It's been pretty amazing in the last few days watching the over 300 people who have been arrested outside the White House - all part of the over 2000 people who are willing to face arrest in order to call on their president, Barack Obama, to reject the Keystone XL Pipeline and stand up to "Big Oil." 

Author Bill McKibben was one of the more than 50 people who were arrested on the first day of this civil disobedience. The organization he founded, 350.org, has been a leader in organizing the action at the White House.

The "super-sizing" of the Keystone Pipeline (to make it XL) would extend this pipeline from the tar sands in Alberta, one of the largest reserves of oil on earth, down to the refineries in Texas on the gulf coast.

Needless to say this is the exact opposite of what responsible action to reduce CO2 emissions to the levels dictated by climate science would look like.

On Saturday August 27th at 2pm here in the Lower Mainland we are holding a rally that is part of the international effort to stop the activities that are causing climate change. We oppose the expansion of all pipelines and tanker traffic that facilitate the expansion of the Canadian tar sands.

For those of you who don't live in Burnaby we are meeting at 1pm at the bus stop in front of Waves on West Hastings at Richards in downtown Vancouver. When taking public transit to the rally in Burnaby you will, ironically enough, get off the bus at a gas station. It's a spot where there is a fork in the road between going up the mountain to the university (SFU) or down Inlet Drive towards the oil terminal.

We will converge at the Kinder Morgan oil terminal’s front gate and show our solidarity with the tar sands Keystone XL pipeline protest in Washington, DC.

This is where our current pipelines meet with the tankers that are threatening Vancouver Harbour as we speak.
We will finish up Saturday's action close to the scene of the Burnaby oil spill in 2007. It's going to be an empowering day where we will hear from local residents, artists, special guests and even statements from our friends in DC.

Finally we will come full circle and return in a group by bus. A fitting end to our day reminding us of the real world alternatives that need our support to reduce the demand for fossil fuels.

Join us to show support for those fighting climate change and pollution in Washington DC, while making clear your opposition to the expansion and continuation of crude oil tankers off the coast of BC.

See you on Saturday.

Ben West | Healthy Communities Campaigner
Wilderness Committee