[Opinion] Solidarity with those who sacrifice their individual freedom for the collective good

Activists from the Antigone collective, an affinity group of Extinction Rébellion Québec, occupied the Valero terminal of the line 9B pipeline on October 19. The group demands an immediate reduction in the amount of oil circulating there in order to prevent the risk of spills and a clear plan for its complete closure. They want to mobilize the population on issues such as the threat it poses to drinking water and its undeniable role in aggravating the climate crisis.

In the context of climate emergency that we are going through and faced with the inaction of governments and the lack of results, we support this action of non-violent civil disobedience. We want to offer our support to those who have courageously chosen to sacrifice their individual freedom for the collective good.

Line 9B has been in service since 1976 and transports nearly 300,000 barrels of oil per day, including diluted bitumen from the oil sands of Western Canada. This pipeline is worn and dangerous:

• At least 35 spills have occurred since its commissioning;

• Quebec, unlike Ontario, is only informed of leaks of more than 1,500 litres. Spills from 25 to 1500 liters are no less dangerous;

• automated leak detection systems detect only about 12%;

• the pipeline is covered with an old coating which presents a greater risk of cracking than current coatings;

• before the reversal of the flow in 2015 (to transport oil from the West to the East), 12,961 anomalies had been recorded;

• in 2011, in Terrebonne, an Enbridge pumping station leaked 4,000 liters of oil without the company informing the municipality.

On its route, line 9B crosses several rivers and a leak could cause a health disaster on an unprecedented scale. The drinking water supply of 3.2 million Quebecers is at risk. In the event of a major spill, there is no plan B for the vast majority of purification stations in the region since they will not be able to count on any spare water intake.

Between 1996 and 2014, Enbridge was responsible for 1,276 oil spills totaling 224,374 barrels of oil. Among these spills, the most famous is that of the Kalamazoo River in Michigan: the largest to have occurred on American land. Let’s not wait for a disaster.

Line 9B transports extremely polluting oil from Alberta. In the context of the climate crisis, the extraction and refining of Canadian bitumen emits three to four times more greenhouse gases than traditional oil. The oil companies must imperatively reduce their activities, which implies the closure of line 9B. In addition, this pipeline crosses the territory of several indigenous nations who opposed the reversal of the flow in 2015. This pipeline poses a danger to our ecosystems, our families and our planet.

We support the activists’ demands:

1. Decrease the amount of oil flowing through the pipeline now to reduce pressure on the pipeline and reduce the risk of spills.

2. Immediately stop the circulation of tar sands oil in the form of diluted bitumen, an oil much heavier than light oil, which sinks to the bottom of water when spilled and is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to clean up.

3. Immediately require Enbridge to pay for a continuous hydrocarbon leak detection network in the Ottawa, Thousand Islands and Prairies rivers and the St. Lawrence River downstream of pipeline crossings and upstream of intakes. raw water.

4. That the governments of Quebec and Canada establish a clear medium-term pipeline closure plan with intermediate steps. Canadian fossil fuel production is expected to align with IPCC recommendations for emissions under the 1.5°C warming scenario.

5. Improve provincial legislation to require oil companies, such as Enbridge, to report all leaks over 25 litres, as is the case in Ontario.

6. The Canada Energy Regulator should require Enbridge to perform hydrostatic testing of the entire pipeline to ensure its safety.

7. Municipalities must have regulations to guarantee the protection of drinking water and ensure that emergency measures plans ensure a supply of drinking water and the safety of the population in the event of a major spill, as well as an intervention capacity to protect threatened ecosystems.

*Signed this text:

The planet invites itself to parliament

Hoodstock

André Bélisle, President, Quebec Association for the Fight Against Air Pollution AQLPA

Patrick Bonin, Greenpeace Canada, responsible for the Climate-Energy campaign

Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette

Student Coalition for an Environmental and Social Shift – CEVES

Alain Mignault, Let’s shut down Enbridge’s 9B pipeline

Laure Waridel, ecosociologist, Ph. D and author of Transition is now

Clement de Gaulejac, illustrator

350 Montreal

CCMM-CSN

Environmental Action Lower Laurentians

AGECAR

Citizens in the know

Albert Lalonde, climate justice activist

Dominic Champagne

Emma Goldman Anarchist Collective (Saguenay sur le Nitassinan)

Jonathan Durand Folco, professor at the School of Social Innovation, Saint Paul University

André-Yanne Parent, Climate Reality Canada

Coralie LaPerrière, committed comedian

Ashley Torres

Student Association of Anthropology of the University of Montreal (275 members)

Rébecca Pétrin, Executive Director of Eau Secours

Djemila Carron, teacher

Charles-Antoine Bachand, Ph.D.

Marie-Josée Béliveau, Coordinator, Women’s Climate Collective

Dr. Greg Mikkelson

Éléonore Caron, Ecotheque

Elisabeth Germain, ecofeminist activist

Eric Pineault, ISE UQAM

Extinction Rebellion Sherbrooke

ECOSPHERE Fair

Bruno Huissoud, President, Foundation for the Arts and Culture of the Chambly Basin

Fred Dube

Frédéric Legault, doctoral student and researcher at the Research Chair in Ecological Transition, University of Quebec in Montreal

Hugues Dextra, extern of the General Association of Students in Psychology and Neurology of the University of Montreal

Isabelle Grondin Hernandez, activist with CEVES and community organizer

Jacques Benoit

Joaquin Sabat, sociology teacher

Tom Liacas, citizen and consultant

The planet invites itself to Parliament – ​​Longueuil

Lara Bourdin, PhD student

Alter citizens

The Union of Student Employees of UQAM (SETUE)

Marc Nantel

The stakes of the Bti insecticide on biodiversity

Simon Guiroy, Spokesperson for the Student Climate Action Front (FEDAC)

May Chiu

Mothers at the Rouyn-Noranda front

Mothers at the Front – South Shore

Michel Camus, Ph. D, epidemiologist

Michelle Parent

Mobilization 6600 Nature Park MHM

Oliver Sudden, President, Productions Inc.

Pascal Bergeron, Spokesperson, Green Environment Plus

Union of student and postdoctoral workers at Laval University (STEP)

Quebec Hydrocarbon Vigilance Group (RVHQ)

Quebec network of environmental groups

Santiago Bertolino, director

Sébastien Barraud, trade unionist

University student Shi Tao Zhang

Simon Chavarie, teacher, Cégep de Saint-Jérôme

Popular Solidarity Estrie

collective floor

Stéphane Caillé, President, Union of Teachers of Cégep de Saint-Jérôme

Sylvain Caron, anti-poverty activist

As well as hundreds of others. The complete list of signatory organizations and individuals is published on our digital platforms.

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