CONTAMINATION & CONFLICT: A Critical Analysis on the Environmental, Indigenous, & Social Impacts of the Trans Mountain Expansion Project

The project was co-created with our community partners from the  Mountain Protectors , the  Wilderness Committee , and the  Pipe Up Network . The Mountain Protectors are a group of Indigenous led land defenders working to surveil and monitor Trans Mountain’s actions at the Burnaby Terminal. The Wilderness Committee and Pipe Up Network are organizing communities working to support access to information, environmental justice, and the voice of grassroot communities.

This research project is a continuation of the “Climate Justice Resource Collaborative and Mountain Protectors: A Resource Guide to Pipeline Research and Reporting” report authored by Maya Dong, Cassie Lumsden, and Cloe Mao (2021). The initial report sought to answer how land protection on unceded Coast Salish Territories are constricted and empowered as a function of regulatory standards. Through further research, it was found that violations were committed by the Trans Mountain Pipeline (TMX) project, regardless of established policies and regulatory legislations (federal and provincial).

The goal of this research is to further develop prior findings and address the key barriers listed in the 2021 report. As we work alongside the UBC Climate Hub and the Mountain Protectors, we hope to address the socio-ecological and political effects of the TMX project on Indigenous communities. The research investigates the TMX pipeline expansion and develop map layers to visually show the research’s findings. First, the project outline policy, the built environment, and permits as they relate to the TMX pipeline. Second, the research displays the effect the TMX pipeline expansion has had on local ecology, the flora and fauna, especially by use of community stories and art to convey messages about climate justice and more specifically, the repercussions of the TMX project.