Swarming Attack on Coastal GasLink Pipeline Worker, Protesters Suspected: RCMP

The terminus for the Coastal GasLink natural gas pipeline is seen at the LNG Canada export terminal under construction in Kitimat, B.C., on Sept. 28, 2022. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press)

RCMP have reported a swarming attack on a worker at the Coastal GasLink site in Houston, B.C.—the same site where about 20 armed attackers caused millions in damages last year amid pipeline protests.

A Coastal GasLink (CGL) worker was allegedly swarmed by people wearing masks and camouflage on the Morice West Forest Service Road, Houston RCMP said in a March 29 release.

The worker fled, uninjured. The group allegedly fired flares, entered the worker’s vehicle, and stole a chainsaw. “These persons allegedly poured liquid onto the vehicle,” RCMP said, but did not give further details.

The incident happened on March 26, and police issued a search warrant on March 29 for two locations: the Lamprey Provincial campground and a campsite along the Morice West road. At the latter location, RCMP arrested five people for obstruction of a peace officer. Four refused to cooperate, and one tried to stop police from searching, the RCMP said.

“The RCMP fully supports peaceful, safe and lawful protest. Criminal acts by persons under the guise of protesting, particularly the violence exhibited by the suspects in this instance, will not be tolerated,” the RCMP said in a release. The investigation is ongoing.

Past Protests, Attacks

CGL is building a 670 km pipeline that cuts across Wet’suwet’en First Nation traditional territory in northwestern B.C. Twenty indigenous groups along the pipeline’s route have officially endorsed it, but some Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs and environmentalists oppose it.

When protesters were arrested for blocking the project in 2020, support protests sprang up across the nation. Some protesters blocked railway lines and set fires under trains. Conservative MP Erin O'Toole at the time called it “domestic terrorism.”

On Feb. 17, 2022, axe-wielding attackers ravaged the site, and police are still searching for those responsible.

“It was reported approximately 20 people, some armed with axes, were attacking security guards and smashing their vehicle windows. It was initially reported that some CGL employees were trapped, but all had managed to safely leave the area,” the police said in a statement at the time.

No one was hurt, but many were frightened. In a CGL news release from Feb. 22, 2022, a security employee identified only as Trevor said, “This was not a peaceful interaction. This was violence.”

He continued, “To have somebody come at you with an axe is, you know, a whole other level of … fear.”

In December 2022, RCMP announced a $100,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. The reward was being offered by the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association.

The RCMP said it had conducted interviews and followed up on several leads, but were unable to positively identify the people responsible.

Andrew Chen contributed to this report.