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98-492: The TC Energy Tower houses the head offices of TC Energy (formerly TransCanada Corporation). This article about a building or structure in Alberta is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Calgary -related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . TC Energy TC Energy Corporation (formerly TransCanada Corporation ) is a major North American energy company , based in

196-605: A 2014 letter in which Coastal GasLink proposed an alternate route called the Morice River North Alternate that would have moved the project three to five kilometres north of the present route, but it went unanswered by the office of the Wetʼsuwetʼen hereditary chiefs. According to Coastal GasLink, the company has held over 120 meetings with the hereditary chiefs since 2012 and over 1,300 phone calls and emails, but they have nonetheless been unable to agree on

294-429: A Gidimt'en clan chief said in 2021, "You could swim in that lake and just open your mouth and drink the water, it's so pristine, and the river is so clear that you can see these very deep spawning beds that the salmon have been returning to for thousands of years." Outside the pipeline itself, construction activities near and around waterways like blasting and riprap armouring could harm the fish population. According to

392-549: A crumpled minivan. Defenders criticized the RCMP for police brutality in previous encounters. In the early hours of February 17, 2022, twenty masked attackers, some carrying axes, forced nine people to flee from a work site near Houston, British Columbia . They attacked and injured RCMP officers attempting to respond. Ellis Ross, a Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, said "There were workers inside

490-458: A day...13 percent of Canada's daily greenhouse gas emissions in 2017." In 2018, environmental activist Michael Sawyer challenged the approval of the pipeline, filing a formal application to require the federal National Energy Board to do a full review. The NEB ruled that the project fell under the jurisdiction of British Columbia, and its British Columbia Oil and Gas Commission. The pipeline also may have an impact on Wetʼsuwetʼen waterways. Sleydo',

588-753: A direct correlation between work camps and violence against Indigenous women and girls. When the Coastal GasLink pipeline filed for an extension to their project, the Lawyers for the Office of the Wetʼsuwetʼen cited the lack of meaningful accounting for the final report from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) to challenge the CGL extension. The final report found that “work camps, or ‘man camps,’ associated with

686-515: A drill site where CGL crews were preparing to drill under the Morice River . In October, land defenders seized a CGL excavator and evicted construction workers from Wetʼsuwetʼen territory. On November 13, members of the Gidimt'en clan evicted construction workers, and when they refused to leave, land defenders seized an excavator, destroyed a segment of access road, and blocked a bridge with

784-875: A fully guaranteed CA$ 4.2 billion loan for the project. The premier also said that over the next twenty years, the financial benefits to Alberta through tax and royalty revenue would be approximately CA$ 30 billion. In response to Alberta's financial support, in March, TC Energy "approved construction of the US$ 8-billion project to transport up to 830,000 barrels per day of oil." According to a Canadian Press March 31, 2020 article Premier Kenney estimated that "1,400 direct and 5,400 indirect jobs" would be created in Alberta during construction. In September 2020, TC Energy announced that it would be restructuring some of its gas pipeline operations in Alberta. In April, shortly after construction on Keystone XL began, Judge Brian M. Morris of

882-721: A hearing began in the BC Supreme Court, in which the Office of the Wet'suwet'en requested that the Court reject the Environmental Assessment Office's decision to extend CGL's environmental certificate for five years. The company had filed for a one-time extension of their previous five-year certificate in April 2019. The Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs stated that with over 50 instances of non-compliance with

980-426: A letter that stated that the routes were unsuitable for a pipeline of the proposed diameter, closer to urban communities, and would extend development time by requiring consultation with four additional First Nations. On January 27, Coastal GasLink president David Pfeiffer stated that the current route was the most technically viable and minimized impact to the environment. On February 14, 2020, Coastal GasLink released

1078-613: A release of water towards Fraser Lake created a plume of sediment in the water that could be seen from the air. Fraser Lake is home to 1,000 people and is a critical habitat for endangered white sturgeon and trumpeter swans. Coastal GasLink's 670-kilometre pipeline crossed 625 fish-bearing streams, creeks, rivers and lakes. The CGL pipeline project has been issued warnings due to its failure to protect sensitive waterway and wetlands from sediment erosion. This erosion harms fish habitats, water quality, and people who depend on these waterways for survival . According to CBC journalist Betsy Trumpener,

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1176-458: A route for the pipeline. Approval was given by twenty elected First Nation band councils (including the Wetʼsuwetʼen elected band council) along the proposed route and the Government of British Columbia. As a part of their agreement, TC Energy announced it will be awarding CA$ 620 million in contract work to northern B.C. First Nations. The BC Environmental Assessment Office approved

