Mike LeBourdais stands on top of the Trans Mountain pipeline where it crosses under his land. If anyone is aware of how controversial and polarizing pipelines are in Canada right now, it’s the chief of the Whispering Pines/Clinton Indian Band near Kamloops, B.C.
Still, LeBourdais adjusts his cowboy hat and points up and down the valley as if he’s addressing the 1,150 kilometre pipeline that carries petroleum products from Edmonton to Burnaby, B.C.
“I wanna own this thing,” he announces.
Not all First Nations in Canada see owning the Trans Mountain pipeline as a way to build a new relationship with Canada.
About 130 km to the south, on the banks of the Coldwater River, Lee Spahan explains why he’s taking the federal government to court.