Building a powerful movement for justice
The Trans Mountain Pipeline and Tankers Project (TMX) poses unacceptable risks to our oceans and our climate. Indigenous Nations’ legal victories have slowed construction and forced regulators to re-assess the pipeline expansion project.
Three Indigenous Nations — Tsleil-Waututh, Squamish and Coldwater — joined forces to pursue legal actions against TMX.
The people-powered movement that grew to support them under the "Pull Together" banner gained incredible momentum. All across the country and around the world, allies organized community events, used their online networks to fundraise, and made generous donations in solidarity with powerful Indigenous leaders.
Together, we raised more than a million dollars, and forced the company to delay construction.
about this campaign
Despite mounting costs and collapsing oil markets, Canada is doubling down on efforts to build a pipeline from the tar sands to the west coast. The plan is to run a pipeline through salmon-bearing streams, densely populated urban areas, parks and Indigenous communities before loading ships with toxic diluted bitumen. The project would mean a seven-fold increase in tanker traffic in the Salish Sea. The resulting tanker congestion plus the carbon bomb from burning the dirtiest oil on the planet would blow past Canada's climate targets, spell extinction for southern resident orca whales, and push the planet past the tipping point.
Building a movement for justice
Working together under the banner of Pull Together, RAVEN and Sierra Club BC energized a great wave of resistance. By calling on water protectors, Indigenous rights activists, climate champions and kick-ass creatives, we raised over a million dollars and brought together an unprecedented alliance to back Indigenous justice.
What we achieved
We launched Pull Together back in 2014 together with seven Nations in British Columbia. People wanting to defend our climate and stand with Indigenous Nations came up with amazing ways to organize, fundraise and donate.
Thanks to you, we raised more than $600,000 dollars, and built an incredible movement that stopped the Enbridge Northern Gateway project and defeated one of the biggest oil companies on the planet.
Then, with unprecedented solidarity between Indigenous leaders and thousands of Pull Together allies, we raised ANOTHER half million dollars to back legal challenges that resulted in the Trans Mountain project being delayed.
In the first round of lawsuits, First Nations, environmental groups and municipal governments challenged the original 2016 approval at the Federal Court of Appeal (FCA), and won a decisive victory in August 2018. That decision quashed the approvals, and sent the Project back for a redo of the National Energy Board review and constitutionally-required consultation with impacted Indigenous peoples.
The Canadian government — which has spent billions of dollars to buy out Kinder Morgan, since renamed Trans Mountain (TMX) — then embarked on a second round of consultations with First Nations. In June, 2019, Canada re-approved TMX, a move that was swiftly followed by Indigenous Nations filing a fresh set of legal challenges to the project.
“Water is life. This is what we’ve been trying to protect: our watershed. Because it’s not IF there’s a spill,: it’s WHEN.”
- CHIEF LEE SPAHAN, COLDWATER NATION
CAMPAIGN NEWS
Seeing Beauty: A Photographic Exhibit to Benefit RAVEN
Join RAVEN, Discovery Coffee, Victoria Cecchini and friends for the launch party on June 23rd at Discovery Coffee 2550 Rock Bay Ave. All photographs on display will be for sale on the evening of the event and afterwards, every print sold in connection with the event will go to RAVEN.
Running for FUNds with RAVEN champions
On April 2, 2022 a group of runners took to the trail at Elk Lake to raise funds and awareness for Indigenous sovereignty and marine life conservation.
Look ma, no pipelines! Indigenous power is coming from renewables
Saddling Indigenous communities with stranded assets — on top of climate disaster and desecrated lands — is no way to set relationships right.
Canada has doubled down on efforts to build a pipeline from the tar sands to the west coast. The plan is to run a pipeline through salmon-bearing streams, parks and Indigenous communities before loading ships with toxic diluted bitumen. The project would mean a seven7-fold increase in tanker traffic in the Salish Sea. The resulting tanker congestion plus carbon bomb from burning the dirtiest oil on the planet would blow past Canada's climate targets, spell extinction for southern resident orca whales, and push the planet past the tipping point.
Squamish Opposition: The pProject poses a serious threat to Squamish’s home, to their continued reliance on the marine and aquatic environment for the practice of their rights, and to the survival of the Southern resident killer whale – a species of cultural and spiritual significance to the Nation that is recognized to be in a critical state.
Tsleil Waututh Opposition: Tsleil-Waututh means “people of the inlet” in Halkomelem. This name reflects TWN’s deep geographic, physical, cultural and spiritual connection to Burrard Inlet. The increase in marine traffic associated with the project would unfold directly offshore from TWN’s primary community, within the waters that are its traditional source of harvesting, and over which it has a strong claim to Aboriginal title. With decades of dedicated work spent restoring a healthy clam harvest and fishery in Burrard Inlet, Tsleil Waututh are committed to stopping a project that threatens their ecosystem, culture and livelihoods.
Coldwater Opposition: The TMX project is currently routed through Coldwater River valley which is home to the Coldwater Indian Band, a member of the Nlaka’pamux Nation. There, the route has been approved to run through a new corridor just outside the eastern edge of the Coldwater reserve, endangering the sole source of drinking water for 90% of Coldwater residents.
Coldwater asserts that the project as proposed creates an unacceptable risk to their community’s aquifer.
Individuals pulled.
Determined that this project must never be built, passionate people donated and raised legal funds so that Indigenous Nations did not have to shoulder the burden of standing up to industry and government alone.
Everywhere, people found amazingly creative ways to use their talents and social networks to uplift Indigenous justice. Friendships were formed over pancake breakfasts, on marches, and through community dialogues that build an unprecedented alliance of citizens willing to take action to safeguard Indigenous rights.
Businesses pulled.
From pipeline-fighting chocolate bars to North America-wide yoga classes, businesses stepped up to lend their support to Pull Together.
During events like "The Week to End TMX", conscious enterprises donated a portion of proceeds to raise tens of thousands of dollars for the cause.
Knowing that a healthy ecosystem and a safe climate are good for business, the business community showed great leadership in standing with First Nations to defend environmental rights.
The next big thing to protect our coast?
We know that when we are needed, the Pull Together community will re-assemble behind leaders who have shown tremendous courage in pushing for protection from pipelines and tankers.
Though legal challenges to TMX have run their course, the precedent set through the first Pull Together campaign - Gitxa'ala vs. the Queen - remains a powerful determinant for the level and depth of consultation that industry and government must engage in with Indigenous Peoples.
We are honoured to have stood with the Tsleil Waututh, Squamish and Coldwater Nations to Pull Together.