VANCOUVER – This coming Labour Day Weekend, a coalition of local groups is joining forces to host the Save the Salish Sea Festival—a free, family-friendly concert in support of Coast Salish First Nations opposed to Kinder Morgan's Trans Mountain pipeline project and increased oil tanker traffic in the Burrard Inlet.

The highly anticipated event will be held on Sunday, September 2 from noon to 6 p.m. at Waterfront Park in North Vancouver (next to the Lonsdale Quay Seabus). It will feature performances by a number of local and international artists including The Boom Booms, Wayne Lavallee, Maga Bo (Brazil), Kia Kadiri, 11-year-old phenom Ta'Kaiya Blaney and Canadian Aboriginal Music Award-winner Phyllis Sinclair.

The festival is being co-hosted by the Squamish Nation, the Wilderness Committee and Tanker Free BC, with additional support from W2 Community Media Arts, The Tyee and Transformation Projects.

“This festival is a really exciting chance for people from the North Shore and across the Lower Mainland to come out, see some fantastic local talent and show their support for the Coast Salish people, who are fighting to protect their traditional territory from tar sands pipelines and oil tankers,” said Ben West, Healthy Communities Campaigner with the Wilderness Committee.

Chief Ian Campbell of the Squamish Nation added: “It is our responsibility to protect and maintain our sacred connection to our waters as our highways, source of food, and spirituality. Water is the essence of all life on Earth.”

The organizations coordinating the event have been heavily involved in campaigns against Kinder Morgan’s proposed pipeline expansion, which could bring over 300 oil tankers into the Vancouver harbour each year—drastically increasing the chance of a major oil spill. The proposal has been publicly opposed by municipal leaders in the region, and by many other environmental and grassroots, citizen-based groups.

"As an artist, I think it's amazing to be a part of an event like this, to help raise awareness for issues that I care about. I'm thrilled to be working with our allies on such a meaningful cause," said Wayne Lavallee, 2010 Juno nominee and Canadian Aboriginal Music Award winner.

Speakers at the festival include:

• Chief Ian Campbell, Squamish Nation
• Rueben George, Tsleil-Waututh Nation
• Melina Laboucan-Massimo, Greenpeace
• Naomi Klein, Author and Social Activist
• Rex Weyler, Writer and Co-founder of Greenpeace International
• Tantoo Cardinal, Actor and Activist
• Ben West, Wilderness Committee

The festival will be taking place just a day after a traditional First Nations canoe journey through the Burrard Inlet, which hopes to draw attention to the increasing tanker traffic coming in and out of Kinder Morgan’s Burnaby marine terminal.

For more information about the Save the Salish Sea Festival and the full line-up of performances, click here.

For more information about the campaign against Kinder Morgan’s pipeline expansion, click here.