A group of women from the Gitga’at First Nation near Hartley Bay south of Prince Rupert have come up with a gentle idea for a blockade against Enbridge.
Lynne Hill says she came up with the plan to crochet a chain to block traffic across the Douglas Channel and over the past couple months men, women and children from the community have created the Chain of Hope which will be long enough to stretch over two nautical miles.
“Enbridge represents the death of our community because we have been told it’s not if there is a spill, it’s when there’s a spill. We are putting it up as a sign that this is what we are prepared to do. If the tankers come, we will be out there. It will probably be with more than a chain, but our women, our children, our men – we’ll be out there.”
Hill says the yarn symbolizes how tender the link between mankind and the environment is.
“It’s yarn because I think it is a symbol of how fragile our existence is in our world. We have to take care of everything. If we don’t do something, even if it is a small something, we are guilty of causing the trouble.”
Locals will head into the channel in Canoes and small boats on Friday to stretch the chain, decorated with mementos and family photographs, from Hawksberry Island to Hartley Bay on Friday.
For more information on the chain blockade visit chainofhope.ca
Photos: Chain of Hope