On November 21, 2016, around fifty people took part in a march and vigil in Greater Sudbury, opposing the Kinder Morgan pipeline. The event was organized by Kaella-Marie Earle, from Wikwemikoong First Nation. It was one of many ‘reject Kinder Kinder Morgan’ actions held across Canada November 21, in response to a call out from 350.org.
On the Facebook event, Earle wrote: “As some of you might already know, Kinder Morgan is a massive oil company looking to expand in Canada from Edmonton all the way down into Westbridge, B.C. (very close to the Pacific coastline, that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleges he will protect). This kind of "energy infrastructure" is short-sighted. Divestment of petroleum oil needs to be something that our country continues to work toward in order to save not only our air, but our water, our capability to grow crops, and eventually our economy. Growing concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere from oil-related products are causing enhanced greenhouse effect - which will in turn cause many problems for future generations of Canadians.
I am no one special. But I understand the impact of oil on the environment, and how significant this is. Especially in the wake of climate change and the new president-elect, we need to stand together and tell Prime Minister Justin Trudeau what we care about the most. Our children. One thing that people tend to forget is that we do not own the Earth, we borrow it from our children. The environment is the mother of all of us, and we need to respect her. I invite you to join in the movement to tell our leader to protect our children, and discontinue the support of the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion.
Mr. Trudeau, climate leaders don't build pipelines. Don't you want to be a climate leader? #KMVigils #StopKinderMorgan”
People also stood in solidarity with Standing Rock. Earle said, “I'm sure many of you have heard by now that the water protectors down at Standing Rock are being severely abused by their own government. They are being attacked with water cannons among other things in this horrible cold. It’s a war zone. Tonight we stand in solidarity with Standing Rock against the oil pipelines.”
Photos by Alexander Guenette
