QUOTE: Scientist Lynne Quarmby -- the chair of SFUs molecular biology and biochemistry department, and a face of public opposition against pipeline giant Kinder Morgan -- has just been arrested at Burnaby Mountain. The reason were in this predicament here in Burnaby has to do with the Conservative Harper government and what they did at the end of 2012 in the omnibus bill that stripped environmental regulations, she said in a speech minutes before her arrest. The NEB process is now a sham...We have a process that does not allow consideration of climate change...at a time that climate change is the biggest problem facing humanity. Its unethical. The new NEB Act is written as requested by the oil industry. At the end of the day when youre dealing with unjust law and abusive power, the last resource we have is civil disobedience. Its done in full respect of the rule of law. But its also done with serious responsibility with being a citizen in this country, she said, as cheers erupted. So now, Im going to turn around and walk up this hill -- and be the best citizen I can be. Soaked by a heavy downpour of rain, the scientist then turned her back to the crowd and walked calmly toward the police lines on Burnaby Mountain. As she approached, an RCMP officer asked her if she knew that what she was doing could get her arrested. Quarmby responded she would accept the consequences of doing civil disobedience. She then tried to move past the officers. Initially, they would not have it. They crossed their arms, and shook their heads. Undeterred, Quarmby quietly walked around the police line, and set foot in the injunction zone. At that moment, she was arrested, and brought to a police van, where her wrists were cuffed with plastic strips in front of her. She raised her hands, and the crowd cheered, We love you Lynne! An RCMP officer patted her on the back. Quarmby then peacefully entered the police van, along with Voters Taking Action against Climate Change spokesman Kevin Washbrook and another young woman. A total of four women, and three men were put in the paddy wagon. RCMP eventually charged her with Civil Contempt. Quarmby reached the Vancouver Observer by phone, minutes after she was released: “Oh I’ll be pleading guilty. Because I knowingly violated the injunction, she said. Citizen responsibility for climate change Quarmby first came to public attention in mid-October when she published an op/ed in the Vancouver Observer, stating her willingness to be arrested. It seems that intention has become reality. But before it did, she discussed it with her family yesterday. I have a 27-year-old son. I had a conversation with him last night, she said. He, of course, will be impacted (by the arrest). He understands all the risks Im taking. But he supports me 100 per cent and is very, very proud of what Im doing. She said he has also been flooded by messages of support. She said youth were on her mind as she spoke out against Kinder Morgan -- a Texas-based pipeline giant founded by Rich Kinder, a former executive at Enron. Kinder Morgan is currently proposing to twin the existing Trans Mountain pipeline by running a pipeline through Burnaby Mountain to triple bitumen capacity from Albertas tar sands to 890,000 barrels per day. The project has sparked heavy citizen opposition, in part because it would multiply the number of oil tankers through Burrard Inlet seven-fold if approved. Arrest of a university department chair The arrest is only the latest in a long list of unexpected events for Quarmby. As head of Quarmby Lab, she says shes never been active in any protests, but felt forced to become more vocal because of the federal governments pursuit of fossil fuel extraction and inaction on climate change. Ive been concerned about the environment, but Ive mostly been involved in letter-writing, op-eds, voting, and things like that, she told the Vancouver Observer earlier this morning. She was arrested once for blockading a coal train in White Rock, but says that was an exception. Yesterday on Burnaby Mountain, she hinted she was ready for arrest. When asked by The Vancouver Observer about the possibility of arrest, she responded: “This is only the beginning of a very long process -- we’ll just have to see how it all plays out.” She said both her family and her community at SFU have provided tremendous love and support. Right to democratic free speech Quarmby has repeatedly asserted that she -- and others who have protested Kinder Morgan -- are not radicals, but merely citizens concerned about the impact on the environment if the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion goes through. Quarmby has no previous criminal record, and her typical day is spent in the lab with her grad students using microscopes to look at what she calls pond scum. She studies genes that could unlock the hidden mysteries of polycystic kidney disease. Last month, she penned a widely circulated op-ed in the Vancouver Observer saying she anticipates the return of Kinder Morgan with an injunction for protesters in the Burnaby Mountain conservation zone, where she and others have been holding vigil since Kinder Morgan cut trees on the mountain in violation of municipal bylaw. She and a group of citizens have been holding watch on Burnaby Mountain since Kinder Morgan violated municipal bylaws by cutting down trees in the conservation area in order to do digging and survey work for its pipeline, which the company hopes to put through Burnaby Mountain. Quarmby is among five citizens (including fellow SFU professor Stephen Collis and an SFU administration worker) against whom Kinder Morgan has filed a multi-million dollar law suit last month. The companys lawyer cited her op-ed in the case against her, and said her opposition had cost Kinder Morgan upwards of $5 million in losses. I am not going to let Kinder Morgan take away my freedom of speech, she said. When the courts granted Kinder Morgan an injunction against protesters last week, over 800 citizens -- many of them Burnaby residents -- showed up on Burnaby Mountain on Monday to support the protest against the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion. Quarmby grew up in a small rural part of Vancouver Island and discovered a love for nature while exploring the forests and streams near her home, according to The Scientist. She paints in water colour, landscapes and cell biology-inspired abstract paintings. She said in a previous interview that she was not expected to go on to university as a girl, but she went on to earn her masters at UBC and a PhD in biochemistry the University of Connecticut. SFU has expressed strong support for both Quarmby and others who Kinder Morgan sued this month. Over 300 faculty, staff and students signed a letter in support of two professors facing court actions by Kinder Morgan. Michael Hale, a farm owner in Chilliwack and spokesperson for citizen group Pipe Up Network, said people are concerned about Kinder Morgans heavy-handed tactics and that what was happening to Burnaby Mountain and critics like Quarmby was a litmus test for every other community along the pipeline expansion route. There are many parks in B.C. along the proposed pipeline route that Kinder Morgan is going to be working in, he said. Whats happening in Burnaby is what will happen everywhere else. Kinder Morgan made a big deal about how theyre going to listen to people. Is this their idea of consulting? Federal MP Kennedy Stewart, who flew in from Ottawa last night and was at Burnaby Mountain this morning, said Kinder Morgan was being completely irresponsible, and that he saw Burnaby constituents and business owners on the mountain today to oppose the pipeline expansion, despite the police arrests yesterday.
Posted on: Sat, 22 Nov 2014 07:24:28 +0000
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