oil

On the morning of December 21st 2015 Vanessa Gray, a young woman from
Aamjiwnaang First Nation, with the support of Stone Stewart and Sarah
Scanlon, shut down Enbridge’s Line 9 on Anishnaabe Territory just
outside of Aamjiwnaang and Sarnia.

At approximately 7:30am the three arrived at the valve site and
called Enbridge Inc. to inform them of the action and requested that the
pipeline, and its flow of oil, be turned off. At this point, the three
shut down the pipeline’s manual hand wheel and bike locked their necks
to the valve in an act of civil disobedience to prevent the operation of
the pipeline.

The Charges

They were arrested, held overnight and released with minimal
conditions. All three were charged with counts of Mischief Over $5,000
(maximum sentence of 10 years in prison) and Mischief Endangering Life
(maximum sentence of life in prison). Stone Stewart was also charged
with Resisting Arrest.

There are no known prior accounts of activists being charged for
Mischief Endangering Life, which leads us to believe it is a scare
tactic to discourage land defense and resistance against the fossil fuel
industry.

Vanessa, Stone and Sarah are currently awaiting trial to fight these charges.

Stone Stewart is arrested. Photo: Mike Roy

Line 9 is a highly contested tar sands pipeline that began shipping
diluted bitumen in December 2015 between Sarnia and Montreal. Those
involved in this action assert that the operation of Line 9 is a
violation of Indigenous sovereignty and treaty rights.

“The crown is failing in their obligation to consult with first
nations about pipelines,” said Sarah Scanlon. “As settlers it’s our
responsibility to respect Indigenous land rights and support those
protecting the land and water on the front-lines.”

Line 9 has faced opposition from several of the 18 First Nations
along its route. Chippewas of the Thames First Nation is currently
challenging the pipeline in Supreme Court, on the basis of
non-consultation. Aamjiwnaang First Nation, among others, testified to
the National Energy Board that they were never consulted with when Line 9 was built.

“The fact that line 9 is currently in operation really just adds to
the urgency for people to act. I’m here because the negative impacts of
the oil industry are taking place right now, every day,” says Stone
Stewart.

The tar sands are known to be the second leading cause of
de-forestation in the world and permanently contaminate over 7 million
barrels of water every day.

Locally, Aamjiwnaang First Nation experiences skewed sex ratios and
high rates of cancer, respiratory illness, and developmental disorders
as a result of pollution from nearby petrochemical refineries.

“It’s clear that tar sands projects represent an ongoing cultural and
environmental genocide,” Vanessa Gray asserts. “I defend the land and
water because it is sacred. I have the right to defend anything that
threatens my traditions and culture.”