1274-477: A segment of the route blocked by hereditary chiefs and enter into talks with the Wetʼsuwetʼen over the following 30 days. After the hereditary chiefs made it a condition for talks with government, the RCMP closed their local office and moved to their detachment in Houston on February 22. Protests sprang up across Canada in solidarity with the Wetʼsuwetʼen hereditary chiefs. On February 11, protesters surrounded

1372-567: A state of painful anguish as we witness the Wetʼsuwetʼen people having their title and rights brutally trampled on and their right to self-determination denied." On February 11, the RCMP announced that the road to the construction site was cleared and TC Energy announced that work would resume the following Monday. On February 21, the British Columbia Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) served notice that Coastal GasLink must halt construction on

1470-503: A temporary office on the Morice Forest Service Road to enforce the injunction. This injunction was extended by the B.C. Supreme Court on December 31, 2019. The extension included an order authorizing the RCMP to enforce the injunction. The hereditary chiefs ordered the eviction of the RCMP and Coastal GasLink personnel. The RCMP announced January 30, 2020, that they would stand down while the hereditary chiefs and

1568-738: A third organization, the Mohawk Nation, a separate form of government comprising the various Mohawk communities in Canada and the United States. Grand Chief Serge Otsi Simon of the Kanesatake Mohawk First Nation called on protesters to end the railway blockades as a show of good faith. "Bringing down the blockades doesn't mean that you surrender. It doesn't mean we're going to lay down and let them kick us around. No, it would show compassion. I'm simply pleading with

1666-498: A truck while attackers were trying to light it on fire”. Work camps, sometimes called man camps by activists, are temporary housing facilities constructed for predominantly male workers on resource development projects. These projects may include but are not limited to industries related to oil and pipelines, mining, hydroelectric power, and lumber. The Coastal GasLink pipeline had 14 camps along its route, with each camp accounting for 500–800 workers during construction. Reports show

1764-442: Is Unistʼotʼen Camp , directly in the proposed path of the pipeline, established in 2010 as a checkpoint, which has since added a healing centre. The arrests included protest organizers Karla Tait, Freda Huson and Brenda Michell. All were released within two days. The RCMP also detained several reporters and interfered with the freedom of the press . Two journalists, Amber Bracken and Michael Toledano, were arrested and detained by

1862-593: Is a TC Energy natural gas pipeline under construction in British Columbia , Canada. Starting in Dawson Creek , the pipeline's route crosses through the Canadian Rockies and other mountain ranges to Kitimat , where the gas will be exported to Asian customers. Its route passes through several First Nations peoples' traditional lands, including some that are unceded . Controversy around

1960-569: Is a fragile ecosystem. In October 2011, TransCanada was involved in up to 56 separate eminent domain actions against landowners in Texas and South Dakota who refused to give permission to the company to build the Keystone Pipeline through their land. However, on August 23, 2012, Texas Judge Bill Harris ruled that TransCanada had the right of eminent domain and could lease or purchase land from owners who refused to sign an agreement with

2058-501: Is about 20% of Western Canadian exports. The Energy division owns or has interests in 11 power generation facilities with combined capacity of 6,600 megawatts (MW). These power sources include nuclear and natural gas fired. The company is expanding its energy division to include more renewable sources including pumped storage , wind , and solar generation. The company was founded in 1951 in Calgary . The company's US headquarters

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2156-666: Is an expansion of the Keystone Pipeline System — began construction in 2020. When completed, the Keystone XL Pipeline will transport 830,000 barrels of Athabasca oil sands crude oil per day from the Hardisty, Alberta to Steele City, Nebraska . TC Energy had first proposed the Keystone XL pipeline in 2008. The proposal faced widespread grassroots opposition with tactics including tree sits in

2254-689: Is located in the TC Energy Center skyscraper in Houston, Texas . TC Energy is the largest shareholder in, and owns the general partner of, TC PipeLines . The company was incorporated in 1951 by a Special Act of Parliament as Trans-Canada Pipe Lines Limited. The purpose of the company was to develop the TransCanada pipeline (now known as the Canadian Mainline) to supply eastern Canadian markets with natural gas produced in

2352-575: Is not separate from us. The land sustains us. And if we don’t take care of her, she won’t be able to sustain us, and we as a generation of people will die”. The CGL pipeline’s potential for creating problems around water use, chemical leakages, greenhouse gas emissions, and other impacts on climate change and public health are concerns for the Unist’ot’en Camp. Further, Indigenous groups are increasingly more vulnerable to climate change and are disproportionately affected by its impacts. Spokesperson for

2450-403: Is owned and will be operated by TC Energy . LNG Canada selected TC Energy to design, build, and own the pipeline in 2012. In December 2019, investment management firm AIMCo and private equity firm KKR entered into an agreement to buy a 65% equity interest in the project for an estimated CA$ 600 million . The deal was closed May 25, 2020, and by August 2020, construction of the pipeline

