After the Groundswell

In 2012, the risk of a catastrophic oil spill from Enbridge’s proposed Northern Gateway Pipeline posed a threat to the Central Coast of BC, and the people and species that have called it home for millenia. When a group of surfers set sail towards a region full of life, beauty, and a rich history and presence of Indigenous stewardship, the team experienced not only waves, but also what might be lost if the pipeline proceeded.

A decade later, we revisit the ultimately-successful campaign by coastal Indigenous communities and their allies against the since-canceled Northern Gateway Pipeline.  We do so with a retrospective lens: what lessons have we learned about community mobilization and taking a stand?