End Line 5 Canada Coalition Celebrates Two Successful Screenings and Mass Mobilization Against Line 5
Photo courtesy of EndLine5.ca Coalition
Media Contact:
Jessica Murray, jessicam@sierraclub.ca
EndLine5.ca Coalition
February 6, 2025 – The End Line 5 Canada Coalition proudly concluded two powerful screenings of Bad River: a Story of Defiance in Toronto and Montreal, where 500 community members gathered to learn about the dangers of Enbridge’s deteriorating Line 5 pipeline, and to take action.
Joe Bates and Gracie Waukechon, members of Bad River Band, traveled from their home community in Bad River, Wisconsin, to participate as panelists at each screening. They shared first hand stories about Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline, how it threatens the existence of their community, and their fight to shut it down.
Carrying a massive 60-foot banner reading “End Line 5,” tribal elder Joe Bates collected hundreds of signatures from concerned individuals along the way, demonstrating the growing opposition to this dangerous pipeline on both sides of the Canada-US border. The banner filled before it reached Montreal, inspiring a second banner to be made in Montreal.
60-foot banner with signatures in support of the Bad River Band and ending Line 5. Photo courtesy of EndLine5.ca Coalition.
The screening tour ended with unveiling the 60-foot banner outside of Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly’s office. Joly has continued to use the 1977 treaty to prevent the decommissioning of Enbridge’s Line 5, despite the Anishinabek Nation, representing 39 First Nations in Ontario, also standing in solidarity with its tribal kin in the U.S. to call for a shut down of Line 5.
A Powerful Call to Action
Each screening provided attendees with a citizen action toolkit (link) equipped with the necessary tools for Canadians to demand the shutdown of Line 5. The pipeline poses severe risks to the Great Lakes and drinking water for over 1.4 million Canadians who rely on Lake Huron.
“Line 5 is a direct threat to our water, our lands, and our future,” said Jessica Murray, a representative from the End Line 5 Canada Coalition. “The incredible response from these screenings and the outpouring of support for the End Line 5 banner show that people across Canada are ready to take action.”
Why Line 5 Must Be Shut Down
Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline, built in 1953, is a major environmental hazard. Enbridge continues to illegally trespass across the Bad River Reservation, and Line 5 runs underwater beneath the Straits of Mackinac. Despite a U.S. federal court ruling ordering Enbridge to cease operations through Bad River lands, the company continues to resist compliance. The Canadian government has intervened by using the 1977 treaty as a means to prevent Line 5’s decommission.
Photo courtesy of EndLine5.ca Coalition
The ongoing operation of Line 5 is a direct and existential threat to Indigenous and Tribal Nations of the Great Lakes. The original stewards of these waters since time immemorial, their ways of life and culture is dependent upon the health of these waters.
Canada plays a key role in this fight. The Canadian government must stop enabling Enbridge’s reckless endangerment of Indigenous sovereignty, fresh water of the Great Lakes, and the climate. This campaign urges Canadian citizens to pressure policymakers into withdrawing support for Line 5 and ensuring its shutdown.
Join the Movement
The momentum from these screenings and the 60-foot banner’s journey from Bad River through Toronto to Montreal shows that the fight against Line 5 is alive and well in Canada. Join the movement by using the citizen action toolkit, and staying engaged.
Follow the journey and get involved at EndLine5.ca and on social media: @EndLine5.
#ShutDownLine5 #WaterIsLife #EndLine5