The struggle for Burnaby Mountain

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Mon, 2014-11-24 22:35
epaulo13

It's a wet night on the mountain but spirits are high. There are a couple fires going and people are gathered around sharing songs and stories. More and more as the days go on we are demonstrating the care, respect, and solidarity that defines our positive community values. We may not yet have stopped Kinder Morgan but neither can they stop us from being the sign that points towards the future.

.....

A statement by a seventy-four year old grandmother, Stella, on Burnaby Mountain.

video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ahz4bxZpQv4

.....

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Tue, 2014-11-25 12:42
iyraste1313

please pass this on.....just met with my friends of ADICAV here in the north of Guatemala, the people who played so key a role in paralysing the country in September then just recently, for 3 days...they are part of a greater collective of 10 organizations and will present a request to focus on the gross violation of indigenous and municipal rights on Burnaby mountain. ADICAV itself is an organization of some 10 communities each with a population in the thousands, all solidly behind their leadership.

They take their Maya indigenous rights and their rights to regional autonomy very seriously!

What will become of their memorial, I can t say yet...but eventually it will put notice to Canada that their injunction against the protesters on Burnaby mountain will have international consequences!

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Tue, 2014-11-25 18:11
epaulo13

Ten more arrests this morning including 84 year old retired librarian just arrested, escorted to police truck

Ten more arrests this morning including 84 year old retired librarian, Barbara Grant, just arrested, escorted to police truck

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Tue, 2014-11-25 18:16
epaulo13

..lekwungen territories include's victoria and surounding area.

In solidarity from unceded Lekwungen Territories. Stop Kinder Morgan! No pipelines! Stop colonial violence now!In solidarity from unceded Lekwungen Territories. Stop Kinder Morgan! No pipelines! Stop colonial violence now!

In solidarity from unceded Lekwungen Territories. Stop Kinder Morgan! No pipelines! Stop colonial violence now!

 

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Tue, 2014-11-25 18:25
epaulo13

..txs for the update iyraste

....

We want Freedom for Migrant Detainees

A group of caretakers, supporters, defenders and arrestees from Burnaby Mountain are calling for Freedom for Migrant Detainees. Sending power, love, and strength to those taking action again indefinite detention

....

Ingrid Engarås Solidarity Greetings from Stockholm Sweden

FastMarkRentVattenLevandeKulturarv Stockholm

Ingrid Engarås's photo.

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Tue, 2014-11-25 18:36
epaulo13

It won’t end here: Anti-pipeline protesters vow to remain on Burnaby Mountain as long as Kinder Morgan is there

quote:

The other protesters insist it won’t end here. As long as Kinder Morgan is on the mountain, said Karen Mahon, “we will have people out” in hopes of continuing the debate and increasing support and the debate about the National Energy Board process.

On Sunday, a busload of supporters from Vancouver Island joined hundreds of people at the Burnaby Mountain protest, while support demonstrations were held in Edmonton and Seattle. Two 11-year-old girls were among those who crossed the police line but they were not arrested.

“It’s interesting how some of these things get wind in their sails and people start coming here from San Francisco and Seattle,” said Karl Perrin, spokesman for BROKE, Burnaby Residents Opposed to Kinder Morgan Expansion. “We never would have dreamed two-and-a-half years ago that we’d be here now, that we would have so much success in slowing them down.”.....

http://www.theprovince.com/news/Kinder+Morgan+pipeline+protesters+remain...

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Tue, 2014-11-25 18:44
epaulo13

Novelist and daughter expressed passion for environmental justice in Kinder Morgan arrest on Burnaby Mountain

Vancouver-based writer Shaena Lambert -- author of Globe and Mail best book of the year pick Oh My Darling -- and her daughter Lucy embraced as they crossed the police line on Burnaby Mountain to protest Kinder Morgan's pipeline expansion. 

"I was very nervous. Frightened and exhilarated," Shaena said. "We were holding hands, facing a row of probably a dozen police officers on the other side of the tape barrier. I looked at Lucy, and she flashed her big smile, which gave me courage. She was just amazing....Then we lifted the yellow tape and went under together."

Her daughter Lucy, a 19 year old student, said she had been aware of the proposed Kinder Morgan project triple the pipeline capacity of the existing Trans Mountain for years.  "It's always been something that I was against," Lucy said, during a lunch break from class. "In high school, I was signing petitions and trying to organize other students to rally as well."....

http://www.vancouverobserver.com/news/novelist-and-daughter-expressed-pa...

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Tue, 2014-11-25 21:50
epaulo13

Two really important updates, spread the word

Kinder Morgan is applying this Thursday, November 27 at 10:00 a.m. to expand the injunction order (in time) from December 1 to December 12, but also (in space) to move the GPS coordinates.

The lawyer for the RCMP has also announced that police are going to begin laying criminal charges against people who violate the Kinder Morgan injunction more than once. Starting as early as tomorrow (Wednesday), those who violate the injunction two or more times may be charged with "Disobeying an order of court" under section 127 of the Criminal Code. This is a criminal offence that can be prosecuted on an indictable (more serious) or summary (less serious) basis.

For more information on criminal charges and how they can impact you, please check out the resources below or get in touch with a lawyer. If you've been charged with an offence, whether it's contempt of court or a criminal charge, you should apply for legal aid (http://www.lss.bc.ca/legal_aid/).