2548-434: Is the colonial governance system that approved the CGL pipeline, a key distinction in this case”. Though the elected band councils agreed to the CGL pipeline construction, the hereditary chiefs opposed the project. The hereditary chiefs said that Wet'suwet'en territory was never ceded to the federal government and that not all Wet'suwet'en people are governed by the decisions made by the elected chiefs and councils created under

2646-588: The BC Parliament Buildings in Victoria, preventing traditional ceremonies around the reading of the throne speech by the lieutenant governor. Members of the legislature had to have police assistance to enter or used back or side entrances. Protesters assembled outside government offices in Victoria on February 14, and a representative of the BC government employees' union advised its members to treat

2744-584: The Canadian National Railway rail line just north of Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory on February 6, causing Via Rail to cancel trains on their Toronto– Montreal and Toronto-Ottawa routes. The line is critical to the CN network in eastern Canada as CN has no other east–west rail lines through eastern Ontario. Other protests blocking rail lines halted service on Via Rail's Prince Rupert and Prince George lines, running on CN tracks. Protests on

2842-863: The Federal District Court in Montana suspended the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)'s program allowing permits for pipelines to cross waterways, in spite of the Clean Water Act (CWA). Judge Morris said that the USACE pipeline permits "posed a threat to endangered species" and its reauthorization in 2017, had been improper. In July 2020, the Supreme Court of the United States declined to block Judge Morris' ruling, effectively halting all construction on

2940-767: The Gitxsan first nation due to concerns about the impact it would have on salmon in the Skeena River . On July 25, 2017, Petronas announced they were abandoning the Pacific NorthWest LNG proposal and TransCanada said they were "reviewing our options related to our proposed Prince Rupert Gas Transmission (PRGT) project". On March 14, 2024 TC Energy announced the sale of the project to the Nisga'a Nation and Western LNG. Two TC Energy's Liquids pipelines connect Alberta crude oil supplies to U.S. refining markets.,

3038-860: The Keystone Pipeline System and the Grand Rapids pipelines. The 460 km-Grand Rapids pipeline transports crude oil from the producing area northwest of Fort McMurray, Alberta, to the Edmonton/Heartland, Alberta market region. In October 2012, TransCanada formed a 50–50 CAD$ 3bn joint-venture with Phoenix Energy Holdings Ltd. (the Canadian subsidiary of PetroChina ) to develop the 500 km Grand Rapids Pipeline. The 4,324 km-Keystone Pipeline System transports crude oil from Hardisty, Alberta , to U.S. markets at Wood River and Patoka, Illinois , Cushing, Oklahoma , and

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3136-460: The Marcellus and Utica shale gas formations are located. In May 2019, the company changed its name from TransCanada Corporation to TC Energy Corporation to better reflect the company's business, which includes pipelines, power generation and energy storage operations in Canada, the United States and Mexico. In October 2019, the 56-story Bank of America Center skyscraper in Houston, Texas

3234-525: The Morice River , further conflict erupted as Wet'suwet'en defenders erected blockades and destroyed construction equipment. These blockades were removed in November 2021. By September 2022, CGL had equipment in place to drill under the river; the company said they had completed eight of ten river crossings required for the project and were nearing 70% completion at that time. In May 2023, CGL completed all ten river crossings, including micro-tunnelling under

3332-624: The TC Energy Tower building in Calgary , Alberta , Canada, that develops and operates energy infrastructure in Canada, the United States, and Mexico. The company operates three core businesses: Natural Gas Pipelines, Liquids Pipelines and Energy. The Natural Gas Pipeline network includes 92,600 kilometres (57,539 miles) of gas pipeline , which transports more than 25% of North American natural gas demand. The Liquids Pipelines division includes 4,900 kilometres (3,045 miles) of oil pipeline, which ships 590,000 barrels of crude oil per day, which

3430-473: The 1997 Delgamuukw v British Columbia decision, which affirmed Aboriginal title rights and recognized that the Wet'suwet'en have a system of laws that predates colonialism. Hereditary chief Freda Huson, an organizer of the Unist'ot'en Camp , a protest camp and indigenous healing centre in northern BC, said in 2019 that "Without our land, we aren't who we are. The land is us and we are the land," and also that

3528-471: The Alberta government gained a US$ 1.1-billion ownership stake in the 1,947-kilometre pipeline which will "575,000 barrels of oil daily". The province intends to sell its shares to TC Energy "after commercial operations begin." Alberta also gave a full guarantee on a US$ 4.2-billion project loan. The $ USD1.1 billion equity covers construction costs from April through December 2020. TC Energy will also invest CA$ .7 billion. The Alberta government are also providing

