Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs have issued an eviction notice to Coastal GasLink.
The notice was issued Saturday evening to the company which is constructing a gas pipeline though Wet’suwet’en territory.
A news release issued by the Chiefs says the eviction is effective immediately and applies to a work camp on Dark House territory as well as neighbouring clan territories.
“Coastal Gaslink has violated the Wet’suwet’en law of trespass, and has bulldozed through our territories, destroyed our archaeological sites, and occupied our land with industrial man-camps,” states the media release. “Private security firms and RCMP have continually interfered with the constitutionally protected rights of Wet’suwet’en people to access our lands for hunting, trapping, and ceremony.”
The eviction comes after a December 31 ruling by the B.C. Supreme Court granting Coastal GasLink an Interlocutory injunction against members of the Wet’suwet’en and others opposed to the project through the territory.
It’s been nearly a year since heavily armed RCMP enforced a temporary injunction and dismantled a blockade near the Morice River Bridge in Wet’suwet’en territory, allowing Coastal GasLink access.
In a news release issued Sunday, Coastal GasLink confirmed it received the eviction notice, but says the only staff on site Saturday were security personnel.
“We are disappointed that after nearly a year of successful joint implementation of the Access Agreement the Unist’ot’en has decided to terminate it,” said the news release. “Our preference has always been to find mutually agreeable solutions through productive and meaningful dialogue. We have reached out to better understand their reasons and are hopeful we can find a mutually agreeable path forward. To that end, we are requesting to meet with Unist’ot’en and the Hereditary Chiefs as soon as possible.”
The company says workers Sunday found that trees had been felled on the Morice River Forest Service Road, making the route impassable. It is unclear who cut them down.
Coastal GasLink says that construction is expected to resume this week, following a pause for the holidays.
