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3/2/2020

Wet'suwet'en supporters building pipeline through minister's St. John's office | CBC News

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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 office

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About 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." 

  • A who's who of the Wet'suwet'en pipeline conflict

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."

  • Dozens gather at MUN during Muskrat Falls announcement to protest B.C. pipeline

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)

Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador

With files from Mark Quinn

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Related Stories

  • A who's who of the Wet'suwet'en pipeline conflict
  • Dozens gather at MUN during Muskrat Falls announcement to protest B.C. pipeline
  • Activist group holds St. John's rally in solidarity with Wet'suwet'en nation protesters
  • Protest in Corner Brook a show of support for the Wet'suwet'en



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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 Telegram

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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

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12/24/2019

Petition to Declare a Climate Emergency Petition

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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!

20191210_provincial_climate_petition_-_final.pdf
File Size: 623 kb
File Type: pdf
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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

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9/26/2019

100 Debates on the Environment - NL Edition!

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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.

Questions for this debate have been prepared by GreenPAC (marked by *), a non-partisan, non-profit organization working to elect and support environmental leaders of all major parties running for office, and locally with Social Justice Co-operative NL, Too Big To Ignore, Fishing For Success, and several partners at Memorial University, including the Department of Political Science and Department of Sociology (marked by **). Support for this event has been provided by Memorial University's Department of Philosophy and Nexus Center of Humanities and Social Sciences Research as well.
Candidates at the St. John’s East and Avalon debate will be asked the following questions at the debates but we want to hear from those who do not have a chance to engage in this exciting event! We invite all candidates across the province to respond to these questions by video or text by Oct 3 using the hashtag #100Debates and by emailing socialjusticecoopnl@gmail.com to compile responses.

Find the questions here

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9/24/2019

Climate Emergency Declaration

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We, the undersigned residents of the City of St. John’s, draw the attention of the Mayor and Council to the following:
 
THAT, WHEREAS
-According to “The Way Forward on Climate Change”, the Provincial Government’s climate action plan, the province is already experiencing the effects of climate change;  
-Newfoundland and Labrador joined the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change in 2016, but is not on track to meet its 2020 targets;  
-The Strategic Plan of the City of St. John’s declares sustainability as one of the city’s four strategic directions, “today and for future generations”;  
The effects and threats of climate change fit the City’s official definition of an “emergency”;  
​
THEREFORE, your petitioners call upon the Mayor and Council to declare a CLIMATE EMERGENCY and take meaningful action to meet emissions targets.



Petition here

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