https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/via-rail-cancels-trains-across-canada-cn-shuts-down-eastern-canada-network-amid-pipeline-protests-1.4811036
https://globalnews.ca/news/6548528/via-rail-cancels-trains-cn-shutdown/
And the best part is ... they can blame the First Nations!
The 905, 416 and 519 happened...and the Laurentian Elite.
People don't know how good they have it until it's gone. Then it's too late.
... perhaps severe shortages soon enough will stir some civil unrest against this nonsense. If court injunctions will not be enforced and the rule of law thrown out the window then we have no country.
I sure as heck don't recognize things any longer.
There will never ever be a pipeline. Period.
We've seen some detour traffic from CN on the CSX St Lawrence Sub - which is soon to become CN anyhow.
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
Miningman The 905 and 519 happened...and the Laurentian Elite. People don't know how good they have it until it's gone. Then it's too late. ... perhaps severe shortages soon enough will stir some civil unrest against this nonsense. If court injunctions will not be enforced and the rule of law thrown out the window then we have no country. I sure as heck don't recognize things any longer. There will never ever be a pipeline. Period.
The 905 and 519 happened...and the Laurentian Elite.
What is the 905 and the 519?
Are these evil men doing evil things? Many today think so.
My classes are 100% Native students. I have graduated over a hundred fine Mining Technicians and Technologists, have seen several go on to Queens to complete Mining Engineering and the same with Geology. Our Geology program is second to none in the world. Many work in really well paying Mines and Exploration camps right here and all over the world, with this as their home base. Gold, Base Metals, Uranium, Rare Earths, Potash and Coal. The town I live in is 89% Native folk, Cree and Dene. I love the Native folk and admire much about them, their sense of humour, their spirituality, their devotion to family.
When the Europeans arrived Cartier et al, there were around 200,000 Native folk in scattered small bands across the entire nation. They had no sewn garments, had not known of the wheel, no written language, and lived a nomadic life. Native folk are particularly hearty and superb woodsman. They excelled at surviving in a harsh environment but life was harsh, tragic and treacherous. They could exist in nature were we would likely perish.
Aboriginal peoples have done well with us. There are over a million now. Many live good lives, heck up here they all have a boat, snow machines, new pick up trucks, quads, all the toys. They all 100% have very tight families, also every family has a cabin in the woods or on an island as a getaway, all have family trap lines. Our only bank, a CIBC, has signage in Cree only ( newly developed symbols), even the ATM is in Cree as an option. There is still sadness and squalor, poverty and severe addictions. Gangs and drugs are growing. Why? There is work in abundance for all, there is opportunity to grow and excel at anything one chooses. The setting is idyllic. We have so many lakes we can't count them, and fish the size of legends. Winter? Ok.. we ice fish( really big here), have poker runs on our snow machines, play hockey and support our Ice Wolves with pure and absolute dedication.
No doubt there is a ways to go yet. Education is very important in this process. No one shows disrespect for Native folks, we honour and encourage their culture.
Canada is a country from the Atlantic to the Pacific, from the ( lucky for us) American border to the Arctic with a significant portion of the worlds natural resources. We have always been and will always be hewers of wood and haulers of water. We supply the world with our abundance of every metal and mineral on the periodic table, oil, gas, water, timber and much more. We are blessed.
There are those, especially politicians and their many minions to whom they bestow limited privileges and dog biscuits, all bent on destroying our land in the name of absolute pure nonsense. It is about power and control of our lives, to destroy freedoms. To make us all their 'keep' and protect and preserve their privilege far into the future. Those are the thoughts of people who have no good intentions and could care less for people or their livelihood and their lives.
The Rule of Law must be upheld and enforced on such a fundamental issue as maintaining commerce and transportation. Catering to radical events and thinking in order to achieve their goals of perpetual power by whatever means necessary and hoodwinking all is the hallmark of tyranny, cowardice, ignorance and very bad people.
