, Activist, Aamjiwnaang and Sarnia Against Pipelines (ASAP), Aamjiwnaang First Nation 

More information:

Chippewas of the Thames First Nation is appealing the National Energy Board’s approval of Enbridge’s Line 9 pipeline which runs through southern Ontario and is set to carry tar sands diluted bitumen east for export.

The Chippewas court case centers on the lack of consultation with the community on the reversal project which crosses through the First Nation’s traditional territory and would massively impact its land and water in the case of a spill.

The Canadian Constitution, under Section 35, states that First Nations have a right to be consulted on projects that could negatively impact their land.

Yet neither Enbridge nor the government consulted with Chippewas of the Thames on the project and now the dangerous pipeline is planned to go online this June, possibly before the case is even heard in court.

A pipeline safety expert with over forty years of experience in the energy sector, Richard Kuprewicz, has stated that the probability of Line 9 rupturing is over 90% in the first five years of operation. This is due to the large number of fractures in the aging pipeline and the new, much heavier substance which has to be transported at a higher temperature and pressure.

With such a high probability of a spill, it is absolutely crucial that all 18 First Nations along the line be consulted, including Chippewas of the Thames.

“Line 9 has been flowing light crude oil through Chippewas of the Thames traditional territory for 40 years without our consent. It is time for industry and governments to honour the treaties and wampum belt agreements. Indigenous nations and all residents of Canada are responsible for the safety of our Mother Earth!” – Myeengun Henry, Chippewas of the Thames First Nation

Please come out to hear from members of front-line communities and show your support for Chippewas of the Thames First Nation, their legal appeal, and their right to free, prior and informed consent!

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Related Events:

June 16th, 9:30am: PACK THE COURTS! If you are able to, please attend court proceedings at 180 Queen Street West on the 7th floor to show your support for the community. Court will start right on time so try to arrive a little early. If the court room is full, there will be an overflow room to watch the proceedings live on screen.

June 16th, 11:00am: COURT SUPPORT RALLY outside with speakers and performers! Based on the expected length of court proceedings, we have changed the start time of the Court Support rally to 11am – we hope you can still make it!

Details: https://www.facebook.com/events/706501579458858/

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Additional information about the court case: https://intercontinentalcry.org/enbridge-and-the-national-energy-board-push-to-open-line-9-ahead-of-legal-challenge-by-indigenous-community/

If you are unable to attend this panel or the court support rally, you can show support by signing this petition: http://you.leadnow.ca/petitions/demand-the-neb-respect-indigenous-rights-sign-to-support-chippewas-of-the-thames-first-nation

You can also contribute to the community’s legal fund to help pay for the expensive legal costs associated with court: https://fundly.com/chippewas-of-the-thames-has-never-been-consulted?fb_action_ids=10155623814695165%2C1

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Krystalline Kraus

krystalline kraus is an intrepid explorer and reporter from Toronto, Canada. A veteran activist and journalist for rabble.ca, she needs no aviator goggles, gas mask or red cape but proceeds fearlessly...