More than two dozen Kinder Morgan pipeline protesters arrested

RCMP officers take protesters into custody at an anti-pipeline demonstration in Burnaby, B.C., on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2014. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward)

An anticipated showdown between authorities and B.C. pipeline protesters came to a head Thursday morning after more than a dozen Mounties stormed Burnaby Mountain and began making arrests.

In the hours that followed, 26 people, some in handcuffs, were led away from the Kinder Morgan site and taken into custody. Five remained in custody Thursday night.

Chants of “Stop Kinder Morgan” were heard as a police officer read the court order warning campers to clear the area, or face criminal charges.

Tim Bartoo, the first person to be arrested, described it as “kind of a scary thing.”

“I think we were prepared. We knew it was going to come to this at some point,” he said.

Those within the so-called enforcement zone linked arms in solidarity, but they were forcibly removed one by one.

While an injunction issued by a B.C. Supreme Court Judge for protesters to dismantle their camp took effect Monday afternoon, RCMP had not made any moves to enforce it until this morning’s arrests.

Burnaby RCMP said the court injunction compels officers to “arrest and remove any person who is contravening the provisions set out in the order.”

It says the force has “strived to balance the need to maintain public safety and civil order with the democratic right to hold demonstrations,” and that a “lawful assembly area” has been created for those who wish to remain protesting at the site.

But protester Kaleb Morrison said that people at the site have been confused about where that safe zone is, and cited a lack of communication by authorities.

“We’re starting to wonder about the legality about this,” Morrison told CTV News. “People aren’t sure where they can be legally to protest, and if they don’t know where they can legally protest their rights are being violated. They want to feel safe to be able to protest.”

Morrison is willing to be arrested over the issue.

“I’m here to stand against Kinder Morgan, and stand for the people whose land this really is,” said Morrison. “If it comes down to that I’ll stand with the indigenous community to oppose Kinder Morgan.”

Burnaby Mountain has become ground zero for the movement against an expanded pipeline that would transport Alberta oil to a terminal in Burnaby. The route would require two holes to be bored into Burnaby Mountain, which is home to a conservation area.

The City of Burnaby has filed a lawsuit to prevent the company from damaging parkland as it continues its survey work.

Back to work

Kinder Morgan issued a statement just hours after the arrests to say Trans Mountain staff and contractors returned to the mountain work site to resume survey work.

“Trans Mountain is pleased that the majority of the individuals occupying the area complied with the order and continue to exercise their rights to express their views in a respectful manner, while allowing our team to begin the work safely,” it reads.

The company said crews would be “respectively relocating” any camp items found in its work area and turn them over to the RCMP.

It plans on drilling two six-inch test holes into Burnaby Mountain to take core samples, and has committed to “minimizing any impacts and restoring, or compensating, for any disturbance.”

The holes are approximately 250 metres deep.