3626-591: The BCEAO grant them an extension. The BCEAO is then required to consider new adverse impacts that the project may bring and look at Coastal GasLink’s compliance in the past. Legal counsel for the Wet’suwet’en with Woodward and Co, Caily DiPuma, said that, “The BCEAO didn’t do either of those things properly. We know there is a correlation between camps of workers, what are called ‘man camps,’ and violence against Indigenous girls and women and queer people”. DiPuma stated that

3724-543: The CN line west of Winnipeg additionally blocked the only trans-Canada passenger rail route. Protests disrupted GO train lines in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and Exo's Candiac line in Montreal. Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) rail lines were also disrupted in downtown Toronto and south of Montreal. The Société de chemin de fer de la Gaspésie (SCFG) freight railway between Gaspé and Matapédia

3822-531: The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), the CGL pipeline project also affects human and non-human lives. The project had been issued over 50 warnings of repeated non-compliance violations and was flagged for multiple infractions on environmental regulation. British Columbia’s Environmental Assessment Office (BCEAO) found that the CGL pipeline project was responsible for the release of pollution into Fraser Lake. The BCEAO said that

3920-406: The Coastal GasLink pipelines repeated non-compliance offences are a violation of the project's environmental assessment certificate. Some indigenous organizations support the pipeline. The First Nations Liquefied Natural Gas Alliance objected to BC and UN human rights officials who called for a stop to pipeline construction, saying that these officials did not consult indigenous groups supportive of

4018-559: The EAO also issued an enforcement order related to turbid water discharged into fish-bearing Fraser Lake. Coastal GasLink has also been found out of compliance with the conditions of its environmental certificate in more than 50 instances, according to the Environmental Assessment Office’s compliance program. These non-compliances include restricting access to traplines and failing to adequately dispose of camp garbage. Since

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4116-424: The Environmental Assessment Office did not properly a[i]ssess the risk that indigenous women and girls faced from extending the permits of the CGL pipeline. DiPuma said, “The BCEAO said Coastal GasLink would be prepared to consider doing so in the future. So, instead of creating a legally binding requirement for them to consider these harms, they took industry at its word that it would voluntarily do so at some point in

4214-634: The Indian Act. The hereditary chiefs said that 22,000 square kilometres (8,500 sq mi) of Wetʼsuwetʼen territory was never ceded to the Government of Canada . When this took place, British Columbia was still a colony, and it did not enter into treaties with the Wetʼsuwetʼen people before joining Canada. Therefore, the chiefs claim that aboriginal title over the Wetʼsuwetʼen peoples' traditional land has not been extinguished. The Supreme Court of Canada affirmed hereditary chiefs' land claims in

4312-510: The Morice River south of Houston. In March 2022, CGL signed agreements with 20 elected First Nation band councils supporting the project, including 17 signing on to purchase equity in the project. The pipeline's route starts near Dawson Creek and runs approximately 670 kilometres (420 mi) south-west to a liquefaction plant near Kitimat . The route passes through the traditional territories of several Indigenous peoples, including

4410-463: The November 3, 2020 United States presidential election , he would fulfill his promise to cancel the pipeline's "vital presidential permit." In January 2021, U.S. President Joe Biden revoked the project’s presidential permit. On November 16, 2017, oil leaked from the pipeline in Marshall County, South Dakota , for 15 minutes before the flow of oil could be stopped. The company reported

4508-412: The RCMP at a pipeline protest. Their arrests sparked an outrage from advocates of press freedom in Canada and the United States. Toledano said that, “Canadians should know that journalists in this country can be arrested and incarcerated if they're telling a story the RCMP don't like”.   Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs Grand Chief Stewart Phillip stated that "we are in absolute outrage and

4606-569: The RCMP cleared Wetʼsuwetʼen from the access road; however, the pipeline project is still opposed by the Wetʼsuwetʼen hereditary chiefs. The Wetʼsuwetʼen asked CGL to halt construction due to the COVID-19 pandemic , over concerns about spreading the disease. Construction has largely continued, though several stop-work orders were issued by the provincial government in June 2020 following an environmental assessment. The Wetʼsuwetʼen also had concerns about

4704-535: The RCMP conducted a raid and dismantled the blockades after CGL was granted an injunction by the BC Supreme Court, arresting several Wetʼsuwetʼen land defenders. On January 10, the Wetʼsuwetʼen and RCMP came to an agreement to allow access. The blockades were subsequently rebuilt. After the RCMP again removed the Wetʼsuwetʼen blockades and arrested Wetʼsuwetʼen land defenders in February 2020, solidarity protests sprang up across Canada. Many were rail blockades, including

4802-540: The U.S. Gulf Coast. The Keystone System transports approximately 20% of Western Canadian crude oil to export markets. The Keystone Pipeline has had three significant leaks since it opened in 2010. It has leaked approximately 400 barrels in North Dakota in 2011 and South Dakota in 2016, and approximately 5000 barrels in South Dakota in 2017. A third pipeline, the 1,906 km-long Keystone XL Pipeline — which

