The Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs says destruction of cultural heritage and archeological sites along a pipeline corridor amounts to to cultural genocide.
The organization is calling on the provincial government to issue a Cease and Desist Order to the Coastal GasLink (CGL) pipeline project.
It alleges CGL crews have destroyed a number of archeological hertiage sites in Wet’suwet’en territory since February, 2019, including sections of the Kweese War Trail, considered central to Wet’suwet’en cutlural identity.
The trail stretches over the Coast Mountains into Haisla territory and many Wet’suwet’en who fought in the war died along the route.
CGL has acknowledged non-compliance in areas to BCOGC archaeological conditions, yet the Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs says the company has faced no repercussions from regulatory authorities.
The pipeline would provide gas to the LNG Canada export facility near Kitimat.
