Photo: Feb01-Burnaby Mountain Secondary School students on the way to class in front of their school with pipeline construction site across the street.

Soon over 1500 students of Burnaby Mountain Secondary School will attend school within 100m of a highly pressurized diluted bitumen pipeline carrying over 350,000 barrels of oil a day from the Alberta oil sands.

Never has the moment been more poignant for young people tackling the climate crisis than right here right now in Burnaby.

Burnaby Mountain Secondary school students are now witness to the construction of the Trans Mountain oil pipeline at their doorstep. 

Students will literally be able to learn about the climate crisis and simultaneously look out their classroom window at a project that will fuel that crisis and make it virtually impossible for Canada to meet its climate targets. The pipeline travels parallel along the entire length of the school less than 100m away. 

The irony here is that parents are paying to put their youth in harm’s way. The pipeline is being built with our tax dollars so ultimately the responsibility lies with every taxpayer. We must call out the wrongs and do everything in our power to protect the school community. 

CALL TO ACTION - links at bottom

1. Educate yourself about the pipeline and its impact on the climate crisis.
2. Get Involved. Join a movement dedicated to change or start your own action.
3. Donate to groups getting into good trouble.
4. Go to the site in Burnaby. Support students and witness first hand. Be like Greta.
5. Talk to people, from friends and family to politicians. Ask hard questions, get answers.
6. Consider direct action strategies.

WHERE

Burnaby Mountain Secondary is easily accessed from the Production Way/University Skytrain Station on the Millenium Line in Burnaby. The school and construction can be seen by walking 1 block east along Lougheed Highway from the station. The closest intersection is Gaglardi Way and Lougheed Highway.

SOLUTION

This pipeline DOES NOT need to endanger student health. The pipeline route is not finalized until pipe is buried in the ground. The north-south route for the pipeline from Lougheed to Eastlake Drive does not need to pass next to the school. It could run under the road 1 block west on Production Way, or under Underhill Ave.

The pipeline route was chosen here because there is a section of earth along Gaglardi way that makes it easy to dig up with machines and does not affect traffic. This is cheaper, easier and faster than disrupting traffic and rebuilding a road. Takeaway, student health and safety is not as important as construction costs and the temporary imposition on commuters.

In 2021 the route for the pipeline in Burnaby was adjusted along Government Street to run under the road. Change is possible.

ASK FOR A NEW ROUTE.

THE RISK

Land based oil spills are common and the toxic fumes released by the oil and associated chemicals used to dilute the product are hazardous. In 2011 a land based oil spill leaked 4.5 million barrels onto the ground in Little Buffalo Alberta before it was detected. Local Lubicon Cree indigenous residents suffered nausea, burning eyes and headaches from 30 km away from the spill site. Burnaby Mountain Secondary students will not benefit from a 30km buffer zone, their reaction time to a crisis will be limited to minutes. There have been 85 reported oil spills oil spills from Trans Mountain in its 70 year history, more than 1 per year. 

We have just witnessed how fragile that pipeline system really is. During the climate crisis accelerated flooding events in late 2021 in British Columbia, the Trans Mountain pipeline was shut down for 21 days, as it was unclear of the integrity of the system after entire underground sections of the pipeline were exposed due to flooding and washouts.

LINKS

Groups Fighting against the pipeline

Sustainabilateens -(Youth based organization)

Protect the Planet Stop TMX

Wilderness Committee

Extinction Rebellion Vancouver

Stand.Earth