I’m so excited for this historic weekend.

This Saturday’s canoe gathering to protect the Salish Sea will be a symbolic moment with international significance. The ceremony, taking place on the water in front of the Kinder Morgan tar sands oil tanker terminal in the Vancouver harbour, was organized by the Tsleil-Waututh Nation and Squamish Nation.

Both recently signed the Save the Fraser Declaration, joining over 100 other First Nations chiefs who have come together to state their opposition to tar sands pipelines through their territories. They consider the protection of their traditional waters to be a “sacred trust”.

People worldwide are supporting the fight against tar sands oil pipelines like the Keystone XL pipeline and the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline. The struggle of First Nations to protect the land and water—and all of us—from an oil spill is coming to a head just as the international community wakes up to the reality that we have to reduce our consumption of fossil fuels.

We need to reduce our dependence on oil and coal for the sake of the stability of our global climate. The existing Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline is currently the one way that dirty oil is making its way to the Pacific Ocean directly from the tar sands. That means that this weekend’s events are taking place right on the front lines of this international movement.   

The Wilderness Committee and Tanker Free BC, with the help of W2 and Transformation Projects, have organized the Save the Salish Sea Festival on the day after the canoe journey. We want to provide an opportunity for non-Indigenous people in BC's Lower Mainland area to come down and show their support for what First Nations people are doing to protect the water from tar sands oil.

The concert will feature Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists, and we hope it will be an opportunity for cross-cultural exchange. You can now check out the full line-up of bands, DJs and special guests on the Save the Salish Sea Festival website.

I am very proud to have been part of bringing together this weekend’s events. It’s not too late for you to get involved. Here’s what you can do:

Come to the concert at North Vancouver’s Waterfront Park this Sunday, September 2nd. It starts at 12 noon. Bring a group of friends on the Sea Bus. Remember, this is a family-friendly event with children’s entertainers, face painting, games and much more.

We still could use your help. If you want to volunteer to lend a hand at the festival, please contact Jolan@ForestEthics.org.

You can also attend the canoe launch at Ambleside Park at noon on Saturday, or the 3pm ceremony on land at Cates Park where the canoes will come ashore. If you would like to get out on the water and observe the canoe journey, contact Emil at the Wilderness Committee at (604) 683-8220 and he will explain the logistics. If you have a boat and would be willing to have guests for the day, please let us know.

Thanks, and see you this weekend!

Ben West
Healthy Communities Campaigner