Below is linked part one of Epic Tomorrows’ interview with Jennifer Wickham of the Gidimt’en Checkpoint resistance against the illegal Coastal GasLink project in so-called British Columbia, Canada. Part two is coming soon. It was a great privilege and learning opportunity for me to interview Jennifer and do my small part to raise awareness of the massively destructive infrastructure project that is the CGL pipeline –potentially paving the way for more destructive fossil fuel infrastructure.
Jennifer Wickham has been the media coordinator for the Gidimt’en clan checkpoint since 2018. The Gidimt’en checkpoint is the focal point of the resistance of the Wet’suwet’en nation to the Coastal Gas Link project which is a pipeline under construction, linking fracking sites in Dawson’s Creek in north eastern BC to a LNG facility and export terminal at Kitimat on the BC coast. This is an illegal project which disrespects Wet’suwet’en sovereignty, even their legal standing as affirmed in Canadian courts, as well as local ecology and ecosystems.
In December 2018, the B.C. Supreme Court issued a court injunction that authorized the RCMP (that’s the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, for those who don’t know) to forcibly clear a path through the Gidimt’en Checkpoint and the Unist’ot’en Healing Centre, another site of resistance further west. This is despite the fact that the Supreme Court of Canada ruled in a landmark 1997 court case that the Wet’suwet’en, as represented by their hereditary leaders, had not given up rights and title to their 22,000 square kilometers of land.
At the core of the resistance is the endangered Wedzin Kwa, a river, which was a big part of the inspiration for Jennifer to play a key role. Jennifer is a Cassyex House member (the Grizzly Bear House) of the Gidimt’en clan, one of the five main clans of the Wet’suwet’en people. Jennifer is currently co-producing/co-directing the documentary film “Yintah” (which means ‘land’) about the Wet’suwet’en fight for sovereignty.
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