4900-532: The Wet'suwet'en. The natural gas transported by the pipeline will be converted into liquefied natural gas by the LNG Canada plant in Kitimat and then exported to global markets. In particular, the company expects the primary market for the natural gas will be Asian nations planning to convert from coal-fired power plants. The initial estimated cost to construct the pipeline was CA$ 6.6 billion. The project

4998-608: The Wetʼsuwetʼen opposed the project, while the elected band councils supported it, leading to a call for "a cohesive voice". The railway blockade by the Tyendinaga Mohawks in February 2020 was not organized by the band leadership, while the Haudenosaunee Confederacy external relations committee issued a statement condemning the "RCMP invasion". The hereditary chiefs travelled to the various Mohawk communities to give thanks for their support but met with

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5096-493: The Wetʼsuwetʼen, also signed off on the benefits deal. On February 19, 2020, 200 members of the Wetʼsuwetʼen community attended a meeting in Houston organized by the pro-pipeline North Matters group. Robert Skin, a councillor with the Skin Tyee First Nation , said the project "will look after our children and our children's children." He was critical of the protesters: "They want to stand up with their fists in

5194-712: The XL Pipeline. In September 2020, the Nekaneet Cree Nation in Saskatchewan , the Ermineskin Cree Nation , Montana First Nation , Louis Bull Tribe , and Saddle Lake Cree Nation in Alberta signed a memoranda of understanding (MOU) for an ownership stake in Keystone XL. In a Canadian Press article Calgary energy reporter, Dan Healing, wrote that Keystone XL's future was "still in doubt"—if Presidential candidate Joe Biden wins

5292-446: The air, but I say come and listen to us and get the other side of the story before you go out there and stop traffic and stop the railroad." According to Paul Manly , Green Member of Parliament for Nanaimo—Ladysmith , the elected councils had not "consented" but merely "conceded", to the project, seen as inevitable. The project and the protests exposed divisions within the Wetʼsuwetʼen and Mohawk First Nations. The hereditary chiefs of

5390-530: The amount as over 210,000 gallons. TransCanada reported it discovered the leak in Amherst, South Dakota , at 6 am on Thursday after systems detected a drop in pressure in the northern leg of the pipeline. The leak was discovered about 35 miles south of the Ludden pump station. In April 2018, a federal investigation showed that the spill was almost twice as large as TransCanada had claimed in November, and that it

5488-480: The blocking of the main CN line through eastern Ontario. Passenger rail and freight rail movements were blocked for several weeks, leading to rationing of goods, other goods backlogged and several major ports being shut down. During the COVID-19 pandemic pipeline construction was considered essential work. Wetʼsuwetʼen communities were concerned with the increasing numbers of people travelling to their territories and

5586-435: The company for a public right of way for the pipeline. The landowners had said that the pipeline was not open to other companies, and so did not meet the criteria for eminent domain. U.S. President Barack Obama rejected the pipeline on November 3, 2015. Early in his tenure in 2017, President Donald Trump signed presidential memoranda to revive both Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines. The order would expedite

5684-622: The company owns 535 Bcf of natural gas storage facilities, making TC Energy one of the largest natural gas storage providers in North America. This segment is TC Energy's largest segment, generating approximately two-thirds of the company's EBITDA in 2017. The Natural Gas Pipelines business is split into three operating segments: Canadian Natural Gas Pipelines, U.S. Natural Gas Pipelines, and Mexico Natural Gas Pipelines. The major pipeline systems include: Projects in development include: Coastal GasLink Pipeline Project — In June 2012 it

5782-519: The company. Canada's Big Five (banks) own almost 23% of the outstanding share capital. Significant holdings accrue to the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec and the OMERS . In 2019 TransCanada aided the drafting of anti-protest legislation in South Dakota. The legislation, which Governor Kristi Noem signed into law in March 2019, created a fund to cover the costs of policing pipeline protests, and

5880-424: The conditions of their environmental permits and for the findings of Canada’s National Inquiry on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women that show the project will increase violence towards indigenous women and girls, that the extension should not be granted. Coastal GasLink did not substantially start construction within the five years of its environmental certificate, which is mandated in the permit, so they requested

5978-405: The cultural longevity of their communities. Others oppose the pipeline on environmental grounds. The CGL project is expected to increase British Columbia’s carbon footprint by 8 to 9 megatons. This number is predicted to stop the province from achieving their climate goals.  "When burned, this natural gas (transported through the completed pipeline) is equivalent 585.5 million pounds of CO 2

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6076-416: The energy industry wanted to, "take, take, take. And they aren't taking no for an answer." Some Wet’suwet’en people have taken a stance against the CGL pipeline project due to  environmental and cultural concerns. The Wet’suwet’en rely on their land for food, water, and to support their way of life and relationship with the land. Huson said, “Our people’s belief is that we are part of the land. The land

