Police were at the Port of Montreal early Monday as environmental protesters chained themselves to pipes that load tankers with bitumen from Alberta’s oil sands.
In addition to two Greenpeace activists locking themselves to the pipes, three others climbed onto infrastructure at the port and unfurled a banner that reads, “Stop Pipelines: Protect Our Water and Climate.”
Though police confirmed they have officers at the scene, no arrests had been made by early Monday.
The action comes just days after the federal government approved the construction of two new pipelines linking the oil sands to the Pacific coast and the midwestern United States.
“If (Prime Minister) Justin Trudeau thought the protests would be limited to downtown Vancouver, he was mistaken,” said Keith Stewart, a spokesperson for the environmental group. “This is a national movement. We’re determined to stop these pipelines and protect our water.”
Montreal police officers stand next to Greenpeace activist who chained herself to main gate of the Valero loading zone at the Port of Montreal Dec. 5, 2016.
The pipes at the Port of Montreal pump oil from the city’s refineries into tankers from Quebec City and elsewhere.
News that Trudeau approved Enbridge’s Line 3 and the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline has sparked outrage among Canada’s First Nations and environmental groups. The Prime Minister believes the country can support its energy economy and become an international climate leader by implementing a national tax on carbon emissions.
“Our message to Prime Minister Trudeau and other premiers is clear: you can’t be a climate leader and approve new pipelines,” said Marie-Eve Robert, an activist at the scene. “Climate leaders will get our support, but pipeline builders will meet fierce resistance.”
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