Wednesday, January 16, 2013

CN track the site for Idle No More protest at Gitwangak on Wednesday


The Idle No More movement conducted what was called a day of action on Wednesday, launching a number of events across the country designed to continue to raise awareness of their concerns over Federal legislation.

From blocked highways and bridges, to information gatherings at community centres and halls, the protest for the day took on many different forms.

Aboriginal 'Day of Action' protests snarl traffic
Idle No More protesters stall railway lines, highways
First Nations protesters block rail lines as demonstrations roll out across Canada

In the Northwest, the only reported event took place on a rail crossing in Gitwangak (Kitwanga), where   a group called the Gitxsan Warriors set up a blockade on the CN tracks, with an estimated 100 protesters bringing to a standstill shipments of goods to and from the Port of Prince Rupert.

CFTK-- Blockade on Train Tracks at Gitwangak
CFTK-- Gitwangak CN Blockade (video)

The blockade was put into effect at 10 and was scheduled to continue on until 6 PM.

CN subsequently appealed for and received an injunction to the blockade, but no word was provided if that injunction was served during the course of the blockade period.

The Northern View-- CN Rail gets injunction to stop 'illegal blockade' of line into Prince Rupert

As well, the blockade of the CN tracks resulted in VIA passengers outbound from Prince Rupert on Wednesday morning finding their train backing back into Terrace, where they were then required to board a Highway bus to continue their journey eastbound to Prince George, four hours behind their schedules.

Terrace Standard-- Train passengers bussed to Prince George

CN advised that when the blockade came to an end, there would be a delay in the resumption of service as CN crews gain access to the site and would be able to conduct a survey to ensure the integrity and safety of the track.

1 comment:

  1. Heard about this on the news! Thanks for the additional info.

    ReplyDelete