The company constructing the pipeline to feed the LNG Canada plant in Kitimat has taken legal action against Indigenous group standing in the way of the proposed route.
The Unist’ot’en, who have re-occupied unceded territory along the proposed route of the pipeline, say Coastal GasLink has applied for an injunction and served notice of a civil lawsuit.
In a statement posted to its Facebook page this week, the Unist’ot’en say Coastal GasLink is both seeking an injunction and financial damages for “occupying, obstructing, blocking, physically impeding or delaying access” to the territory.
A small group of Coastal GasLink representatives hoping to cross the Morice River for fieldwork last week were turned back by Unist’ot’en Camp members.
Coastal GasLink spokesperson Jacquelynn Benson says taking legal action was not something the company decided on lightly.
Benson says Coastal GasLink will continue to keep the lines of communication open, but says the company is now focused taking the necessary steps to see the injunction application through the courts.
The Unist’ot’en say the legal action is an attempt to demobilize their resistance and “bulldoze through our home”