BCCLA Arrest Handbook: https://bccla.org/our_work/the-arrest-handbook-a-guide-to-your-rights/

Leo McGrady's Guide to the Law of Protests in BC: http://www.mbwlaw.ca/index.html

Legal Services Society: http://www.lss.bc.ca/publications/subject.php?sub=9

Clicklaw: http://www.clicklaw.bc.ca/

Backgrounder on contempt: http://irinaceric.wordpress.com/2014/11/13/contempt/

More resources and links here: http://movementdefence.org/resources

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Wed, 2014-11-26 09:19
epaulo13

Is This the Best Use of Our Police Resources?

quote:

The City of Burnaby charges film crews $100 per hour for RCMP officers to provide traffic control at movie sets. The costs at Burnaby Mountain could be quite a bit more than that. A recent story in the Burnaby NewsLeader indicated that the injunction zone was being staffed in part by overtime specialists from the integrated tactical unit, emergency response team, negotiation team, as well as aboriginal policing services.

For the sake of argument, let's assume a per officer cost of $100 per hour. Keeping 65 police onsite round the clock would cost about $156,000 per day. Since ratepayers foot the bill for policing costs, it would seem the people of Burnaby are being forced by the conditions of the injunction to provide a direct security subsidy of slightly more than $1 million per week to Kinder Morgan. To put this in perspective, the entire policing budget for the City of Burnaby in 2014 was approximately $55 million.

Not that Kinder Morgan needs the money. A detailed analysis in the The Tyee by Robyn Allan showed that Kinder Morgan -- a U.S.-based "master limited partnership" formed from assets of Enron -- paid Canadian taxpayers a mere $1.5 million annually averaged between 2009 and 2013. The Trans Mountain pipeline provided Kinder Morgan average annual revenues of $172 million over this period, meaning the company paid an effective tax rate of less than one per cent....

http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2014/11/26/Police-Resources-Use/

 

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Wed, 2014-11-26 09:37
epaulo13

nov 25

Today was another soggy day on the Mountain. There was a good gathering at the bottom of the mountain. They we're welcomed at the top by a song from the fire keepers. Several crossed the line again to express their Political opposition to Kinder Morgan. The days most amusing moment came when the police tried to drive in a giant portable cabin for themselves only to realize their was no space for it. Tomorrow we could use some extra hands to help set up a new kitchen and to keep working on the paths. Anyone with landscaping tools or experience highly needed!

.....

Thursday's Choice: The Mountain or the Courthouse

Thursday, November 27 at 9:30am in PST

Supreme Court - 800 Smithe Street

~AND~

Grand Chief Stewart Phillip: “I am willing to be stand up to Kinder Morgan and be arrested for the future of my grandchildren”

What: Press Conference at Burnaby Mountain
When: Thursday November 27th at 10 am
Where: On top of Burnaby Mountain, the hill beside the injunction area.
Who: Grand Chief Stewart Phillip. He will be joined by other Indigenous leaders

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Wed, 2014-11-26 15:16
epaulo13

Arrests on Burnaby Mountain: Climate change motivated author J.B. MacKinnon to stand up to Kinder Morgan

quote:

MacKinnon suggested that amongst those who have been arrested while protesting on Burnaby Mountain he is not unusual in going through a period of lengthy deliberation before committing civil disobedience: "There's this perception among some people out there that people take this lightly and that the decision is not consequential and those people are simply wrong. It's something everyone I've spoken to who has been arrested took very seriously — I certainly did."

For him, crossing the injunction boundary line to be arrested was also a deeply personal, private moment: "I didn't want to pump my fist. I didn't feel the urge to raise my fist or make a statement to the crowd. I have all kinds of respect for those who do that, but for me it was just more of a private experience."

It was intriguing to hear that MacKinnon primarily experienced his arrest as a private experience, since his profile as an author certainly made his arrest at the Burnaby Mountain protests highly public and symbolic. Yet this is precisely the complexity of the arrest experience he went through on Saturday, and further discussion of what struck him most about the arrest and processing experience revealed that the complexity of this experience goes beyond even the collision of private and public worlds:

"What stuck out for me the most is probably the light-heartedness that everyone felt after being arrested. I think sometimes that's been misconstrued by people as arrestees taking the situation lightly or not having seriously considered what they're doing. But I think that light-heartedness comes from the relief you feel at having taken a step that all of us have probably thought about taking for longer than we even knew. Certainly, if I compare the sleep I had the night before I was arrested with the one I had the night after I was arrested, I know which one was the more restful sleep.

"There's a joy and a freedom that comes with being true to yourself. That's the lightness that people are observing in the protesters. As I say, I think that some people, when they see people smiling or laughing amongst each other, or singing, they think 'oh these people are goofballs,' but it's a very liberating moment for most people. By the time they've taken that step and been arrested they've done all the serious work and they're in the mood to be free."

This light-heartedness can be observed in MacKinnon and his fellow arrestees as well once they've been escorted further into the drilling site and stood in a line by police officers to await processing — they seem to be joking, greeting one another in excitement and attempting to shake hands while wearing the awkward plasticuffs.

MacKinnon is also straightforward about the fact that the part where he was held in a cell by the police at the Burnaby RCMP detachment was not at all an enjoyable experience. Speaking of how, after arrival, they were "slowly unloaded" then "sat in our cells for hours and hours and hours" before finally being processed and released, he said that the whole ordeal was "completely new for me, and I found it extremely unpleasant."

"I don't think anybody enjoys having any part of their time or their person under the control of the RCMP. It certainly wasn't something I looked forward to and I didn't enjoy it."

Facing such an extremely unpleasant consequence for his actions, one wonders what motivated MacKinnon to risk arrest. When put this question to him, MacKinnon responds with certainty, and his answer is convicted:

"I think there are a lot of people out there who have come to the conclusion that governments and corporations aren't going to budge on climate change without a serious confrontation, without it being driven by very committed people."

"I think our best hope is that this change can happen through mass, peaceful civil disobedience. If that doesn't work, it's possible things will get even more serious."

