Toronto protesters slam U.S. pipeline project
Backlash comes over fears of North Dakota line rupture poisoning major watershed
Hundreds of people gathered in downtown Toronto on Saturday to protest the construction of an oil pipeline in North Dakota, a resource project that has galvanized opposition from indigenous communities and environmentalists across the continent.
The demonstration began with a series of speeches at Queen’s Park, included a march down University Ave., and finished as the sun went down in a cacophony of drumming and singing outside City Hall at Nathan Phillips Square.
Amy Desjarlais, a 39-year-old demonstrator from Wasauksing First Nation near Parry Sound, said the goal was to express solidarity with protesters in the U.S. who are trying to block the construction of a portion of the Dakota Access Pipeline that is slated to cross the Missouri River.
“We want to show them that we’re thinking about them,” Desjarlais said, streaks of sky blue paint flashing out from around her eyes. “That’s what we’re doing when we’re singing. We’re praying for the people down there.”
There were hundreds of arrests and accusations of excessive force last weekend when police raided the protest camp on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in North Dakota.
The $3.7-billion (U.S.) pipeline project will send 470,000 barrels of crude oil per day from North Dakota to Patoka, Ill., according to Energy Transfers, the company behind the project. Proponents claim there will be millions of dollars in economic benefits, including the creation of up to 12,000 jobs during construction.
Protesters in Toronto on Saturday, however, denounced the pipeline as environmentally irresponsible. Many fear a pipeline rupture could spill oil into the Missouri River, which connects downstream to the Mississippi and provides drinking water for millions of Americans.
Patti Pettigrew said the protesters in North Dakota are fighting for the same rights as indigenous Canadi- ans. She pointed out that many First Nations communities in Canada have been under boil-water advisories for years, and called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to honour his 2015 election commitment to end those advisories.
“Keep your damn word,” she shouted to the cheers of those gathered at Queen’s Park Saturday.
Chief Stacey Laforme of the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation also spoke at the rally, criticizing the police crackdown on protesters in North Dakota.
He said the groups on either side of the front line in Standing Rock fought shoulder-to-shoulder in both world wars. The North Dakota “water protectors,” as they call themselves, are standing up for the same rights now as then, he said.
Later, at Nathan Phillips Square, 24-year-old Krysta Barilko stood in the purple robes that she said are the traditional regalia of her Akwesasne Mohawk community in Quebec.
“I’m very proud of my people and everybody for showing their support,” she said, gesturing across the chanting crowd as drummers kept beat and several people weaved through the crowd burning sage and sweetgrass.
Carrie Lester, 56, said the demonstration in Toronto also reflects anger over resource projects such as Enbridge’s Line 9, which carries crude oil from Sarnia to Montreal, as well as the legacy of mercury poisoning in Grassy Narrows, an Ojibwa community in northern Ontario.
“It’s outrageous that these things are continuing to take place,” she said. “Everywhere is Standing Rock.”