6174-464: The environmental review that Trump described as an "incredibly cumbersome, long, horrible permitting process". In 2017, Trump signed a U.S. Presidential Permit to allow TransCanada to build the Nebraska pipeline route of the Keystone XL. TransCanada secured sufficient commercial support to commence construction preparation. This action by Trump inspired another wave of protests and rallies against

6272-502: The future”. Lawyers for the Office of the Wet'suwet'en cited the lack of meaningful accounting for the Final report on Missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls (MMIWG), published in June 2019, as well as the pipeline company's long history of non-compliance with the Environmental Assessment Office's own conditions and standards. The EAO's position was that there was no basis for judiciary review of their decision. In April 2021,

6370-615: The hereditary chiefs because we all remember what our elders who have passed on said. We all know that this was their goal”. However, the MOU did not address the issue of the pipeline, and both construction and opposition by the Wetʼsuwetʼen continued. Construction of the CGL continued in 2021 following extension of the environmental certificate, and land defenders continued to obstruct construction with direct action. In September, at least two people were arrested when land defenders constructed several blockades and locked themselves to machinery at

6468-520: The hereditary chiefs, Chief Na'Moks, said, “We need them [CGL] to understand that what they are doing is destroying our lands, our ecological sites, our burial sites…They have no comprehension of how important it is to our people". According to environmental and Indigenous Studies scholar Kerstin Reibold, many Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs opposed the CGL pipeline project construction as it destroyed traditional Wet’suwet’en cultural sites that were vital to

6566-416: The jurisdiction of elected band councils , established under the Indian Act , is limited to their reserves. The Wetʼsuwetʼen people were traditionally governed only by hereditary chiefs. However, the Indian Act created another form of governance: the elected band councils. Environmental scholar Avital Meira van Meijeren Karp said that “the Wet’suwet’en First Nation has the elected chief and council which

6664-416: The land that the Coastal GasLink pipeline construction threatens. A court injunction against protesters blocking the project in an effort to defend their unceded land was granted twice by the BC Supreme Court , in 2018 and 2019. In 2019 and 2020, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) entered the blocked area and cleared road access for construction using the threat of lethal force, arresting several of

6762-411: The nine sitting house chiefs of the Wetʼsuwetʼen. The MOU commits Canada and British Columbia to recognize that rights and title are held by house groups within the Wetʼsuwetʼen Nation, under the Wetʼsuwetʼen system of governance. This MOU sets the path of legal recognition of Wetʼsuwetʼen title to 22,000 square kilometres of traditional territory. Clan Chief Na'Moks said, "It was very emotional for all of

6860-402: The path of the pipeline and civil disobedience by celebrities. Critics state that by developing the oil sands, fossil fuels will be readily available and the trend toward warming of the atmosphere won't be curbed. The fate of the pipeline is therefore held up as symbolic of America's energy future. Critics have raised concerns about the risks of spillage, as the Sandhills region of Nebraska

6958-559: The pipeline before issuing their statements. The First Nations LNG alliance pointed to opportunities for indigenous contracting and "extensive" consultation with indigenous people. Crystal Smith, chief counsellor of the Haisla Nation , which had signed an agreement to allow the pipeline to pass through its traditional land, said in 2020 that "First Nations have been left out of resource development for too long...But we are involved, we have been consulted and we will ensure there are benefits for all First Nations." Victor Jim, an elected chief of

7056-508: The pipeline construction camps in Wetʼsuwetʼen territory. Land defenders are usually Indigenous people opposing large-scale resource extraction projects and the people who support their cause. This can include lawyers, journalists, protesters. Public policy and global affairs expert Philippe Le Billon stated that “Environmental and land defenders play a crucial role in attempts to slow down environmental change and address power inequalities in land-use and resource development”. On January 7, 2019,

7154-511: The pipeline project in 2014. The project submitted an application for permits to construct the pipeline to the BC Oil and Gas Commission (BCOGC) in 2014 and was granted all necessary permits by the BCOGC between 2015 and 2016. Protests began with the Wetʼsuwetʼen hereditary chiefs that oppose the project (including eight out of nine sitting house chiefs) and other land defenders blocking access to

7252-517: The pipeline. In March 2020, Premier Jason Kenney of Alberta, agreed to help finance the construction of TC Energy's Keystone XL oil sands pipeline in southern Alberta, Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska with a CA$ 7.5 billion (US$ 5.3 billion) financing agreement. According to The New York Times , despite the coronavirus pandemic, a down turn in the global economy, and "plunging oil prices", Premier Kenney said that Alberta could not afford "for Keystone XL to be delayed." With this financial agreement,

