First Nations sign declaration against Kinder Morgan pipeline proposal
The Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations joined together Saturday to paddle canoes on Burrard Inlet, from Ambleside Park to Cates Park, where they signed a declaration to protect the waterway, the Salish Sea.
Along the way, they performed a water ceremony in front of Kinder Morgan's Westridge Marine Terminal in Burnaby.
It's the company's proposed expansion of its Trans Mountain pipeline and the resulting increased oil tanker traffic in the inlet that the two First Nations agreed in their declaration to work together to stop.
"By signing this declaration, our Nations are calling on people from all cultures to stand with us to protect our environment for future generations," said Chief Justin George of Tsleil-Waututh Nation, whose traditional territory includes Burnaby.
"This celebration reminds us all that there is room for many paddlers in one canoe. When we paddle together, with one heart, one mind and one spirit, great things can happen."
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