905, 416, 519 ...They are the area codes for Southern Ontario and metro Toronto.. a geographic area that is very urban, heavily populated and the bastion of the Liberal Party of Canada.
They are commonly referred to as 905ers, 416ers, by the media and common folk to denote a certain kind of thinking.
Greetings from Alberta
-an Articulate Malcontent
Baloney... the media controls and is the message. Read my letter! I'm not silent nor is anyone else I know.
You and yours are but a few folks in a very large country.
The protesters are not winning any friends, and this is the wrong project to protest against. They should have picked a better hill to die on.
But somehow big business and the farmers do not seem to be complaining as loudly as when we were on strike.
The pipelines are getting built, very slowly. Trans-Mountain has started construction on much of its route. They had a well-publicized event last year on the Enoch Cree Nation (just west of Edmonton) to mark the official start.
We've been shipping lots of very large pipe (36'' or 48'' diameter) up to the Prince George area for the last couple months.
I too find it disturbing that it seems the rule of law is not being properly applied in this case.
One down, for now:
https://globalnews.ca/news/6549341/cn-rail-blockade-bc-down/?fbclid=IwAR3QN7PTfsMLMGEFdMlzbcFe0OEYt8MSo8T2nckHZB_x2AVbLTkjjNCAcBI
There's no point in having laws if they're not enforced. Trespassing is trespassing. They have the right to peaceful protest but not the right to blockade other peoples' property nor to endanger the lives of others through their actions.
Governments at both the provincial and federal levels have dropped the ball on this.. and their lack of action and thus far tepid response has undoubtedly served to embolden the blockaders. And making things worse in Ontario, the OPP has chosen not to enforce the injunction.. choosing instead to bring some cigars to the blockade and to talk. Well.. enough jabbering already. If law enforcement can't do the job then bring in the military. Get these folks off the tracks and get the trains running again. If this was a runway at Pearson Airport and not a rail crossing in Belleville this situation would have been dealt with within an hour.
Why do the protesters oppose the pipeline? Is their opposition against fossil fuels, greenhouse gases, and climate change?
Superb dissertation Miningman, well done and elegantly written!
As this is a Canadian matter I'm keeping my mouth shut on the subject, it's not my place to tell you folks what to do and when to do it. But I will comment on "Drugs and gangs" and why it happens, because it affects us too.
Why does it happen? Who knows why? As silly as it sounds I have to quote from "Star Wars," concerning the "Dark Side Of The Force."
"It's easier, quicker, and more seductive." Applies to crime in general when you think about it.
Yes, yes and yes and one other... the pipeline crosses many Bands traditional and claimed land. In BC the Native people's claim the entire province as theirs. Most Bands approved the pipeline across their Reserves with long drawn out caveats for employment and royalties but a very few maintain extreme positions.
The pipeline will never be built. It has already been delayed decades. Using the Native Bands as a first firewall, even if the pipeline by some miracle gets somewhat built the second firewall is a bill already passed that blocks all tankers from the Pacific coastal waterways in Canadian waters.
Some of it is the Federal government's Eastern elitism and hatred of Alberta ( and Saskatchewan) There are no elected Federal members of Parliment from either province for the governing Liberal Party under Justin Trudeau. His father Pierre Trudeau did much the same to the West. They would rather import conflict oil from the Middle East than develop and support their own people. All ideology based.
What does opposing the pipeline have to do with blocking the railroads?
According to the news we get here the Federal government is interested in building the pipeline and getting Alberta oil to tidewater. The West does have a voice in Ottawa albeit from the opposition benches. The Liberals are trying to breach the divide, but one should expect regional disagreements in a large country like Canada. And of course there's always the next election.. the Liberals have a tenuous minority.. we 519 and 905 ers are not enthralled with them either.
CN and VIA really have very little to do with this dispute.. they (and their customers) are mostly collateral damage. The powers involved are treading softly as no one wants to be seen as trampling on indigenous rights.. if it was me and my neighbours blockading the rail line because we aren't happy with our property taxes you can be sure we'd be in jail right now. No OPP cigars.. no jabbering, no pleading for us to go home.. it would be cuffs and a jail cell licketysplit.
