BURNABY, B.C. — Kinder Morgan has started survey work at a Metro Vancouver conservation area after its crews worked through the night to take down camps that have stymied a pipeline expansion project for two months.
Just tarps and a handful of activists remained near a taped-off area Friday morning as crews prepared to drill two 250 metre-deep test holes for the proposed Trans Mountain pipeline into Burnaby Mountain.
Trans Mountain said workers are now setting up test-hole equipment and that the drilling work — which it plans to conduct 24 hours a day for up to 12 days straight — is expected to start soon.
Other safety equipment, such as lights and fencing, were also brought in as part of the worksite preparations.
The pipeline builder said in a news release that it communicated with RCMP before it set about to "respectfully remove and relocate" protesters' property overnight Thursday.
"Trans Mountain supports the right to peacefully protest and believes individuals can express their views in the lawful assembly area, which is near one of the work sites, while allowing our workers to continue working safely," the company said in a statement on Friday.
The injunction went into effect Monday, although officers did not make any arrests until Thursday morning. A couple dozen police arrived and proceeded to tape off the site and forcefully take individuals into custody, loading some activists into a police wagon.
At one point, Mounties stood shoulder-to-shoulder and pushed back a group of protesters who refused to move. Some activists yelled obscenities and spat at the police. A middle-aged woman was tossed to the ground behind police and quickly arrested.
Burnaby Mounties said on Twitter they arrested 26 people and five were put into custody Thursday as RCMP enforced Kinder Morgan's court-ordered injunction for protesters to dismantle their barricade.
Police have said some protesters were released on conditions that they abide by the court order.
Some protesters put out their own news release Friday, saying they "remain undeterred in the face of these heavy-handed intimidation tactics."
They say the people who were arrested, including an indigenous elder who maintained a sacred fire at the camp, were held overnight before bail hearings in B.C. Supreme Court.
Opponents of the pipeline argue the expansion would increase the risk of a devastating spill because of the increased quantity of oil being transported through the pipeline. They are also concerned by the prospect of increased tanker traffic in Vancouver's harbour.
The City of Burnaby has also filed a lawsuit to prevent Kinder Morgan from cutting down trees and damaging parkland around the borehole sites.
