The Red Head Anthony’s Cove Preservation Association organized a major protest against the proposed Energy East pipeline on May 30.
Red Head is a community in Saint John, New Brunswick situated on the Bay of Fundy. The community does not want a massive oil storage ‘tank farm’ holding 7.8 million barrels of bitumen across the street from their homes. They also do not want a new deep water marine terminal capable of loading about 115 supertankers a year in the Bay of Fundy.
The protest included a march featuring banners listing waterways put at risk by the pipeline, a smoke ceremony, and the announcement of a water declaration written by the Peace and Friendship Alliance. Participants linked arms to form a symbolic “line in the sand” and listened to speeches (including by Council of Canadians Energy East New Brunswick campaigner Mark D’Arcy) and performances by well-known New Brunswick artists.
Global News reports, “Hundreds of New Brunswickers and some people from neighbouring provinces came out Saturday to protest the construction of the Energy East Pipeline. The pipeline is expected to end in the community of Red Head, N.B., just outside of Saint John, along the Bay of Fundy. Some residents in the community organized a march, showing their opposition to the pipeline. …Many at the march said they’re worried about the impact the pipeline could have on the Bay of Fundy, especially the possibility of spills or leaks and an increase in tanker traffic.”
The CTV news report quotes local resident Leanne Sutton. She says, “It’s the end of the pipeline, it’s 18 tanks and a tanker farm plus a marine terminal as well. So it’s everything for us, not just a pipe in the ground.” That article also quotes Madawaska lands officer Russ Letica who says, “You’re not going to come in and kill a bay, you’re not going to come in and put 10,000 fishermen out of work when there’s a spill. Not if, when.”
And the CBC reports, “Saturday’s crowd spanned over 2.5 kilometres… People carried banners with the names of the bodies of water that they want to protect from the pipeline. They worry it will pollute their drinking water. …First Nations leaders lit a sacred fire after the walk.”
To read a first-hand account of today’s march, please see Council of Canadians organizer Angela Giles’ blog Today was the #EndOfTheLine in Red Head!!
Numerous Council of Canadians chapter activists were at today’s march along with D’Arcy, Giles and organizer Tori Ball.
To look at a Storify compilation of social media on the march, click here.
For more on our campaign to stop the Energy East pipeline, click here.
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