"What's happening at Burnaby Mountain is that at one level it's a fight about Kinder Morgan drilling two bore holes in the ground, but that's clearly not what people are on the mountain for. They're on the mountain because they're tired of this relentless push towards ever more fossil fuel infrastructure without a hint that our government is prepared to address the most urgent issue of our times."

http://www.vancouverobserver.com/news/arrests-burnaby-mountain-climate-c...

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Wed, 2014-11-26 16:10
epaulo13

Kinder Morgan is elephant in room for B.C. Federation of Labour

“Personally, I’m opposed to it,” said Aaron Ekman, candidate for secretary-treasurer of the B.C. Federation of Labour at its Vancouver convention this week. “But there’s no doubt it’s the most controversial issue in the labour movement right now.”

If Ekman sounds candid about his position on Kinder Morgan’s proposed Trans Mountain pipeline extension, it’s because he can afford to be. He’s running unopposed for his position. At the top of the ticket his running mate is Amber Hockin, a CUPE activist and Pacific region director of the Canadian Labour Congress. She’s in a tight race for the presidency with Irene Lanzinger, the federation’s current secretary-treasurer and retiring President Jim Sinclair’s hand-picked successor.

On the same day that Grand Chief Stewart Phillip of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs received a standing ovation from delegates for promising to climb Burnaby Mountain and be arrested for civil disobedience, Ricochet stopped by the convention in hopes of getting both candidates on the record with their positions on the Kinder Morgan pipeline proposal. While their soundbites were well polished, neither was willing to take a position or even admit their personal feelings on the issue.

That’s unfortunate.

https://ricochet.media/en/221/kinder-morgan-is-elephant-in-room-for-bc-f...

quote:

The conspiracy of silence does, however, set up an interesting convention dynamic. If either candidate comes out before Thursday’s vote and takes a clear position against the pipeline, it would likely be enough to put them over the top.

That’s because even if rank-and-file union members are divided when it comes to balancing the few short-term jobs created against the long-term consequences of pipelines — and polls suggest they aren’t — the floor of the Vancouver convention is filled with the most engaged among their number: union activists, shop stewards and active members of the labour movement. In other words, the type of “foreign-funded radicals” our prime minister is fond of railing against.

You wouldn’t need a straw poll to know that the room is not friendly territory for pipelines, and most delegates Ricochet spoke to not only freely expressed opposition to the pipeline, but also concern that the the union movement could lose younger generations of workers entirely if they don’t see their concerns about the climate reflected in the positions of their unions.`

This brings us back to the hotly contested vote. Ambivalence towards both candidates was the most common position among the delegates spoken to, and it appears that this race remains up for grabs, as neither candidate has succeeded in energizing delegates.

Meanwhile, young workers and other delegates are organizing a trip to Burnaby Mountain on Wednesday evening to bolster the ongoing protest against Kinder Morgan’s survey work, a standoff that has seen over 80 people arrested for civil disobedience.

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Wed, 2014-11-26 19:09
epaulo13

..still a bit confusing

updated piece

Protesters may not have violated court order

Dozens of protesters arrested for breaching an injunction protecting Trans Mountain Pipeline ULC work on Burnaby Mountain may never have violated the court order.

quote:

Lawyers who have been critical of the process by which Trans Mountain obtained its injunction and the use of the civil contempt law to deal with protesters were appalled.

"The RCMP appear to have arrested dozens of people for breaching an injunction when they may have done no such thing; carting people away for crossing a line they didn't cross," said Josh Paterson, executive director of the B.C. Civil Liberties Association.

"The thing with being charged with breaching a court order is that you need to have breached a court order. It's totally unclear whether that is the case, given the acknowledgment that RCMP have arrested people for crossing a police tape line that was metres from the actual injunction line."

Vancouver lawyer Jason Gratl, who represents some of the protesters, said the situation has been a mess since the get-go — with no one understanding where they were allowed to demonstrate.

Gratl pointed out that the Mounties could still proceed against protesters under the criminal code.

"It's obstruction of justice to cross a police line when directed not to, but that's a criminal charge," he explained.

"Now it is more stark than ever police don't want to do their job, they want to only arrest for contempt rather than criminal process. It has never been more stark that the RCMP refuse to do their job under the criminal code — they want to arrest people under the contempt power."

Given the lack of clarity and the possibility that many arrests may have been illegitimate, the BCCLA questioned whether an expansion of the injunction area could be justified.

"It's bad enough that we may have dozens of unlawful arrests based on the existing, confusing injunction," Paterson said.

"Any legal restrictions on constitutional rights of freedom of speech and assembly must be absolutely clear and must be as minimal as possible. Now the court is being asked to expand the zone that protestors are forbidden to enter, in the form of a request to 'clarify' the order. We can see no compelling legal justification to further restrict people's right to demonstrate on Burnaby Mountain."

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/10416668/story.html 

....

Legal update as of today: 102 arrests total at Burnaby Mountain. 102 people standing up to Kinder Morgan, 102 standing up for climate, 102 people standing in solidarity with Indigenous land rights, 102 people standing up to an unjust injunction, 102 people standing with their conscience.

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Wed, 2014-11-26 21:15
epaulo13

Burnaby Mountain events this week (to November 30)

There are so many incredible things happening on the mountain, we thought we needed a week-at-a-glance schedule! This post will continue to be updated as new events and details are announced.

DAILY

10.30 AM. Meet at Centennial Way and Burnaby Mountain Parkway and walk up the mountain together.

People also needed at the camp on the mountain 24/7.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 27

9.30 AM. BC Supreme Court, 900 Smithe Street, Vancouver.

Kinder Morgan will be appearing in Supreme Court to try to increase the injunction zone and extend the timeline on the injunction to complete their geotechnical survey work. People needed at the courthouse to say NO!

