Portrait series to span Trans Mountain expansion

A group of local environmentalists hopes to install a series of colourful eight-foot portraits along the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion this fall.

The portrait series, “People on the Path,” is planned for locations around Jasper and Edmonton under the organization of Climate Justice Edmonton. They were displayed together at Whitemud Park Sunday afternoon as a backdrop for several speeches from environmentalists and Indigenous advocates.

“We wanted to spark a discussion around this very pro-oil narrative that we have in Alberta, and put forward a hopeful vision that is away from oil,” said Climate Justice Edmonton organizer Jenny Kleininger.

The federal government bought Kinder Morgan’s core Canadian assets for $4.5 billion this spring, taking ownership of the Trans Mountain pipeline.

The expansion will transport a capacity of 890,000 barrels a day from the Edmonton area to Burnaby, B.C. Construction, slated to start this summer, is estimated to cost an additional $7.4 billion.

The 25-portrait series will be placed along the pipeline some time this fall, and will remain up until taken down by corporate or government authorities, Kleininger said.

The portraits depict Albertans from various ages and backgrounds, from an eight-week-old baby to 90-year-old Violet Cheechum, an elder of Fort McMurray First Nation.

Each figure is posed with a written message, including “No justice on stolen land,” “Clean air clean water,” and “Keep the rivers flowing, the sun shining, and the grass growing.”

The portraits were funded by a grant through Lush Cosmetics, Kleininger said.