Euclid What does opposing the pipeline have to do with blocking the railroads?
Nothing exactly, it's just hugely visible (and disruptive) and forces everyone to notice.
The local band(s) blocking the construction access roads for the pipeline in the middle of the BC forest wasn't all that visible and while talked about on and off would go pretty much ignored by most of the country. With freight and passenger travel both brought to it's knees across most of the country, it can't be ignored.
Chris van der Heide
My Algoma Central Railway Modeling Blog
Ulrich According to the news we get here the Federal government is interested in building the pipeline and getting Alberta oil to tidewater. The West does have a voice in Ottawa albeit from the opposition benches. The Liberals are trying to breach the divide, but one should expect regional disagreements in a large country like Canada. And of course there's always the next election.. the Liberals have a tenuous minority.. we 519 and 905 ers are not enthralled with them either. CN and VIA really have very little to do with this dispute.. they (and their customers) are mostly collateral damage. The powers involved are treading softly as no one wants to be seen as trampling on indigenous rights.. if it was me and my neighbours blockading the rail line because we aren't happy with our property taxes you can be sure we'd be in jail right now. No OPP cigars.. no jabbering, no pleading for us to go home.. it would be cuffs and a jail cell licketysplit.
It's similar to a secondary boycott. It all depends on whether or not that is illegal in Canada for indigenous people, who are treated better north of the border.
cv_acr Euclid What does opposing the pipeline have to do with blocking the railroads? Nothing exactly, it's just hugely visible (and disruptive) and forces everyone to notice. The local band(s) blocking the construction access roads for the pipeline in the middle of the BC forest wasn't all that visible and while talked about on and off would go pretty much ignored by most of the country. With freight and passenger travel both brought to it's knees across most of the country, it can't be ignored.
charlie hebdo It's similar to a secondary boycott. It all depends on whether or not that is illegal in Canada for indigenous people, who are treated better north of the border.
cv_acrWith freight and passenger travel both brought to it's knees across most of the country, it can't be ignored.
Russell
csxns cv_acr With freight and passenger travel both brought to it's knees across most of the country, it can't be ignored. Here in the US they will have to block Interstate highways to get notice because that is where the Freight is.
cv_acr With freight and passenger travel both brought to it's knees across most of the country, it can't be ignored.
Here in the US they will have to block Interstate highways to get notice because that is where the Freight is.
I'm sure if they forced the cancellation of all NEC passenger train traffic people would notice.
The general public doesn't notice freight transportation. But they do notice not being able to make it to work, medical appointments, family visits and vacations because their train got cancelled.
Wet'suwet'en
Euclid That is an interesting question. Is it legal for protesters to block trains in Canada in this case?
That is an interesting question. Is it legal for protesters to block trains in Canada in this case?
Not really - and the courts have granted legal injunctions in CN's favour to remove the blockades which are being ignored.
Regardless of the side you're on, there's a lot of political sensitivity around First Nations issues though, and the government has been hesitant to actually step in to this messy situation and actually enforce anything so the situation drags on. They end up getting stuck between a rock and a hard place looking weak and ineffectual if they do nothing, and looking like the oppressive bad guys if they send in the RCMP to break things up which may just escalate the situation and best case create more protests and blockades, and real chances of people getting hurt...
In the meantime transportation is completely shut down and passenger rail travel is non-existent.
Is CP also blocked?
Here we just let them run casinos...
azrail Is CP also blocked?
Not in the east. CP runs less freight than CN, and also doesn't host VIA passenger. The Belleville blockade that has eastern Canada shut down is pretty much on the busiest line in Canada.
There was also a blockcade on CN's line to the port of Prince Ruport, BC, one apparently popped up somewhere around Winnipeg, and I recently heard of another one on CP in metro Vancouver area that also hosts (the only) commuter rail line in that area.
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