10 AM. Grand Chief Stewart Philip of the UBCIC will come to the mountain to join those who have been arrested. Press conference at the top of the mountain (outside the injunction zone).

11.00 AM. Faith groups will walk up the mountain together.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 28

10.30AM. Academics for climate action. Faculty and students will walk up the mountain together.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 29

11.30. Mothers, grandmothers, and children will gather at the top of the mountain, for speakers and an opportunity for children to have their voices heard. Those who want to cross the police line will.

1.00PM. Frontlines Beat Pipelines: Indigenous and People of Colour Resistance and Performance at Burnaby Mountain. Mass gathering at the top of the mountain with speakers and music.

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 30

Call-out for support actions around the world

Stay tuned for info about Sunday's events on the mountain

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Wed, 2014-11-26 21:15
epaulo13

Clayqout veterans are arrested at the mountain


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Thu, 2014-11-27 10:51
epaulo13

..an amazing story!

87-year-old Kinder Morgan protester handled delicately by police

In a sign of how fearless citizens have become in defying Texas-based Kinder Morgan's court-ordered injunction, even an 87-year-old crossed the police tape on Burnaby Mountain to protest the company's pipeline.

"It matters.  We can't let it happen," said Jean McLaren, on Burnaby Mountain.

"I want something for my kids, and my grandchildren.  I want them to be able to grow up and live, and not be dying [from climate change] like a lot of people are."

http://www.vancouverobserver.com/news/jean-mclaren-87-crosses-police-lin...


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Thu, 2014-11-27 10:55
epaulo13

On Saturday: Frontlines Beat Pipelines: Indigenous and People of Colour Resistance and Performance!Frontlines Beat Pipelines:
Indigenous and People of Colour Resistance and Performance at Burnaby Mountain

Because Indigenous communities, communities of colour, and tribal communities bear the brunt of climate change. Because we are the frontlines of crisis and we are the frontlines of change

Saturday November 29th from 1-4pm
Burnaby Mountain, top of mountain

Full details and RSVP here:
https://www.facebook.com/events/304926929699424/

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Thu, 2014-11-27 13:22
epaulo13

..live stream right now

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/sea-shepherd-vancouver

...

Big update: Centennial Way has been cleared, drill equipment out, and so is the exclusion zone there. We're quite sure the cops and Kinder Morgan have backed off because of Grand Chief's annoucement about coming to the line today. This will be an interesting day, and there will be developments within the hour.

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Thu, 2014-11-27 15:09
epaulo13

Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, Tsleil-Waututh Elder Ta’ah Amy George and other Indigenous leaders have just crossed the Kinder Morgan injunction line at Burnaby Mountain!

In crossing the police line, Grand Chief Stewart Phillip said, “I am willing to stand up to Kinder Morgan and be arrested for the future of my grandchildren.”

Tsleil-Waututh Elder Ta’ah Amy George, daughter of Chief Dan George, also crossed the police line. “My people have been fighting for this inlet since contact. In 2014 we're still fighting for this inlet. And we're not just doing this for our future generations, but we're doing this for all peoples future generations, even for Kinder Morgan's," George said. Just before she crossed the police line, George offered the challenge to everyone to “Warrior Up!” and a take stand.

 

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Thu, 2014-11-27 16:03
epaulo13

eta: Statements at BC Supreme Court lockdown

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_TAQPwSVQA

6 protestors lock down at BC Supreme Court

6 protestors lock down at BC Supreme Court

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 27 Nov. 2014

VANCOUVER - Early this morning four Burnaby Mountain Caretakers have locked themselves to the Supreme Court entrance in Vancouver. The action was taken to draw attention to the role of the courts in ongoing colonial occupation of Indigenous territory on Burnaby Mountain and across the country.

“This court represents colonial law, and it’s the only reason a Texas-based oil company is allowed to drill hundreds of metres into Burnaby Mountain against the wishes of the local First Nations and the municipality. It’s because of this court that RCMP is paid to defend corporate profit at the expense of the community it should be protecting.” Marija Brezev, Burnaby Caretaker

In granting Kinder Morgan’s request for an injunction and enforcement order on November 14th, the courts are once again ignoring aboriginal rights and title and breaching their constitutional duty to obtain consent on unceded Coast Salish territory.

These decisions by the BC Supreme Court continually dispossess indigenous people of the territories they have occupied and governed for thousands of years. Squamish elder Sut-lut was arrested last Thursday while protecting a traditional totem pole. This morning, Tsleil-Waututh elder Ta’ah George will be arrested, alongside Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, after crossing police lines set by the BC Supreme Court.

"We've been here for thousands of years, and we'll be her for many thousands more," George said this morning. "We've been stewards of the land, and when we're stewards of the land, we make choices for our future generations. That's for my children and my grandchildren and yours too."

Yesterday, the BC Supreme Court in Terrace granted Imperial Metals--the company responsible for the Mount Polley Mine disaster--a long-term interlocutory injunction and enforcement order, displacing the Klabona Keepers, guardians of the Sacred Headwaters, from their traditional territory. Yet another case in which corporate profits were deemed more important than indigenous land rights.

The caretakers of Burnaby Mountain are taking this action with the hope of shedding light on the institutions responsible for the continued colonization and exploitation of the land and the communities they sustain.

The caretakers stand in solidarity with the First Nations of BC by refusing to recognize the authority of the colonial court.

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Thu, 2014-11-27 17:55
epaulo13

..whooppeee!!!!

