Rally calls for halt to enlarging pipeline to B.C. port

Justin Fisher says it has been refreshing to have a federal government that actually acknowledges the existence of climate change. At the same time, he worries about how committed the Trudeau Liberals are to actually bringing about change.

“Right now we’re seeing a very troubling discord between what the government is saying and what they’re doing,” Fisher, a member of local grassroots organization Climate Justice Saskatoon, said Friday.

Fisher was one of about 15 people who rallied in Friendship Park as part of a national day of action called the People’s Injunction. The event, organized by national climate change organization 350. org, was designed to raise awareness of what organizers say is a broken campaign promise by the Trudeau government.

The next step in the environmental assessment of the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain Pipeline is scheduled to take place next week. The proposed pipeline would run from Burnaby, B.C., to Edmonton.

Trudeau’s government has promised to overhaul the environmental assessment program to allow affected parties to have more input into future pipeline projects.

However, the Kinder Morgan project is being assessed under the existing rules, according to Fisher.

“During the campaign, they insisted (the new assessment program) would apply to existing projects as well, like the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline, but that one’s about to go ahead next week under the same rules the Liberals campaigned against,” he said.

The group would like the government to pause or scrap the Kinder Morgan review pending changes to the environmental assessment process.

“We’d love to hear him halt the review,” Rachel Malena-Chan, another member, said.

Climate Justice Saskatoon was formed to offer locals a chance to band together to try to affect change on climate issues by taking part in events like Friday’s.

“I think a lot of people are really worried about climate change but they don’t know what to do with that worry or that fear,” Malena Chan said.

LIAM RICHARDS/SASKATOON STARPHOENIX Members of a group calling itself Climate Justice Saskatoon display signs in Friendship Park Friday during a rally to oppose the expansion of an oil pipeline that runs between Alberta and a tanker terminal in Burnaby, B.C.