Protesters blocked off rail lines just north of Toronto on Saturday in solidarity with members of the Wet’suwet’en Nation.
A news release from a group calling itself Toronto Wet’suwet’en Solidarity said the protest began at 10 a.m. and was aimed at stopping rail traffic leaving MacMillan Yard in Vaughan.
York Regional Police told Global News protesters remained on tracks in the area as of around 4 p.m., but a tweet from Toronto Wet’suwet’en Solidarity said the group was planning to leave the area around 5 p.m.
The protesters said they are in support of Wet’suwet’en Nation members who oppose the building of the Coastal GasLink liquefied natural gas (LNG) pipeline in northern British Columbia, which would pass through the nation’s unceded territory.
The demonstration began as federal Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller met with members of the Mohawk First Nation near Belleville, Ont., where a rail blockade entered its 10th day.
In a statement sent to Global News, CN confirmed they were aware of the Vaughan protest.
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“CN police and the local police services are responding to a protest on CN tracks in Vaughan, Ontario. Train movements are currently stopped,” the statement read.
“We are monitoring the situation and evaluating our legal options very closely.”
Images from the scene showed some protesters climbing onto train cars and hanging posters from the cars.
York Regional Police said officers were at the scene “to ensure everybody’s safety.”
The protest comes less than a day after another Wet’suwet’en solidarity protest shut down the busy Toronto intersection of Yonge and Dundas streets during the Friday evening commute.
– With files from the Canadian Press
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