Indigenous Leaders from Canada Attended Kinder Morgan’s Meeting in Houston
Indigenous leaders from Canada came to Houston on Wednesday to speak with Kinder Morgan shareholders at the company’s annual general meeting. They were granted proxy to speak at the meeting to present an overview of indigenous opposition to the pipeline running from Edmonton-area to a port in Burnaby, British Columbia.
Chief Judy Wilson with the Neskonlith Indian Band and Rueben George representing the Tsleil-Waututh Nation Sacred Trust Initiative warned investors about the risk of proceeding with Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline expansion without consent from First Nations.
The Comptroller of New York State, an investor in Kinder Morgan, provided the proxy that allows the two leaders to present a resolution on sustainability.
In my interview with her, the biggest concerns from Chief Wilson was the presence of man camps. At least a thousand men building the pipeline are expected to camp in their nation putting women at risk of being kidnapped, murdered, and raped — an epidemic globally ignored.
The Trans Mountain pipeline already has federal approval, making it the second Kinder Morgan pipeline to receive federal approval without the consent of the First Nations. There is a pipeline running through their property that was done without consent.
“Investors need to prepare for the risk of months of unwavering and strong opposition,” Wilson says in the news release.
