Judge grants temporary injunction to Kinder Morgan; court date planned for next week

Activists pledge to continue fighting back against Texas oil giant’s intimidation threats

VANCOUVER, BC — This morning, a British Columbia Supreme Court judge granted a temporary injunction to Kinder Morgan, giving the Texas oil giant the ability to call for the arrest of any person within 50 metres of its property line. 

The judge ordered an adjournment until next Wednesday, March 14, for a hearing on whether a longer interim injunction would be granted. At that hearing, Stand.earth will file an affidavit in support of the defendants, arguing the lawsuit wrongfully limits nonviolent public protest. 

“Kinder Morgan just went to extremes to get a court order that stops people from so much as walking their dogs on the public path next to their terminal,” said Karen Mahon, Campaign Director, Stand.earth. “The oil giant is obviously threatened by the ongoing peaceful protest against the Trans Mountain Pipeline. This move is a glaring example of a SLAPP lawsuit designed to intimidate everyday citizens and stop us from speaking out against Kinder Morgan’s dirty pipeline expansion — but we won’t be threatened.”

A strategic lawsuit against public participation (SLAPP) is a lawsuit intended to silence critics by burdening them with legal costs. Many of the 15 defendants named in the lawsuit have been involved in ongoing peaceful demonstrations at Kinder Morgan’s Burnaby Terminal and Westridge Marine Terminal. 

In addition to 15 named defendants, the injunction lists “John Doe” and “Jane Doe” — which implies that any member of the public, now and into the future, risks arrest by coming within 50 metres of Kinder Morgan facilities.  As the injunction is now written, this in includes public streets like Shellmont Street, and nearby public parks.

The hearing is at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, March 14, at British Columbia Supreme Court, 800 Smithe St, Vancouver, BC. The hearing is expected to last all day.

Media contact: Karen Mahon, Stand.earth, 604-836-5992