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<font size="1"><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/wet-suwet-en-coastal-gaslink-na-moks-1.5415586">https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/wet-suwet-en-coastal-gaslink-na-moks-1.5415586</a>
</font><h1 class="gmail-reader-title">Hereditary First Nation chiefs issue eviction notice to Coastal GasLink contractors<br></h1>
<div class="gmail-credits gmail-reader-credits">Joel Dryden · CBC News · Posted: Jan 06, 2020 <br></div></div>
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<div class="gmail-moz-reader-content gmail-line-height4 gmail-reader-show-element"><div id="gmail-readability-page-1" class="gmail-page"><p>A
hereditary chief with the Wet'suwet'en Nation said a work site for the
Coastal GasLink pipeline near Houston, B.C., has been vacated following
the issuing of an eviction notice.</p><div><div><p><img alt="" src="https://i.cbc.ca/1.5414185.1578325397!/cpImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/16x9_780/bc-lng-pipeline-camp-20190203.jpg"></p></div>A
checkpoint is seen at a bridge leading to the Unist'ot'en camp on a
remote logging road near Houston, B.C., on Jan. 17, 2019. In a
statement, Coastal GasLink said staff discovered felled trees near the
work site on Sunday, making the road impassable. (Darryl Dyck/The
Canadian Press)<p><span></span></p><p>A hereditary
chief with the Wet'suwet'en Nation said a work site for the Coastal
GasLink pipeline near Houston, B.C., has been vacated after he and other
hereditary chiefs issued an eviction notice.</p> <p>"We've tried the avenues available," said Na'Moks, who also goes by John Ridsdale.</p> <p>The
pipeline is owned by Calgary-based TC Energy, which agreed to sell a 65
per cent stake in the project to private investment firm KKR and the
Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo) last month. The sale
is expected to close later this year.</p> <p>The company has said it
signed agreements with all 20 elected First Nations councils along the
pipeline's path, but five hereditary chiefs of the Wet'suweten First
Nation say the project has no authority without their consent.</p> <p>First
Nations communities have an election for chief and council — based on
the number of members they have — every two years. Band council
leadership is not a traditional form of government; they are creations
of the federal Indian Act.</p> <p>Wet'suwet'en leadership is
hereditary: a chief inherits his or her role through their matrilineal
line through the potlatch system, which is the First Nation's governing
structure. </p> <p>The different levels of decision making and
authority have created tensions between the hereditary chiefs,
provincial and federal governments, and band councils.</p> <p>On Dec. 31, a B.C. Supreme Court judge <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bc-injunction-coastal-gaslink-1.5411965">granted</a> Coastal GasLink an injunction against protestors who had blocked access to the project inside their territory.</p> <p>In
a letter issued to Coastal GasLink representatives, hereditary chiefs
with the First Nation wrote all staff and contractors must leave the
territory immediately.</p> <p>"Coastal GasLink is in violation
of Wet'suwet'en law, and it is our responsibility now to
uphold Wet'suwet'en law to maintain the integrity of our territories for
future generations," the letter reads. </p> <p>Upon receiving the
eviction notice, Na'Moks said employees of Coastal GasLink initially
reacted with "arrogance and entitlement."</p> <p>"But it was explained
to them that we are peacefully there," he said. "We witnessed them
leaving, because we were staying there until they did. Then they left,
and it was peaceful.</p> <p>"We sang our songs and drummed and wished
them well. These are employees, but we needed to let the decision-makers
know that we do not agree with them — we follow our law."The specifics
of these individual agreements have been kept out of public.</p> <h2>Felled trees make road to worksite impassable, company says</h2> <p>In a statement, Coastal GasLink said staff discovered felled trees near the work site on Sunday, making the road impassable. </p> <p>The
company said it was disappointed about recent developments after a year
of "successful joint implementation of the access agreement."</p> <p>"Our
preference has always been to find mutually agreeable solutions through
productive and meaningful dialogue," the statement reads. "We have
reached out to better understand their reasons and are hopeful we can
find a mutually agreeable path forward.</p> <p>"To that end, we are requesting to meet with Unist'ot'en and the hereditary chiefs as soon as possible."</p> <p>A spokesperson said despite the notice, construction is planned to resume later this week.</p> <p>The employees who left the site on Saturday were security staff, the company spokesperson said.</p> <p>The
site has remained vacant since the notice was served, and Na'Moks said
he is unsure whether or not the eviction notice will be respected.</p> <blockquote><span><span></span></span></blockquote></div></div></div></div></div><span><span>We needed to let the decision-makers know that we do not agree with them — we follow our law.</span></span><div class="gmail-container gmail-content-width3"><div class="gmail-content"><div class="gmail-moz-reader-content gmail-line-height4 gmail-reader-show-element"><div id="gmail-readability-page-1" class="gmail-page"><div><blockquote><span><cite>- Na'Moks, Wet'suwet'en hereditary chief</cite></span></blockquote> <p>"We
do expect [RCMP and Coastal GasLink] to meet and discuss things.
