By Denise Paglinawan
TORONTO, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Police have arrested 33 people
on Monday, ending the closure of Vancouver ports in British
Columbia province by indigenous protesters opposing the
construction of Coastal GasLink pipeline.
The arrests resulted from an injunction granted by a British
Columbia court on Sunday to restore access to ports in the city.
Port Metro Vancouver is one of Canada's biggest ports and police
say protesters received several requests and warnings to clear
the area prior to the arrests.
The C$6.6 billion ($4.97 billion) pipeline, to be operated
by TC Energy Corp, is set to move natural gas from
northeast British Columbia to the Pacific coast, where the Royal
Dutch Shell-led LNG Canada export facility is under
construction. In December, private equity firm KKR & Co Inc
and Alberta Investment Management Corp agreed to buy a
65% stake in Coastal GasLink Pipeline.
Protests have been ongoing since Wet’suwet’en hereditary
chiefs opposed an agreement to build the Coastal GasLink
pipeline, saying they hold authority over traditional lands, not
the elected indigenous band councils the provincial government
had consulted.
Some 28% of the 670-km (420-mile) route passes through
Wet'suwet'en lands. Construction has continued along other parts
of the pipeline route.
"I've been encouraged to see the law enforcement
professionals dealing with this in an appropriate manner and
we'll continue to advocate for a lawful approach to dealing with
issues of disagreement," Finance Minister Bill Morneau told
reporters in Calgary on Monday.
"I think that's the way the current Coastal Gaslink project
is moving forward and we'll just address problems and challenges
as we see them," he added.
Last week, Canadian police arrested at least six people in a
remote British Columbia where indigenous protesters had blocked
construction of the Coastal GasLink pipeline.
Several protesters supporting the First Nations against the
natural gas pipeline have caused blockades on rail tracks since
Thursday forcing train cancellations in Toronto, Ottawa and
Montreal.
(Additional reporting David Ljunggren in Ottawa
Reporting by Denise Paglinawan
Editing by Marguerita Choy)
