Kinder Morgan, a company owned by former Enron executives, plans to build a new oil pipeline alongside its existing pipeline, Transmountain in British Columbia. The existing pipeline has created five oils spills since the 1960’s with one of the most recent spills of 250,000 liters in 2007 in the Burnaby area. Not only will their $1.3 billion insurance fail to cover the actual costs of a spill which would then burden taxpayers, but the new pipeline is expected to create a loss of nearly 43% of jobs in the area in exchange for about 50 Kinder Morgan jobs. The prime minister has previously promised the protection of Indigenous land, but is now supporting the new pipeline. Members of First Nations in the area have begun protesting the pipeline with a diversity of methods of resistance including the construction of small houses along the projects. Nearly half of the project will run through Secwepemc Nation, one of the largest territories in BC. A treaty, signed by a coalition of 150 Indigenous groups, has also been designed to oppose the project. Such efforts have already halted the project’s trajectory and First Nations along with allies on both sides of the border are prepared to stop the construction of the pipeline altogether. ?
Canada’s First Nations who lead the Kinder Morgan resistance also see the pipeline expansion as an infringement of their sovereign rights since many native land claims in British Columbia remain unresolved and permission therefore, has not been granted to cross their territory, a sentiment also expressed in lasts years’ Standing Rock protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline. Native land claims remain a major stumbling block for petro expansion in North America. Aboriginals increasingly see themselves as protectors of the environment, but are also demanding a share of planning and revenue to help their communities rise out of poverty.

The current Kinder Morgan protests are the largest in Canada’s history, promising to grow over the next months as the pipeline is laid.

Due to Kinder Morgan's fear of protests and threat to withdraw the project, the Canadian government purchased the pipeline with tax dollars for $4.2 billion to guarantee its completion.