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3/2/2020 Wet'suwet'en supporters building pipeline through minister's St. John's office | CBC NewsRead Now
Wet'suwet'en supporters building pipeline through minister's St. John's office | CBC News
Nfld. & Labrador
Wet'suwet'en supporters building pipeline through minister's St. John's officeSocial SharingAbout 25 protesters occupying federal Natural Resources Minister Seamus O'Regan's office
CBC News · Posted: Feb 27, 2020 11:44 AM NT | Last Updated: February 27
A group of protesters has begun to build its own pipeline through Natural Resources Minister Seamus O'Reagan's office in St. John's on Thursday. (Mark Quinn/CBC)
Supporters of the Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs — and opponents of the Coastal GasLink pipeline — built a symbolic "pipeline" Thursday inside the St. John's office of Natural Resources Minister Seamus O'Regan. About 25 people are occupying the office in St. John's, and some aren't saying when they plan to leave. Indigenous members brought drums and are leading the group in singing of traditional songs, and some of the protesters have written "Reconciliation is Dead" on miniature Canadian flags. Others are constructing a "pipeline," made of PVC pipe, through O'Regan's office. According to Robert Leamon, a member of the Qalipu Mi'kmaq First Nation, it's a symbol of the disruption that a gas pipeline will cause in the Wet'suwet'en nation. "It is obviously not a good situation to be in that there's a pipeline being built on the land, where it's getting in the way of everything else you are trying to do," he said. "Indigenous people have been trying to live peacefully on this land for generations." Tensions between supporters of the Wet'suwet'en, police and government have begun to bubble over the last week as protesters have attempted to shut down rail lines across the country, some engaging in scuffles with officers. Protests are being held to show solidarity with Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs who oppose a natural gas pipeline project that would cut through Wet'suwet'en territory in northern British Columbia.The St. John's protest on Thursday has been peaceful.
About 25 protesters are occupying O'Regan's office. (Mark Quinn/CBC)
Office staff have been welcoming to protestors and say there is no plan to ask them to leave. In a statement, the Department of Natural Resources said O'Regan and his staff "staff welcome the opportunity to speak to constituents about their views." "Our work on this matter has always focused on finding a peaceful and lasting resolution in a way that builds trust and respect among all parties involved," says the statement. Leamon said the group was targeting O'Regan's office because they believe he has the power to "put an end" to the conflict. "He's the minister of natural resources, so he's clearly a very influential player in the way that pipelines proceed in this country," he said. "So yeah, we absolutely are hoping that he will step up and bring truth to the conversation around reconciliation." In mid-February a group in St. John's blocked traffic on downtown streets on a Saturday, and about 100 people showed up to a Muskrat Falls announcement at Memorial University to stand in solidarity with the Wet'suwet'en Nation. A small group in Corner Brook took to Remembrance Square to do the same.
Stan Nochasak, an Inuk from Labrador, says even if the protesters leave O'Regan's office, their message will stay. (Mark Quinn/CBC)
Stan Nochasak, an Inuk from Labrador who now lives in St. John's, said he has great environmental concerns about the Coastal GasLink pipeline. He said he decided to attend the protest at the last minute to support other protesters across the country. "We all need land, and when you destroy it you eventually destroy generations," he said. "We can't see it, but the spirit has an eye that can see ahead of time."
Angelica Vincent, a university student in St. John's from Hopedale, says she wants to see the RCMP leave Wet'suwet'en lands. (Mark Quinn/CBC)
With files from Mark Quinn https://ift.tt/2TAMMf7 Tags: Decolonization, CBC NL, Wet'suwet'en
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3/2/2020 Green New Drinks finds new home for environmental activism at St. John's brewery | Local | News | The TelegramRead Now
Green New Drinks finds new home for environmental activism at St. John's brewery | Local | News | The Telegram
Green New Drinks finds new home for environmental activism at St. John's brewery
Social Justice Co-operative of Newfoundland and Labrador operations co-ordinator Lea Mary Movelle (left) and project co-ordinator Neria Aylward. - Contributed
First event of new year this Wednesday at Bannerman Brewing
ST. JOHN'S, N.L. —
If you want to hear people talk about pressing environmental concerns while enjoying some local craft beer, the Social Justice Co-operative of Newfoundland and Labrador (SJCNL) has you covered. The group, in partnership with Green Drinks St. John's, has hosted several Green New Drinks gatherings at various venues in St. John's over the last few months, bringing in speakers from a variety of backgrounds to tackle topics relevant to the environment and social justice.
