Dozens of kayaks, canoes and other small boats descended on Kinder Morgan’s Westridge marine tanker terminal in Burnaby on Saturday to protest the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.
The flotilla was made up of more than 100 paddlers, including environmentalists, Greenpeace and members of the Tsleil-Wauthuth and Semiahmoo First Nations.
Organizer Will George said the demonstrators had no plans to stop their opposition to the project.
“This waterway here is very important for out people, these are our spiritual highways,” he said.
George was one of seven protesters who dangled themselves off of the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge for more than 35 hours last week in a bid to block a tanker from leaving the Westridge Terminal. Twelve people were arrested in the incident.
“It seems like the importance of our waters, our whales, our forests, our eagles, our salmon, and our people are not as important to the government of Canada as costs to corporate profit,” said organizer Roxanne Charles in a statement.
WATCH: Police arrest Ironworkers Bridge protesters
Burnaby RCMP issued a warning on Friday about the demonstration, both to other marine traffic in the area and to the protesters themselves.
“Any attempt to block the Inlet or waterway is extremely dangerous and unlawful,” said a statement from Mounties.
The Westridge Marine Terminal is currently the main construction site for the Trans Mountain project in B.C.
Work has been underway at the facility since last fall, while construction permits have not been secured for many other areas of the proposed pipeline route through the province.
The company says it plans to develop the Westridge Marine Terminal tunnel portal at the facility this month, while relocating existing infrastructure to expand the Burnaby Terminal.
Protesters have targeted the marine terminal in the past, most recently in October when several water-borne demonstrators were arrested by police.
The Trans Mountain pipeline expansion was granted National Energy Board approval subject to 157 conditions in 2016, and has since won federal and provincial approval.
The federal government announced in May that it will buy the Trans Mountain pipeline for $4.5 billion to ensure the project gets built. Ottawa says it plans to re-sell the project at a later date.
A Federal Court of Appeal challenge by First Nations and several Municipalities remains unresolved. B.C.’s NDP government also has a pending reference question to the BC Court of Appeal on whether it can restrict the flow of diluted bitumen through the province.