Ruth
Walmsley (61), Catherine Hembling (80) and Janette McIntosh (58) took a
stand for climate justice in September 2021 and were arrested while
part of a multi-faith prayer circle, associated with Protect the Planet Stop TMX.
All three served 9 days at the correctional centre from Feb.14-22,
2022. They stand on the shoulders of the 240+ bold Indigenous &
settler land and water defenders who have been arrested since 2018
for opposing the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion (TMX) and to
prevent catastrophic climate change. The
TMX is a new pipeline being constructed to transport oil from the
Alberta tar sands to a marine terminal in Burnaby, just kilometres from
where the three live. From there, toxic diluted bitumen would be loaded
onto tankers and shipped to refineries overseas, at great risk to
marine ecosystems while on route. Janette speaks for the group when she
says, "We know that building new fossil fuel infrastructure, such as
TMX, will contribute to global warming and the worsening of the climate
crisis. This knowledge of what is at stake is part of what empowers and
motivates us to stand up and do what we can to make a difference.” |