Order to extend Kinder Morgan injunction past December 1st denied. Civil charges dropped on protesters because injunction boundaries faulty. All charges of contempt dropped as of today. No need to appear in court!

Civil contempt charges dropped against dozens of B.C. anti-pipeline protesters

VANCOUVER — A B.C. Supreme Court judge has dropped civil contempt charges against dozens of protesters who were arrested at an anti-pipeline protest near Vancouver.

The order came Thursday after Kinder Morgan acknowledged it had used incorrect GPS co-ordinates when it sought an injunction related to its Trans Mountain pipeline.

More than 100 people have been arrested on Burnaby Mountain, including Grand Chief Stewart Phillip of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs, who crossed the police line earlier Thursday.

Kinder Morgan is conducting drilling and survey work at the site related to the proposed expansion of its Trans Mountain pipeline.

While that was unfolding, a lawyer for the company asked Cullen to expand an injunction that has been used to arrest more than 100 people, including Phillip. Nearly all of them have been charged with civil contempt for violating the order....

http://panow.com/article/486890/civil-contempt-charges-dropped-against-d...

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Fri, 2014-11-28 12:58
epaulo13

Three hundred Artists intellectuals land defenders people come together to raise funds for mountain legal defense

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Fri, 2014-11-28 13:06
epaulo13

A taste of Burnaby Mountain: mud, climate change, and history in the making

Each day on Burnaby Mountain is a morphing creature that slowly gains shape. Then it recreates itself all over again because circumstances have changed. There are consistencies: deep mud, moments of confusion, courage, grace, tears in the eyes and a sense that history is being made. The goal is to stop the Kinder Morgan pipeline from transporting bitumen from Alberta's tar sands to Vancouver's coast.  The plan to "twin" the Trans Mountain pipeline has been controversial since it was first proposed.

On Tuesday morning, I climbed up from Ridgeview Drive on a grey pebble path to the soggy encampment of blue tarps in the pouring rain. The scene was an amazing B.C. snap shot. Three people sat cross legged in meditation at the edge of the police barrier. Inside the barrier, two First Nations men worked on a totem pole next to a chain link fence that protected the core driller, which looks like a well drilling rig. Along the perimeter a yellow “Caution” tape ran parallel to the police barricade tape. On it hung bright pink signs that read “Climate crime scene.”

Down along Centennial Way a growing cluster listened to people speaking. It was the usual climate rally: eloquent speeches full of the frightening facts that confront those who pay attention; the exclusion of citizens from government processes; the exclusion of climate change from NEB processes; Canada’s free fall in the international community....

http://www.vancouverobserver.com/news/taste-burnaby-mountain-mud-climate...

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Fri, 2014-11-28 13:25
epaulo13

Tuesday, December 2 at 7:00pm

Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre

181 Roundhouse Mews, Vancouver

Location: Exhibition Hall

We invite you to a panel discussion of Naomi Klein's new book: "This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate." Klein argues that our only hope for keeping climate change in check is to put the brakes on run-away capitalism. Do we agree with that assessment? What does it mean to change everything? What hope is there of changing the capitalist system in time? What are the choices that we need to be making now, each of us? Join us for a discussion of these questions and more.

Sponsored by http://rabble.ca/ and the SFU Institute for the Humanities.

Panelists:

Anjali Appadurai is an active communicator and campaigner in the international youth climate movement. Specializing in the intersection of international climate politics (mostly in the UN forum) and social movements, she founded the youth organization Earth in Brackets which aims to translate political processes to grassroots movements around the world. Anjali currently organizes both the Global Campaign to Demand Climate Justice, an international coalition of people's movements around the world taking action on energy. She has been writing about international climate politics and the youth climate movement for several years.

Stephen Collis is a poet and professor of contemporary literature at Simon Fraser University. His many books of poetry include The Commons (Talon Books 2008; second edition 2014), On the Material (Talon Books 2010—awarded the BC Book Prize for Poetry), To the Barricades (Talon Books 2013), and DECOMP (Coach House 2013). He has also written two books of criticism and a novel, The Red Album (BookThug 2013). His collection of essays on the Occupy movement, Dispatches from the Occupation (Talon Books 2012), is a philosophical meditation on activist tactics, social movements, and change. He is currently writing about walking, resource extraction, and the climate commons at http://beatingthebounds.com/.

Brad Hornick is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Sociology at Simon Fraser University studying climate science and the climate justice movement. He is a local activist, the website editor of the Vancouver Ecosocialists and the North American System Change Not Climate Change network, and writes a regular blog at rabble.ca.

Lynne Quarmby is a cell biologist and professor of Molecular Biology & Biochemistry at Simon Fraser University. She is an advocate for science and works to improve public appreciation of science. The massive failure of our federal and provincial governments to recognize well-established climate science has turned Dr. Quarmby into a climate change activist.

Harsha Walia. Based in Vancouver, Walia is a South Asian author and activist, cofounder of the migrant justice group No One Is Illegal, and the progressive South Asian network Radical Desis. She works at the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre. She is also an organizer in the Annual Women’s Memorial March Committee, Defenders of the Land Network and South Asian Network for Secularism and Democracy. Walia has been named one of the most influential South Asians in BC by the Vancouver Sun and one of the 10 most popular left-wing journalists by the Georgia Straight.

https://www.facebook.com/events/381643888649356/?ref=22

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Fri, 2014-11-28 14:18
epaulo13

Mamas Don't Allow No Pipelines Around Here

Mothers, grandmothers, and children: join us on Saturday as we take to the front line of the Burnaby Mountain resistance, on Unceded xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh)

We want to send a clear message to Kinder Morgan and law enforcement that this is an intergenerational struggle - our voices and those of our children will not be silenced! We want to include and empower our children, giving them an opportunity to stand up for social and climate justice.

http://vimeo.com/112982607

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Fri, 2014-11-28 16:59
epaulo13

Kinder Morgan stops drilling, begins moving equipment from Burnaby Mountain

Kinder Morgan has stopped drilling on Burnaby Mountain and will move out its equipment beginning today, a company spokeswoman said Friday.