They're working hand-in-hand," he said. "We're open to meeting with
them."</p> <p>CBC News requested comment from British Columbia RCMP but did not receive a response Sunday.</p> <p>Construction on the $6.6-billion Coastal GasLink project started in January 2019.</p> <h2>Expecting further police action</h2> <p>The
Dec. 31 injunction effectively restrained protestors from barring
workers from getting through checkpoints and allowed RCMP to enforce
that ruling.</p> <ul><li><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bc-injunction-coastal-gaslink-1.5411965"><strong>B.C. Supreme Court grants injunction against Wet'suwet'en protesters in pipeline standoff</strong></a></li></ul> <p>Saturday's
developments are likely to exacerbate the dispute, but
Na'Moks said Wet'suwet'en law — to protect land, people and culture —
dictated this move had to be taken.</p> <p>"We need them to understand
that what they are doing is destroying our lands, our ecological sites,
our burial sites," he said. "They have no comprehension of how important
it is to our people."</p> <p><span></span></p><div><p><img alt="" src="https://i.cbc.ca/1.4981127.1560197696!/fileImage/httpImage/image.JPG_gen/derivatives/original_780/gidimt-en-checkpoint-jan-7.JPG"></p></div>On
Jan. 7, 2019, RCMP enforced an injunction ordering people to stop
preventing Coastal GasLink workers from accessing a road and bridge.
Fourteen people arrested that day have had contempt proceedings dropped.
(Chantelle Bellrichard/CBC) <p>Fourteen
people were arrested in January 2019 when RCMP enforced a court
injunction handed down by the same court, drawing international
attention.</p> <ul><li><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/wet-suwet-en-conflict-spurs-debate-about-indigenous-relations-with-rcmp-1.4980695"><strong>Wet'suwet'en arrests spark debate about Indigenous relations with RCMP</strong></a></li></ul> <p>In
December, the U.K. newspaper The Guardian reported RCMP had argued for
"lethal overwatch" of the site, according to notes from what was
described as a RCMP strategy session.</p> <p>RCMP were prepared to
shoot the activists if necessary, according to The Guardian's reporting,
and were instructed to use "as much violence towards the gate as you
want."</p> <p>CBC has not independently verified those documents. </p> <ul><li><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/rcmp-snipers-first-nation-pipeline-protest-guardian-1.5405111"><strong>Reports of RCMP snipers dispatched to Wet'suwet'en blockade 'concerning,' says Indigenous Services minister</strong></a></li></ul> <p><span></span></p><div><p><img alt="" src="https://i.cbc.ca/1.4969466.1549322864!/fileImage/httpImage/image.JPG_gen/derivatives/original_780/houston-arrests.JPG"></p></div>Tensions over a proposed pipeline on disputed Indigenous land led to 14 arrests in January 2019. (Chantelle Bellrichard/CBC) <p>When
asked whether he was concerned about a similar situation unfolding
after the eviction, Na'Moks said his side would be peaceful.</p> <p>"In
January, we were the peaceful ones. We were the ones being invaded.
That's we will continue to be," he said. "I'm sure they are all meeting
today to plan their next steps … Everything they do is premeditated.</p> <p>"We'll do it our way, make sure it's peaceful. We have nothing to hide. We are doing the right thing."</p></div><p>With files from Angela Sterritt, CBC B.C. and The Canadian Press</p></div></div>
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