7350-653: The port of Kitimat , on the Douglas Channel . The investment and construction decisions for the LNG Canada and Coastal GasLink Pipeline Project were officially confirmed early October 2018, for completion by 2024–2025. However, hereditary chiefs of the Wetʼsuwetʼen have denied consent to construct the pipeline on the company's preferred route through culturally and ecologically sensitive lands in their unceded territory, leading to nationwide protests . Prince Rupert Gas Transmission project — In January 2013 it

7448-404: The project has highlighted divisions within the leadership structure of impacted First Nations: elected band councils support the project, but traditional hereditary chiefs of the Wetʼsuwetʼen people oppose the project on ecological grounds and organized blockades to obstruct construction on their traditional land. Wetʼsuwetʼen people opposed to the pipeline argue that they have a relationship with

7546-617: The project site, they ‘fetishize’ over Indigenous women while remaining ‘faceless’ and ‘nameless’, making it easier to commit crimes without facing the repercussions”. Similarly, the MMIWG Inquiry said that in regards to the CGL pipeline and other resource development projects, “there is an urgent need to consider the safety of Indigenous women consistently in all stages of project planning”. As of August 2020 , Coastal GasLink had been issued several non-compliance orders, causing interruptions to construction work in certain areas along

7644-558: The proposed Canyon Creek Pumped Storage Project near Hinton, Alberta would provide 75 MW of clean energy. The proposed Saddlebrook Solar + Storage project in Aldersyde, Alberta would consist of 102.5 MW of solar generation with utility-scale energy storage. As of March 2024, 83.5% of the share capital of TC Energy is owned by institutional investors . The dominant shareholder is the Royal Bank of Canada , which owns over 9% of

7742-555: The protest as a picket line. Other protests took place in Nelson , Calgary , Regina , Winnipeg , Toronto , Ottawa , Sherbrooke , and Halifax . Other First Nations, activists, land defenders and other supporters of the Wetʼsuwetʼen hereditary chiefs targeted railway lines. Near Belleville, Ontario , members of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte First Nation began a blockade of

7840-551: The protesters ... Have you made your point yet? Has the government and industry understood? I think they did." The next day, Simon disavowed his comments after reserve residents barred him from the band council office. Columnist John Ivison suggested that the situation highlighted a need to move on a legislative framework for restructuring authority between the elected councils mandated by the Indian Act and traditional hereditary governments. Consultation with local band councils

7938-652: The protesters. The 2020 arrests sparked widespread protests across Canada in solidarity with the original protests. Protests targeted government offices, ports and rail lines. A protest in February 2020 by the Mohawk First Nation people of Tyendinaga in Ontario blocked a critical segment of rail, causing Via Rail to shut down much of its passenger rail network and Canadian National Railway (CNR) to shut down freight service in eastern Canada for several weeks. Coastal GasLink (CGL) resumed construction after

8036-419: The province met to try to come to an agreement. However, all parties issued statements on February 4 that the talks had broken down. On February 3, the Office of the Wetʼsuwetʼen asked for a judicial review of the environmental approval for the pipeline. On February 6, the RCMP began enforcing the injunction, arresting 21 protesters at camps along the route between February 6 and 9. The largest of those camps

8134-428: The required environmental assessments for the CGL pipeline extension and accepted Coastal GasLink’s request. Sociologist Jasmine Tordimah said that the BCEAO permitted an extension of the pipeline, “without fully addressing or acknowledging the severe and direct impacts this development and its proposed 14 ‘man camps’ would have on Indigenous women, girls, and Two-Spirit people”. Tordimah also said that “when men arrive at

8232-416: The resource extraction industry are implicated in higher rates of violence against Indigenous women at the camps and in the neighbouring communities… Increased crime levels, including drug and alcohol related offenses, sexual offenses, and domestic and ‘gang’ violence, have been linked to ‘boom town’ and other resource development contexts”. The British Columbia Environmental Assessment Office (BCEAO) oversaw

8330-452: The route. In 2019, they faced an order after initiating work prior to informing trapline hunters near Houston. In spring 2020, Unistʼotʼen house group and Gidimtʼen clan members notified BC's Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) that CGL had damaged wetland areas. The assessment office found that the company's wetland management plan had not been followed in 42 wetlands areas, and issued another non-compliance order on June 16. A separate order

8428-415: The start of construction of the pipeline in 2019, the project has received penalties of more than $ 240,000 for repeated non-compliance with their environmental responsibilities. The project was fined $ 346,0000 for erosion and sediment control issues and for providing false information in inspection records. CGL's self-reporting on environmental compliance has also revealed violations. On October 1, 2020,

