A man known as the “protesting grandpa” was arrested early Wednesday morning attempting to swim into Trans Mountain’s Westridge Terminal in Burnaby.
In a statement posted to social media, Terry Christenson said he had planned to hang a “No Tankers” banner from a crane on the property.
Burnaby RCMP said they arrested a 71-year-old man at the terminal around 3:50 a.m. for violating a court injunction banning protesters from coming within five metres of the site.
The man allegedly entered the property from the waters of Burrard Inlet and was wearing a wetsuit and snorkel gear, police said.
In his statement, Christenson he wanted to send a message that the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion is a “disaster in waiting.”
“A tanker spill would devastate the coast of British Columbia and would especially harm those who depend on a healthy Salish Sea for their livelihoods,” wrote Christenson.
“I’m calling on everyone to live up to their moral duty to ensure a safe, livable future for our grandchildren and speak up or step up in whatever ways they can help stop this pipeline.”
It’s not the first time Christenson has been arrested at the site.
Back in April, he was arrested after perching himself in a tree on the Burnaby property, where he spent 34 hours before being removed by members of the RCMP emergency response team.
He was also taken into custody in March 2018 after climbing into a tree for about 16 hours.
READ MORE: Protesting grandpa climbs into tree near B.C. marine terminus of Trans Mountain pipeline
The Trans Mountain pipeline, which was purchased by the federal government for $4.5 billion last year, was re-approved by the Trudeau cabinet on June 18.
Construction is expected to be underway before the year is out.
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