nativenews:Mi'kmaq protesters block entrance at proposed natural gas storage siteMi'kmaq protest
nativenews: Mi'kmaq protesters block entrance at proposed natural gas storage site Mi'kmaq protesters blocked access to a construction site near proposed natural gas storage caverns in Nova Scotia, saying the project threatens a tidal river that passes through their traditional lands. About 20 people gathered near the Alton project in Fort Ellis on Monday, close to a small island where the tidal Shubenacadie River meets a channel in which salt water is to be discharged. Mi'kmaq elder Isabelle Knockwood held eagle feathers and members of the group spread juniper branches over the road near the locked steel gate, as four private security officers looked on. An RCMP negotiator in plain clothes came to the site, but there was no visible police presence as the group erected a canopy, deck chairs and a table with a red blanket on it directly in front of the gate around 8 a.m. local time. Cheryl Maloney, a Mi'kmaq activist who helped organize the blockade, said it remained peaceful through the day with police keeping a distance. “It’s absolutely peaceful,” said Maloney Monday evening. “We let the trucks leave from the worksite and we let their (security guards’) food come in.” The natural gas storage project would pump water from the winding Shubenacadie river to the underground salt cavern site about 12 kilometres away, where it will be used to help empty the caverns. The briny water that results would be pumped back into the river system. The Mi'kmaq protesters, who have been joined by some local residents opposed to the project, say they’re upset over the plan by AltaGas Ltd. (TSX:ALA) because it poses environmental risks to fisheries they have accessed for centuries. “We’re willing to sit here and hear back from Alton, to hear back from Nova Scotia, to hear back from the federal ministers and to hear back from the prime minister,” said Maloney. “There is too many things wrong with this project.” Keep reading -- source link