An application by Kinder Morgan to extend an injunction keeping protesters away from two drilling sites for its proposed oil pipeline was rejected by the B.C. Supreme Court on Thursday. It means the site must be cleared of excavation work by Dec. 1., the date when the injunction is set to expire.

Ali Hounsell, a spokeswoman for the Trans-Mountain Expansion Project, said crews completed work Thursday at one of the borehole sites, but the second one, set further into the woods, cannot be finished.

“We got started later on that one because there was some additional logistics with bringing in the equipment by helicopter. So the work had not progressed as far which is why we were seeking an extension to the injunction,” she said....

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Kinder+Morgan+stops+drilling+begins+mov...

 

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Fri, 2014-11-28 17:21
epaulo13

12 First Nations release open letter calling the Kinder Morgan review process fatally flawed

Today, 12 First Nations released an open letter slamming the National Energy Board (“NEB”) review of the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain proposal, calling it “fatally flawed” and questioning the constitutionality of the federal government’s approach to First Nations consultation. The letter comes on the final day of the NEB’s hearings on oral Aboriginal traditional evidence.

“We are united in expressing our grave concerns about how the review is unfolding,” said Chief Nelson Leon of Adams Lake Indian Band. “The NEB process to date has been fatally flawed, and we welcome further signatories to the letter.”

“The federal government has stated repeatedly that they will rely on the NEB process to identify, consider and address impacts on Aboriginal rights and fulfill its constitutional duty to consult,” said Chief Ian Campbell of the Squamish Nation. “Yet, they have not consulted on the framework of the NEB review, resulting in a superficial process where Kinder Morgan’s evidence will not be tested through cross-examination, but through written questions which have already proven to be an inadequate substitute.”...

http://westcoastnativenews.com/12-first-nations-release-open-letter-call...

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Fri, 2014-11-28 18:25
epaulo13

Solidarity from Seattle!

http://vimeo.com/113121228

...

Image from Sweden

Our group of activists for environmental and indigenous rights celebrated one year of weekly demonstrations in Stockholm City. One of our signs say: No Pipeline On Stolen Native

Great gathering in Victoria! If it wasn't for the outrageous ferry fares…


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Fri, 2014-11-28 19:09
NorthReport

Rqalph Goodale is in BC and was interviewed with softball questions from Rick Cluff on the CBC Radio this morning.

It was clear from the interview that Liberals support the Kinder Morgan pipeline.

---------------------------------

"A Liberal is a Conservative who pretends to be a New Democrat before every election." : Tom Mulcair

"A Liberal is a liar who pretends to tell the truth before, during and after every election." : A Canadian Voter

 

 

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Fri, 2014-11-28 22:33
epaulo13

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Sat, 2014-11-29 01:31
Pondering

Epaulo this is such an inspiring thread. It always makes me smile and feel much more optimistic about Canada's future.

While everyone is bemoaning the failures of the left the environmental movement is blazing a trail by successfully defying the most powerful multinational corporations in the world and the Harper government. That proves it can be done.

We are witnessing a democratic revolution. That proves that people can be motivated to revolt when they recognize the need for it.

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Sat, 2014-11-29 22:47
epaulo13

This is a call out for a international day of action in support of the environment. Kinder Morgan is acting like they own Canada and so is Imperial Metals, let's not to forget about PTP and Enbridge as well.

You can create an event in your location to build on this day of international action by organizing a Flash Mob, Rally, March, Road Block, or anything you feel can be done in your area...Set a time and location and it will grow.
****** "We want to know where and how you will be supporting this International Day of Action for #BurnabyMountain. Please post all event links including city name in the comments of the thread below listing them only." could everyone once they have made an event page for your event - post it on this page - so others in your area know where to go and know that an event is already underway!!! SO stoked everyone! ♥

It also has to do with dealing with how the police treat people in general and shed more light on the missing and murdered women.

Speakers, drummers, singers and bands are going to be there including:
- Phil Lane Jr
- Holly Arntzen
- The Boom Booms
- Eddie Gardner

(more to come!)

Be ready to dance, sing a song and put your arm up in a victory! We know we still have a battle to wage - but let's take a few minutes to celebrate the beautiful community that has grown and the movement of action by so many people!

"This is building steam for people get involved.
Live bands, speakers and singers will be there
A serious pipe ceremony has been offered for all to witness and pay respects to Salish leaders and caretakers will be opening.....
Come and be a part of history in the making...." - Dan Wallace

Many northern communities have been fighting this fight for a long time on the front lines of pipelines and mininig projects. We would like to collect donations for their legal funds at this event. We want them to know we think about them, care about them and want to help them too! So we will have some donation jars for this purpose, the crew from Beyond Boarding will be looking after this. The donations will be for Klabona Keepers and the Unis'tot'en camp. Thank you SO much! ♥
****************************************************************
1 p m to dusk or beyond....bring warm clothes, hot chocolate, and maybe some flashlights or candles!!! It is cool on the mountain as dusk falls!
This event is taking place on Unceded Coast Salish Territory.of the Musquem, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nation.

https://www.facebook.com/events/312795312244038/?ref=22

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Sat, 2014-11-29 22:51
epaulo13

txs pondering

..what i see happening goes beyond environmentalism. the diversity of people and struggles is what is coming together. the left is here as well and has much to offer on an organizating level. eg..post #67 has a pic of a first nations woman who recently was a candidate for cope in the latest vancouver elections. cope is calling for a more radical approach to politics. she is also an organizer on the van downtown east side where poverty, addictions and gentrification run rampant. then post #74 is challenging capitalism itself.

