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A protest in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory flared up Wednesday morning as CN attempted to resume train service. A fire lit on the tracks by protesters was cleared and two fright trains were able to pass.
A spokesman for Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs, whose opposition to the construction of a natural gas pipeline in British Columbia triggered a new rail blockade in Ontario on Wednesday, said talks to ensure the RCMP leave their territory are going well and they hope to meet with federal officials there on Thursday.
John Ridsdale, who also goes by the hereditary name Na’Moks, said the RCMP had already agreed to shutter a temporary office police set up on a logging road in January 2019, and that talks are making progress on a second demand: that police patrols in the territory must end.
“Today we think we can move forward on that and possibly start discussions with the federal government tomorrow,” he said, speaking at the Office of the Wet’suwet’en in Smithers, B.C.
“Our hope is that today is the day when we could move forward.”
The chiefs met for several hours Tuesday evening and convened once again Wednesday morning. Former federal MP Nathan Cullen, whom the province appointed as a provincial liaison in an unsuccessful round of talks in January, also attended on Tuesday.
The talks come as protests linked to the Wet’suwet’en dispute have snarled commuter traffic and stalled shipments of fuel, food and other cargo at ports and railways in several provinces. Some Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs oppose the construction of the $6.6-billion Coastal GasLink natural gas pipeline through their traditional territory in northern B.C.
A protest in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory flared up Wednesday morning as Canadian National Railway attempted to resume train service on a critical rail route to Eastern Canada.
A freight train was briefly halted near Belleville, Ont., after protesters threw snowballs at train cars. Tires had earlier been burned on the tracks and protesters later attempted to stoke another fire with wood pallets.
“It’s a little bit of a tense situation right now in terms of how CN goes in to check out the tracks,” said Ontario Provincial Police spokesman Bill Dickson. “The big issue is CN’s trying to roll the trains but having tires burning on the tracks is definitely an issue.”
The train and two others were allowed to pass. About 20 police officers remain on the north side of the tracks. A handful more are monitoring the situation from from an overpass above. About 20 Mohawk protesters remain on the south side of the railway.
The freight trains were among the first to travel through the area since the OPP on Monday cleared a blockade set by Tyendinaga Mohawk protesters that cut a main eastern Canadian railway link. Ten people were charged with mischief and disobeying a court order.
The arrests quickly fuelled new protests across the country, including several rail blockades that disrupted commuter trains during Tuesday’s afternoon rush hour in the Toronto area.
The rail disruption in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, which began Feb. 6, has been the most economically disruptive, halting freight service on CN’s eastern Canadian network and leading to the suspension of most of Via Rail’s passenger trains.
CN had briefly resumed freight-train service on Monday evening after safety inspections were done on the tracks. However, a CN spokesman cautioned that day that the situation remains fluid and the continued presence of protesters near the line could force another halt to service. Protesters had warned their demonstration wasn’t over.
The Coastal GasLink pipeline would stretch across 670 kilometres, transporting natural gas to LNG Canada’s $18-billion export terminal, under construction in Kitimat, B.C.
All 20 elected First Nation councils along the pipeline’s route support the project. However, a group of Wet’suwet’en Nation hereditary house chiefs has led a vocal campaign opposing the pipeline’s construction, saying hereditary leaders have jurisdiction over their unceded traditional territory located outside of federal reserves, not elected band councillors. About 190 kilometres of the pipeline route cross the Wet’suwet’en’s territory.
The Tyendinaga blockade forced CN to suspend service on its eastern network on Feb. 14, cutting off freight service to much of the country east of Toronto, including ports in Montreal and Halifax, and laying off about 450 people.
Via Rail, which leases track space from CN, also cancelled most trains and laid off almost 1,000 people. The passenger rail company has gradually restored service in Southern Ontario and between Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City, but its trains running east of Toronto remain suspended.
The loss of rail transport has disrupted Canada’s manufacturing industries and harmed its international reputation as a reliable supplier and safe place to invest, Bob Masterson, head of the Chemistry Industry Association of Canada, said Tuesday.
“You’ve got closures, you’ve got imminent closures. Eighty per cent of what we make is exported and our customers don’t understand and don’t care” why supplies have been disrupted, he said, adding, “When you lose those customers, you’ve lost them forever.”
Industry groups have warned of shortages of water-treatment chemicals, propane and even food.
Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller said Tuesday that Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs have been in discussions with the B.C. RCMP about a de-escalation plan for a community outpost. He said the federal ministers are “eager” to hear the results of these discussions, adding he believes there has been progress in efforts to secure a meeting with the chiefs.
“We are all aiming, every level of government is aiming for a peaceful resolution to this conflict,” Mr. Miller said in Ottawa.
Meanwhile, Quebec Premier François Legault says the provincial government has solid intelligence that Mohawk Warriors protesting on Kahnawake territory south of Montreal have “dangerous, offensive weapons” including the AK-47 assault rifle.
Mr. Legault told reporters Wednesday that he shared the information because he wanted to explain why the Sûreté du Québec has delayed serving and executing an injunction ordering protesters to clear Canadian Pacific tracks.
“We have intelligence that confirms there are weapons, AK-47s to name them, very dangerous weapons,” Mr. Legault told reporters at the Quebec National Assembly. “Right now (the SQ) is working on finding someone to serve the injunction and working on a plan to dismantle the barricade. They’re talking to the peacekeepers. But there are armed people and it’s very delicate.”
While Kahnawake Mohawk Peacekeepers are the local police force with jurisdiction over the area, the Quebec Police Act gives the SQ “jurisdiction to enforce the law throughout Quebec.” Mohawk leaders maintain only the Peacekeepers have jurisdiction over the territory. The Peacekeepers have said they have no intention of serving or executing the injunction.
“The Peacekeepers have very good relations with the people here. I have a hard time imagining the Peacekeepers would do anything that would provoke a confrontation,” Kenneth Deer, secretary of the Mohawk Nation of Kahnawake, told reporters near the protest site. Mr. Deer denied Mr. Legault’s contention that any weapons pose a threat on the barricade.
In documents filed in Quebec Superior Court to support its injunction application, the Canadian Pacific Railway said the SQ had informed the railway officers wouldn’t intervene on the reserve unless Peacekeepers requested backup.
Meanwhile, workers using heavy equipment and dump trucks poured stones Wednesday to reinforce concrete barricades at the protest site near the railway.
Further west, the agency responsible for a major commuter rail service covering much of southern Ontario said it was not anticipating any of the delays and cancellations that brought trains to a standstill during the Tuesday rush hour.
Metrolinx, operator of the GO Transit network, suspended service on multiple routes as a series of protests sprang up in and around Toronto.
Toronto police said they arrested three people at the demonstrations.
Police said in a tweet Wednesday morning that officers provided protesters with an injunction and began moving them from rail tracks. They said most were co-operative, but “arrests were made when necessary.”
The blockade threatened to delay morning commutes west of the city, but police said the rail line has been cleared and most commuter rail lines were running on time or with minor delays.
With files from Canadian Press
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