Image Credit: CFJC Today / Chad Klassen

By Chad Klassen

TRANS MOUNTAIN PROTEST

Kamloops Red Brigade conducts dance protest, concerned about Trans Mountain effects on climate

Oct 7, 2019 | 8:40 AM

KAMLOOPS — Early work on the Trans Mountain pipeline is expected to start as early as next week in the Kamloops area, but it didn’t stop a group from protesting the twinning project that was approved by the National Energy Board this summer.

The Kamloops Red Brigade quietly protested through dance in front of the Trans Mountain storage yard on Mission Flats Road. The group of dancers is concerned about climate change and feels the Trans Mountain pipeline doesn’t help Canada fight the crisis.

“Today we were hoping to raise public consciousness about the Trans Mountain pipeline. (To) let people know this is something that will more than double the amount of oil bitumen going to the coast,” said organizer of the Kamloops Red Brigade Katie Welch.

“It’s not even the concern that it’s going to the coast, although that’s part of it. If that gets burned, the amount of bitumen they’re exporting from Alberta gets burned, there’s no way that Canada can meet its climate goals. Absolutely none. We’re damning our future generation, our children, to irrevocable climate change by building this pipeline.”

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The Red Brigade is one of many groups around the world bringing awareness to the climate crisis Monday. The Kamloops group took part in Extinction Rebellion Day, started by the Red Brigade protesters in the United Kingdom.

Welch believes the Green Party is the only party that is serious about stopping the Trans Mountain pipeline.

“It’s very difficult to say whether there’s a political solution in Canada to this,” noted Welch. “Obviously, there’s one party that’s promising to stop the pipeline, and only one. We’re hopeful that democratically-elected people speak out against the pipeline.”

The dancers, who wore red garb with their faces painted white, say the costume was inspired by the protesters in the U.K.

“The red is the red of blood, which is the colour that we all share inside,” noted Welch. “And it’s also passion. Passion for our climate for wanting to stop the species’ destruction, mitigate climate change. No, we can’t change it entirely, but if we can mitigate it that’s our best hope, and this pipeline is not mitigating climate change.”

In an email to CFJC Today, Trans Mountain says the only work that’s started on the pipeline is at terminals in Burnaby. According to Trans Mountain, work in Kamloops, Black Pines and Kingsvale (south of Merritt) is expected to commence in the middle of October.

Welch says the group isn’t ruling out protests when pipeline construction is underway.