..i very much agree though that this is very inspiring and that it shows that change can happen. i see it as building a new world inside the old. and has, imho, grown out of the occupations of the squares in the middle east, europe and north america.

eta

..and the leadership is coming from first nations

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Sun, 2014-11-30 12:51
iyraste1313

 BC Supreme Court lockdown..

I was delighted to see this action...the Provincial Supreme Courts have continuously demonstrated their absolute disdain for all our Charter Rights, leading to the fascist grip our bureaucratic authorities hold over us in so many ways, not just in full violation of International Indigenous Law!
In spite of the recent ruling by the Supreme Court of Canada which refers to proven and as yet unproven claims over Indigenous Territorial rights.

These Provincial Courts must be challenged by direct action...their violations continue with impunity...

and by International Court action...this I would encourage the Indigenous nations of BC to consider...these Courts and their judges must be challenged!

 

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Sun, 2014-11-30 13:13
jas

iyraste1313 wrote:
  BC Supreme Court lockdown..

I was delighted to see this action...the Provincial Supreme Courts have continuously demonstrated their absolute disdain for all our Charter Rights, leading to the fascist grip our bureaucratic authorities hold over us in so many ways, not just in full violation of International Indigenous Law!
In spite of the recent ruling by the Supreme Court of Canada which refers to proven and as yet unproven claims over Indigenous Territorial rights.

These Provincial Courts must be challenged by direct action...their violations continue with impunity...

Not sure what you're referring to, iyraste1313. Did you not see these announcements?

Kinder Morgan loses bid to extend injunction

BC Supreme Court throws out civil contempt charges against dozens of Burnaby Mountain protesters

I, for one, would like to celebrate for at least a moment those times when our courts actually serve justice.

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Sun, 2014-11-30 15:25
iyraste1313

apologies...I was referring to the lockdown by 4 of the defenders at the gateway to the BC Supreme Court building...

I wonder whether that may have influenced the subsequent judges position...or who behind the scenes put on the pressure...these judges for whom I´ve had enough experience with or pure defenders of the institutions of the staus quo...yes the rhetoric is true in spades.....

the more we do silent vigils at such gateways and in their courtrooms to let the judges know we{re watching, the eyes of the world are watching, the more they will have to be careful...they are people high on the totem pole...and it seems the higher you go, the more cowardly they seem....

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Sun, 2014-11-30 18:53
epaulo13

edit

..a few hrs ago

Toronto Rally in Solidarity with Burnaby Mountain Land Defence

Join us in Toronto as we stand in solidarity with those who are defending the land out in so-called British Columbia on Burnaby Mountain, unceded Coast Salish Land.

We will meet this Sunday, 2 PM at Dundas Square, as we stand in solidarity with the Musqueam, Tseil-Watuth, Squamish, Tahltan and the Residents of Burnaby who are currently blocking the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain tarsands pipeline in Burnaby Mountain Conservation Park.

 

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Sun, 2014-11-30 19:19
Unionist

jas wrote:

I, for one, would like to celebrate for at least a moment those times when our courts actually serve justice.

Amen.

In fact, I'll trust the courts ahead of any government I've seen for the last number of years.

Strange that our flimsy vestiges of democracy should reside in these appointed bodies.

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Mon, 2014-12-01 10:45
iyraste1313

met up with S. at our joint Activist centre here in the main Qeqchi town of autonomous Tezulutlan territory, just back from his meeting with the community based organizations of the Territory, to evaluate their actions shutting down the state for 3 days, and the government response...to plan a next strategy, and to discuss our proposal to build solidarity links with the Indigenous Nations of BC fighting the NEB´s consultation process and Kinder Morgan´s violation of their international rights, clearly spelled out in the recent Supreme Court action and numerous cases at the InterAmerican Human Rights Tribunal, to which Canada is a signatory!

The decision to write an initial letter of support to be followed up by possible international actions was agreed upon by the 10 organizations representing well over a hundred communities...

But this will now depend on the response of the local Indigenous Nations in BC.

To this date my attempt to help support international indigenous solidarity actions in coordination with Indigenous Nations of Canada has received little real interest in Canada...hopefully now they will see the urgency and recognize the powerful potential!

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Mon, 2014-12-01 12:23
epaulo13

Toronto Blockade In Solidarity with Burnaby Protestors

video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxOddtD2eps&feature=youtu.be&a

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Mon, 2014-12-01 21:04
epaulo13

Yesterday was a day of celebration and music followed by a community dinner at Horizons. Today is a bright and crisp and so far quiet day on the mountain. One thing to remember is that the Caretakers are still here. The sacred fire is still going. Work continues on the totem pole. We do not know yet if KM will try to sneak back in here to finish their work so we remain on guard, protecting the Mountain.

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Fri, 2014-12-05 14:18
epaulo13

Anti-Oppression and Decolonization Workshop for Protectors of Burnaby Mountain

Friday, December 5 at 1:00pm in PST

Burnaby Mountain Protect Camp

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Fri, 2014-12-05 14:26
epaulo13

Kinder Morgan says it won't pay Burnaby Mountain policing costs

The president of Kinder Morgan says his company isn't responsible for the policing bill related to pipeline protests at a Metro Vancouver conservation site.

Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan has suggested the energy giant help pay for police who spent over a week blocking demonstrators from Kinder Morgan's surveying site on Burnaby Mountain.

