Wet’Suwet’en issue eviction notice to Coastal GasLink

SMITHERS, B.C. – Members saying they represent the Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs have issued an eviction notice to anyone involved in the construction of the Coastal GasLink pipeline.

In a press release issued on Sunday, the group said “Coastal Gaslink has violated the Wet’suwet’en law of trespass, and has bulldozed through our territories, destroyed our archaeological sites, and occupied our land with industrial man-camps. Private security firms and RCMP have continually interfered with the constitutionally protected rights of Wet’suwet’en people to access our lands for hunting, trapping, and ceremony.”

The letter, signed by a number of chiefs, says workers are
“currently trespassing” on its unceded territory.

Jen Wickham, a spokeswoman for one of the five clans that make up
the First Nation, says workers and contractors complied with the
notice.

Coastal GasLink, which did not immediately respond to a request
for comment, says in a statement on its website that it received the
notice which demanded it remove its equipment from areas in which it
is legally permitted to operate.

A court ruling on December 31st, 2019, the B.C. Supreme Court issued Coastal GasLink an interlocutory injunction against pipeline opponents.  The ruling came just under a year after RCMP enforced an interim injunction granted by the same court and drew international attention with the arrest of 14 people.

The 6.6-billion dollar Coastal GasLink pipeline would transport natural gas across 670 kilometres from northeastern BC to the LNG Canada export terminal in Kitimat.

The company has said it has signed agreements with all 20 elected First Nation councils along the path.