Skip to content

Greenpeace drapes anti-pipeline banner over Lions Gate Bridge

TWO Greenpeace protesters rappelled off the Lions Gate Bridge Tuesday morning to drape an anti-tarsands, anti-pipeline banner over Burrard Inlet. Traffic moving across the bridge was slowed as police cordoned off a lane in response to the protest.

TWO Greenpeace protesters rappelled off the Lions Gate Bridge Tuesday morning to drape an anti-tarsands, anti-pipeline banner over Burrard Inlet.

Traffic moving across the bridge was slowed as police cordoned off a lane in response to the protest.

The two activists roped themselves to the bridge with climbing gear and lowered themselves over the side to unfurl a large banner showing a stylized design of an orca whale breaching in the middle of an oil slick. The banner read Save Our Coast No Tar Sands Pipelines.

According to a Greenpeace statement, the activists hung the banner to protest a plan by Kinder Morgan to expand the capacity of its pipeline running from northern Alberta to Burnaby, which would see a huge increase in the number of oil supertankers in Burrard Inlet.

Greenpeace is also protesting what it describes as Conservative government moves to shut down public debate on controversial projects like tarsands pipelines and gut environmental regulations.

Greenpeace eventually removed the banner, said spokeswoman Christine Leclair, after deciding it was too windy to keep the banner up.

We knew wed sent our message, she said.

Leclair declined to say if the banner will be making a reappearance on the bridge in the future.

jseyd@nsnews.com