Could pipeline protests in Vancouver resemble North Dakota’s?
Posted November 21, 2016 11:34 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – If the federal government approves the controversial Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion, UBC sociology professor David Tindel expects to see “civil disobedience with people saying please.”
A protest over the Trans Mountain expansion in Vancouver this past weekend was partly a show of solidarity with pipeline protesters in North Dakota. Mayor Gregor Robertson says many more protests will follow if the federal Liberals green-light the expansion.
Tindel says if the mayor’s prediction comes true, the protests in Vancouver would be larger than those near Standing Rock, mostly because the protest site in North Dakota is harder to access.
“Depending on where we’re talking about in the Greater Vancouver area in particular, there’s quite a large population and I think there’s a very significant section of the population that’s opposed to the pipeline,” he says.
However, Tindel does not expect to see the same police clashes we’re now seeing south of the border.
While state police in North Dakota appear hostile towards demonstrations, “in Vancouver at least it’s a different story, that the City of Vancouver actually opposes the expansion of the Kinder Morgan Pipeline, and there’s quite a large base of support.”
The federal government is expected to make their final decision on Trans Mountain by December 19th.