8526-483: The threat of disease. Indigenous communities across northern  British Columbia  repeatedly  called  for construction camps  to  be  closed due to the pandemic. Wetʼsuwetʼen protesters blocked the Morice Forest Service Road that provides access to construction of the pipeline project. The first injunction was issued by the B.C. Supreme Court in December 2018. The RCMP set up

8624-491: The threats of violence that Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit people face resulting from man camps along the pipeline construction path. The Wetʼsuwetʼen filed for judicial review on the CGL’s request for a pipeline environmental permit extension on the grounds that CGL had over 50 non-compliance orders and due to the findings of Canada’s National Inquiry on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. When CGL attempted to drill under

8722-580: The west. In 1998, TransCanada Pipelines merged with NOVA Corporation 's pipeline business, keeping the TransCanada name and becoming "the fourth largest energy services company in North America". Seeking to expand its presence in the United States, in 2016, TransCanada acquired Columbia Pipeline Group (CPG) for US$ 13 billion from NiSource 's Shareholders. The CPG acquisition added a pipeline network in Pennsylvania and surrounding states, where

8820-547: Was accompanied by another law which sought to raise revenue for the fund by creating civil penalties for advising, directing, or encouraging persons participating in rioting. In response to the law Noem was sued by the Indigenous Environmental Network , Sierra Club , and other groups, who argued the laws violate First Amendment rights by incentivizing the state to sue protesters. Coastal GasLink Pipeline The Coastal GasLink pipeline

8918-633: Was announced that TransCanada was selected by Petronas to design, build, own, and operate the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission project, a gas pipeline that would transport natural gas from the Montney region near Fort St. John, British Columbia to a LNG terminal planned by Progress Energy Canada Ltd. in Port Edward, British Columbia on Lelu Island near Prince Rupert, British Columbia . The project faced opposition from

9016-486: Was announced that TransCanada was selected by Shell and LNG Canada partners Korea Gas Corporation , Mitsubishi Corporation and PetroChina Company Limited (to which Petronas of Malaysia was added in 2018) to design, build, own and operate the Coastal GasLink pipeline between northeastern B.C. gas fields near Dawson Creek, British Columbia , and the LNG Canada LNG liquefaction, storage and export facility in

9114-486: Was blockaded on February 10 by members of the Listuguj Miꞌgmaq First Nation . The nation-wide blockades led to Via Rail and CNR shutting down most of their service across the country for most of February, with regular service resuming by early March. Eventually, talks with government led to a memorandum of understanding (MOU) over land rights and title between the Canadian government, the BC government, and

9212-473: Was delivered on the same day due to the company's lack of efforts to mitigate harm to endangered whitebark pine in the area. A further non-compliance order was issued on June 22, 2020, for proceeding with work to clear the affected wetlands sites without conducting the appropriate environmental assessment surveys. These non-compliance orders led to a cessation of construction within 30 meters of designated wetlands areas until all appropriate measures were followed.

9310-610: Was held as part of the planning and environmental review process between 2012 and 2014. As a result of the 1997 Delgamuukw v British Columbia court case of the Gitxsan and Wet'suwet'en peoples, comprehensive consultations with hereditary chiefs are also required for major projects in traditional lands. During consultations, the Office of the Wet'suwet'en proposed alternative routes for the pipeline through areas that had already been disturbed by other infrastructure projects. These routes were rejected by Coastal GasLink on August 21, 2014 in

9408-413: Was renamed as TC Energy Center and serves as the company's US headquarters. TC Energy's natural gas pipelines business builds, owns and operates a network of natural gas pipelines across North America that connects gas production to interconnects and end use markets. The company transports over 25% of continental daily natural gas demand through 91,900 km (57,100 mi) of pipelines. In addition,

9506-905: Was the seventh-largest onshore oil spill since 2002. The study showed that 407,000 gallons, not 210,000 gallons, had spilled. Also in April 2018, Reuters reviewed documents that showed that Keystone had "leaked substantially more oil, and more often, in the United States than the company indicated to regulators in risk assessments before operations began in 2010". TC Energy's Energy division consists of power generation and unregulated natural gas storage assets. The power business consists of approximately 7,000 megawatts (MW) of generation capacity owned or under development. These assets are located primarily in Canada and are powered by natural gas, nuclear, and wind. TC Energy has proposed two pumped storage projects and one solar project to store and supply clean energy. The Ontario Pumped Storage Project near Meaford, Ontario would provide 1000 MW of clean energy and

9604-491: Was underway. By the end of July 2022, approximately 70% of the pipeline had been completed, and the cost of the project had increased to CA$ 11.2 billion. In October 2023, pipeline installation on the project was 100% complete. The project is opposed by the hereditary chiefs of the Wetʼsuwetʼen, some other First Nations, and environmental activists. Hereditary chiefs claim jurisdiction over and responsibility to protect traditional Wetʼsuwetʼen territory. They said in 2020 that

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