FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 24, 2023

Contact: Jennifer Wickham, Gidimt’en Checkpoint Media Coordinator, 778-210-0067, yintahaccess@gmail.com 

Coastal GasLink Destroys Tsel Kiy Kwa (Lamprey Creek)

Following Devastation of Lho Kwa (Clore River) in Likhts’amisyu (Fireweed) Clan Territory

PHOTOS VIDEO AVAILABLE HERE

Unceded Wet’suwet’en Yintah (so-called Smithers, BC) – Within a week of trenching Lho Kwa which prompted an investigation by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) for their disruption to salmon habitat and sedimentation, Coastal GasLink is trenching through Tsel Kiy Kwa (Lamprey Creek) where sensitive Lamprey spawning is present. We demand that all work stops until at Tsel Kiy Kwa pending a review by DFO.

Reports and complaints were made in December 2021 to the Environmental Assessment Office about blasting happening on the shores of Lamprey Creek within 800 meters of Gidimt’en Checkpoint, with a neglectful response. Now there is complete trenching while Lamprey eel are wintering. 

“Pacific lamprey eggs hatch within 2 to 3 weeks into ammocoetes (larvae) (Figure+2a), which then  drift downstream to areas of slow velocity and fine substrates (BC CDC, 2014; Streif, 2008). The  ammocoetes burrow in fine substrates (mud, silt, sand) in shallow backwater areas along the  edges of streams.” (Follet 2015)

The lack of consultation with the Wet’suwet’en people who have been managing these territories for thousands of years is destroying our biodiversity. Lamprey eels are believed to supplement predator diets and assist in salmon survival. 

Sleydo states: “In early 2021 we requested a mitigation plan for the lamprey eels from CGL and have never received any information. These fish were once a staple in the Wet'suwet'en diet and an important part of our culture and existence. The fact that CGL has been blasting beside the creek and has heavy machinery in lamprey eel spawning habitat is ludicrous and a gross violation of our indigenous rights to our culture, fish, and freshwater.”

CGL violates Wet’suwet’en rights and title, and lacks consent of Wet’suwet’en Hereditary chiefs, who have been resisting the project for a decade. Despite letters from the United Nation and 50 warnings from the Environmental Assessment Office CGL continues to work unchecked. 

Media Protocol: All Media requests must be confirmed with Jennifer Wickham, through email or phone. All reporting must center, prioritize, and uplift Wet’suwet’en voices and sovereignty. Failure to respect Media Protocol could result in being banned from reporting on Wet’suwet’en stories.

COVID-19 PROTOCOL

All people that want to visit the Gidimt’en territory are reminded to send a request with the date and time through our COME TO CAMP form. All applicants should be ready to meet rigorous safety measures. Community members can contact Jen Wickham directly. Visitors are asked to stay out doors during their visit, wear masks for the duration of their stay and practice social distancing with long-term camp supporters. Hand sanitizer for outhouses is provided. Arranging times for every visitor is necessary as part of our COVID-19 prevention protocols to maintain the safety of the Gidimt’en Access Point.

Thank you for your support and respect.

WET’SUWET’EN STRONG

Under ‘Anuc niwh’it’en (Wet’suwet’en law) all five clans of the Wet’suwet’en have unanimously opposed all pipeline proposals and have not provided free, prior, and informed consent to Coastal Gaslink/ TransCanada to do work on Wet’suwet’en lands.

The Wet'suwet'en Hereditary Chiefs represent a governance system that predates colonization and the Indian Act which was created in an attempt to outlaw Indigenous peoples from their lands. 

The Wet'suwet'en have continued to exercise their unbroken, unextinguished, and unceded right to govern and occupy their lands by continuing and empowering the clan-based governance system to this day.  Under Wet'suwet'en law, clans have a responsibility and right to control access to their territories. 

The validity of the Wet'suwet'en house and clan system was verified in the Delgamuukw and Red Top decisions that uphold the authority of the hereditary system on Wet'suwet'en traditional territories.

At this very moment a standoff is unfolding, the outcome of which will determine the future of Northern “BC” for generations to come. Will the entire region be overtaken by the fracking industry, or will Indigenous people asserting their sovereignty be successful in repelling the assault on their homelands?

The future is unwritten. What comes next will be greatly influenced by actions taken in the coming days and weeks. This is a long-term struggle, but it is at a critical moment. That is why we say: The Time is Now. If you are a person of conscience and you understand the magnitude of what is at stake, ask yourself how you might best support the grassroots Wet’suwet’en.

*Please note that the camp sign up found by following this link is for the unist’ot’en Camp. The Gitimt’en camp is a distinct project with different sign up protocols.

As Coastal GasLink attempts to destroy our homelands, we are surveilled, harassed, and criminalized even when we pray for our yintah.

GIDIMT’EN YINTAH ACCESS

Gidimt'en is one of five clans of the Wet’suwet’en Nation. The creation of the Gidimt'en Camp was announced in our balhats (feast hall), with the support of all chiefs present.

The Gidimt’en Checkpoint is controlling access to Cas Yikh House territory within the larger Gidimt’en clan territory at 44.5 km on the Morice River FSR. The collective House Chiefs made the decision to support Gidimt’en Checkpoint December 14th, 2018. The five clans ratified the decision in a balhats (feast) in Witset on December 16th, 2018.

On Friday, December 21st, a judge granted Coastal Gas Link an extension to their injunction against individuals at the Unist’ot’en Camp, applying it to all the forest service roads south of Houston.

Gidimt'en Checkpoint was established on the road leading to the Unist’ot’en Camp. CGL’s lawyers have been arguing that the Unist’ot’en are essentially a rogue group without a rightful claim to aboriginal title. The Gidimt'en intervention shows that the Unist’ot’en are not alone, and that the hereditary chiefs are prepared to uphold Wet’suwet’en law by refusing to grant CGL consent to access the Yintah.