Memorial University associate professor of anthropology Robin Whitaker speaks at the first Green New Drinks event in St. John's last August.
For the new year, the event has found a new permanent home, with the Bannerman Brewing Company agreeing to host the monthly talks, which are held the first Wednesday of each month. "Our goal is to bring all the people who are interested in environmental activism in the community together in an informal setting, because there are so many people in this city who are interested in doing something about the climate crisis," SJCNL project co-ordinator Neria Aylward told The Telegram. "It's never really felt more pressing." The event can serve as a sociable starting point for people curious to learn more about what people locally are doing to help make St. John's and Newfoundland and Labrador as a whole proactive in addressing the effects of climate change. The first Green New Drinks gathering at Bannerman Brewing takes place this Wednesday from 7-9 p.m. and will focus on local transit. Coun. Ian Froude and Kirsten Morry, both from the St. John's Transportation Commission, will be joined by Liam O'Neill from the Memorial University Students' Union executive for Wednesday's talk.
St. John's Transportation Commission members Kirsten Morry, left, and Coun. Ian Froude are among the guest speakers at Wednesday's Green New Drinks event at Bannerman Brewing in St. John's. - Contributed
Green New Drinks enables attendees to learn about what the speakers are doing, and serves as a networking opportunity, and the audience for the monthly event has grown considerably over time, Aylward said. In addition to being a wheelchair-accessible space, Bannerman Brewing as a venue allows for Green New Drinks to be an all-ages event. Madison Acker, a member of SJCNL, works as a science interpreter and creates themed activities for kids as part of Green New Drinks. "It's not just that the kids can come, it's that they'll have things to do as well," Aylward said. Future topics for Green New Drinks this year include democratic reform (Feb. 5), anti-environmental racism (March 4) and food sovereignty (April 1). Twitter: @CBNAndrew
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Tags: Green New Drinks, The Telegram The Coalition for a Green New Deal for NL is a group of citizen volunteers and local organizations that are working towards climate justice in Newfoundland and Labrador. On October 15th, the Coalition presented a petition to the City of St. John’s which led to the unanimous decision to declare a climate emergency on November 4th. The petition asks that the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador declare a climate emergency to follow suit with the City of St. John’s and the Government of Canada. Declaring a climate emergency acknowledges the severity of climate change and recognizes that it must be considered in all aspects of governance. Once a climate emergency is declared we are asking that the Government of NL strike a Premier’s Task Force on Climate Change. To date the province’s work on climate change has been minimal and time is running out. To move towards a stronger and more resilient future, a Premier’s Task Force on Climate Change would facilitate a shift towards governing with climate change front and centre in all policy and decision making. Download petition here!
Sign the petition out & about!Provincial Climate Emergency Petition FAQ Is the petition online and why are you asking for my address?
The House of Assembly requires that petitions include original signatures which means we cannot collect signatures online. Street addresses are required to prove that you are a resident of NL. Can anyone sign the petition? The petition can be signed by any resident of Newfoundland and Labrador. This includes people of all ages, temporary and permanent residents, and citizens. When will the petition be presented in the House of Assembly? We plan to present the petition in March when the House of Assembly re-opens. We will be collecting signatures through to the end of February. How can I get involved? Email nlclimatepetition@gmail.com if you’d like to join us on Saturdays for one of our petitioning events or if you’d like to bring some petitions to your friends, family or community groups. If printing is a problem, we will gladly send you printed copies and pick them up once completed. I have more questions, who can I ask? You can email nlclimatepetition@gmail.com or contact Rosie Myers at 709-632-8250 100 Debates on the Environment is a national initiative to hold non-partisan all-candidates debates on the environment in 100 ridings across Canada on October 3rd. The initiative now includes debates in over 120 ridings and 3 in Newfoundland! The debates will demonstrate to politicians what the polls and nation-wide climate action are indicating: the environment is front and centre this election and voters are paying attention. The 100 Debates project aims to create a wave of national discussion on some of the most challenging environmental questions facing ridings across the country.
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