A Parksville man is planning a pro-pipeline protest at the legislature Monday, May 7.
Jock McKenzie, the primary organizer of the protest, said he began organizing the protest a few weeks ago, and since then has notified people throughout the province about the gathering. He also said people from the Parksville Qualicum Beach area have told him they will join in on the protest May 7 at noon in front of the B.C. legislature.
“This is just people,” he said. “It’s not sponsored by anybody.”
With the protest, McKenzie said, he is hoping to get people to understand that “we need this economic activity to fund our health care, to fund our education, to fund all government services that people demand.”
The Kinder Morgan pipeline project would twin an existing pipeline that transports oilsands crude from central Alberta to terminals in Burnaby.
In early April, Kinder Morgan halted all “non-essential” spending on the project, citing protests from B.C. residents and the provincial government. The company gave itself a May 31 deadline to speak with stakeholders before making a decision, according to a statement from Kinder Morgan April 8.
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McKenzie said the NDP government is “wasting tax dollars frivolously on court cases the provincial government can’t win because the only thing they can do is stall and hope Kinder Morgan can go away.”
“I have been disgusted with the current government pitting people against people and provinces against provinces and my British Columbia against Canada.”