In 2016, Kinder Morgan’s proposed expansion of the Trans Mountain Pipeline, which aims to nearly triple the volume of crude oil travelling from Edmonton to Burnaby, instigated an ongoing series of protests. Among many actions at many sites—including at the National Energy Board’s office, on the water at Burrard Inlet and at Burnaby Terminal, the pipeline’s final destination—opposition to the pipeline expansion saw the construction of Kwekwecnewtxw, a Coast Salish watch house erected by members of the Tsleil-Waututh First Nation, carrying out a project originally envisioned by the late Chief Leonard George.
The expansion project was approved in 2016 and in 2018 was purchased by the federal government for a sum of $4.5 billion. Despite continued opposition, including legal challenges and on-the-ground actions, the project remains under construction as of November 2023.