But Kinder Morgan Canada president Ian Anderson said during a telephone townhall on Wednesday night that policing costs are a municipal responsibility "and that is what we all pay our taxes for."....

http://bc.ctvnews.ca/kinder-morgan-says-it-won-t-pay-burnaby-mountain-po...

...

..meanwhile

Economist catches Kinder Morgan skimping on Canadian taxes

quote:

I am writing to you to advise you of results of my research into Trans Mountain’s tax obligation and how that fundamentally impedes the Province’s ability to receive revenue.

Kinder Morgan claims that Trans Mountain is a significant contributor to federal and provincial income tax revenues. The company is relying on this as proof it deserves a public licence to triple its pipeline capacity. Pouring tax revenues into Canada is not the story Kinder Morgan tells its US-based shareholders. Promoting Trans Mountain south of the border, Kinder Morgan boasts of cash tax refunds—two in the past five years.

From 2009-2013 Trans Mountain’s combined federal and provincial Canadian corporate tax contribution averaged just $1.5 million per year.

http://commonsensecanadian.ca/economist-catches-kinder-morgan-skimping-c...

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Sat, 2014-12-06 06:54
epaulo13

Doctors see health and hope in Burnaby Mountain protests

quote:

Remarkably, our patients have recently been putting on a clinic on climate and community health in the most unlikely of locations-- up Burnaby Mountain.  They stood up for the health of the planet and the people whose lives depend on it. They stood in recognition of the right of communities to set aside conservation areas where people can enjoy the well-documented health benefits of exercise and the contemplation of nature.  They stood for the idea that the health of children is as important as the health of today’s ruling generation. 

As doctors, we have been inspired.  The medical literature has been telling us that we must attend to this Code Green outside of the hospital with all the urgency we would lend to a Code Blue within it.  And now our patients have done just that.  

In thanks, let us now add our voices to the climate-health efforts with three major reasons for hope: 

1-Tackling climate change will have substantial health benefits.

A transition to clean energy and carbon pricing will decrease emissions as well as the costs and health impacts of air pollution, which is currently responsible for 1 in 8 deaths worldwide.  Active commuting will help decrease chronic disease. Distributed renewable energy generation and local food will create jobs, reduce poverty (and its indisputable effect on health), and help make our society more resilient to adverse weather events.

2-Treatment is possible.

The mental health impacts of climate change are increasingly well-recognized and it is possible that climate-related depression is as much of a barrier to change as climate-denial.  That need not be: we can make this situation much better. Thanks to rapid decreases in the price of renewable technology, all that is now missing for a transition to a low-carbon, more resilient society is the social and political will to build it.  The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says we must decrease greenhouse gas emissions 40-70% by 2050 in order to prevent catastrophic warming.  Thankfully, only about 5% of Canada’s GDP is due to oil and gas: we have options.  A UN study shows Canada can reduce emissions by nearly 90% by 2050 through energy efficiency, decarbonizing our electricity supply and replacing fossil fuels with electricity for heat and transport — all while growing our GDP by 200%. Research at Stanford has shown that the entire world could be powered by wind, water and solar by 2030....

http://www.vancouverobserver.com/opinion/doctors-see-health-and-hope-bur...

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Sat, 2014-12-06 08:22
epaulo13

..all 4 speakers were involved in the struggle for bby mt.

Dec 2, Roundhouse Community Ctr., SFU Institute for the Humanities hosted a panel discussion of Naomi Klein's book "This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate." In it, Klein argues that our only hope for keeping climate change in check is to put the brakes on run-away capitalism.

https://www.youtube.com/user/dgSolidarity/featured

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Mon, 2014-12-08 14:34
epaulo13

Uniting to stop a pipeline on Burnaby Mountain

audio:

Today's feature is an interview with Earyn Wheatley who has been involved in the resistance to Kinder Morgan's proposed Trans Mountain tar sands pipeline at #BurnabyMountain. Earyn gives a timeline of events, centres Indigenous resistance, and connects the many reasons people oppose the project. They also speak about the next steps in the opposition to the pipeline.

http://rabble.ca/podcasts/shows/awl/2014/12/uniting-to-stop-pipeline-on-...

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Wed, 2014-12-17 16:09
epaulo13

Portland Rising Tide delivers ‘People’s Restraining Order’ to Kinder Morgan in Solidarity With Trans Mountain Tar Sands Pipeline Protestors on Burnaby Mountain, BC. 

Vancouver, WA — A group of activists with Portland Rising Tide interrupted business as usual on Monday afternoon at the Vancouver office of Kinder Morgan to deliver a ‘People’s Restraining Order’ against the company’s plans to expand the Trans Mountain tar sands pipeline in British Columbia.

A representative from Kinder Morgan’s office tried to prevent protesters from entering the office by blocking the door. He refused to receive the ‘People’s Restraining Order,’ calling the peaceful gathering a major disruption....

http://portlandrisingtide.org/portland-rising-tide-delivers-peoples-rest...

Climate Change Activists Target Kinder Morgan Over TMPL Expansion

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Thu, 2014-12-18 18:51
NorthReport

Good on the the NDP's Derek Corrigan who runs the best managed municipality in Canada.

The City of Burnaby is suing Kinder Morgan for between 1 and 2 million for the policing costs in relation to the protests on Burnaby Mountain.

And rightly so, as the police are always on the side of the corporations and/or the one percenters against the Canadian citizens.

Why are the police always against the people but I suppose that's an issue for another day?

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Fri, 2015-01-30 21:48
NorthReport

Here is some more good news.

Trans Mountain drops civil action against Burnaby Kinder Morgan protesters

Anti-pipeline demonstrations took place on Burnaby Mountain in November and December

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/trans-mountain-drops-civi...

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