After 11 years of bringing you local reporting, the team behind the Vancouver Observer has moved on to Canada's National Observer. You can follow Vancouver culture reporting over there from now on. Thank you for all your support over the years!
This Article is part of the Tar Sands Reporting Project special report See the full report

David Suzuki’s daughter and granddaughter arrested protesting Kinder Morgan (VIDEO)

Photo of Tamiko Suzuki, Midori Campos and Hannah Campbell from Beyond Boarding
Photo of Tamiko Suzuki, Midori Campos and Hannah Campbell from Beyond Boarding Facebook page.

David Suzuki’s daughter Tamiko and granddaughter Midori Campos crossed the police line on Sunday, while protesting the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion on Burnaby Mountain.

The women were promptly arrested, along with women from the Klabona Keepers of the Tahltan Nation in northern B.C., and two women with the activist group Beyond Boarding. 

The women were among three mother-daughter groups detained by police on Burnaby Mountain on the weekend, including award-winning author Shaena Lambert, her daughter Lucy, and another woman and her 11-year old daughter. 

Speaking to the crowd gathered on the mountain, the group of women said they would get arrested to oppose the controversial Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, which would bring 890,000 barrels of bitumen per day from Alberta to Burnaby.

“That line there that the police have put up is arbitrary, ” said Desiree Wallace of Beyond Boarding before crossing the line. “We’re going to be singing the Women’s warrior song, and we’re going to be crossing that line, and we do it with no shame.”

Loretta Nole, Tamiko Suzuki, Midori Campos, Desiree Wallace, and Hannah Campbell were arrested for crossing the Texas based oil company’s injunction line.

The women and other protesters were detained for violating the court order prohibiting protesters from interfering with Kinder Morgan’s survey work for a new pipeline route through the conservation area. Since then, they have all been released, according to Burnaby Mountain Updates’ Facebook page.

On Thursday, Suzuki’s grandson, Tamo Campos, was also arrested for violating the court injunction interfering with Kinder Morgan’s work. 

The Keepers have also been dealing with another battle, fighting large scale industrial development in their traditional territory for many years. Imperial Metals and the Tahltan Central Council will take the Klabona Keepers to court tomorrow for a long term injunction that may keep the Keepers from blocking the Red Chris mine, a project that threatens the Sacred Headwaters watershed.

More in News

Views from a refugee camp: Who gets into heaven?

I have just returned to Vancouver Island from Greek refugee camps where I met a Yazidi man named Jason who told me about his escape from ISIS in Iraq.   His story begins on a desert road where a...

Vancouver's bicycle sharing grows as 15 new stations installed

Mobi bicycle by Shaw Go in Vancouver. Photo by Christopher Porter from Flickr Creative Commons

International Women's Day Concert celebrates female musicians who turned tragedy into triumph

Every March 8, on International Women's Day, we hear about the achievements of brilliant, talented women around the world. But how often do we learn about the physical and mental disabilities or...
Speak up about this article on Facebook or Twitter. Do this by liking Vancouver Observer on Facebook or following us @Vanobserver on Twitter. We'd love to hear from you.

Special reports

Athabasca tar sands, photographed by Andrew S. Wright

Tar Sands Reporting Project

Our award-winning team's crowd-funded series on the people, places and conflicts associated with Canada's tar sands.