Line In The Sand

End of the line – Masset, Haida Gwaii

Tomas Borsa — Fri, 02 May 2014 22:09:27 +0000

The ocean is, and has always been, a vital part to Haida culture; it’s a gathering place, a playground, a teacher, and a grocery store all bundled into one. Masset has a very different feel to either Skidegate or Queen Charlotte City – less populated, certainly, but also less hurried and more humble.

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High seas – Skidegate, Haida Gwaii

Tomas Borsa — Thu, 03 Apr 2014 04:24:05 +0000

Today, Haida culture is once again flourishing, thanks in large part to the Haida Language Center, dedicated to preserving the Haida language through the creation of immersion programs and educational curriculum. It is here that we’ve settled in for the morning, to hear Elders’ thoughts on Enbridge’s plan to send upwards of 225 super-tankers per year through their waters.

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Portside – Prince Rupert, BC

Tomas Borsa — Tue, 25 Mar 2014 04:14:03 +0000

Roughly a hundred years ago, the area surrounding Prince Rupert was known for its canneries. Today, the wooden structures that once housed thousands of workers are for the most part abandoned or otherwise dilapidated, and serve as silent reminders of the cruel impermanence of resource-based industries.

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A calm before the storm – Kitimat, BC

Tomas Borsa — Thu, 23 Jan 2014 03:56:43 +0000

A barge and several private ferries are docked at the bay, and cranes, trucks, and backhoes are all busy tearing away at the side of the mountain; as the boat slowly bobs along, Marc spots flagging tape and paint markers along the shore, a clear indication that we have arrived at the proposed site of the Marine Terminal.

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Expect Resistance – Unist’ot’en territory

Tomas Borsa — Fri, 20 Dec 2013 23:42:24 +0000

Sixty-five kilometres from the town of Houston lies a small community unlike any other. This is the home of the Unist’ot’en, an Indigenous resistance community who have declared an all-out ban on pipelines routed through their territory.

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“The Answer Is Still No” – Terrace, BC

Tomas Borsa — Sat, 30 Nov 2013 09:19:07 +0000

Over 120 communities participated in a “National Day of Action” to voice opposition to pipeline development projects, expansion of the Albertan tar sands, and anthropogenic climate change. We spent the day in Terrace, where the focus was centred firmly on the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline, slated to pass just 60 kilometres south of the town.

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A frostbitten paradise – Morice River, BC

Tomas Borsa — Tue, 26 Nov 2013 09:22:20 +0000

Mid-November is not an ideal time to go fly-fishing. Wisps of steam rise from the water’s surface where it meets the frigid air, and icicles cling to branches along the shore. At rest, the air is still, but on the water, it quickly transforms into a piercing, frigid jet. Len describes it in the least dramatic terms as “the last weekend of the season”; my toes and I see it in more stark terms.

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Out of sight, out of mind – Fort St. James, BC

Tomas Borsa — Sat, 16 Nov 2013 07:25:01 +0000

At 84 years old, Del Hearn continues to live alone on a quarter section of land, roughly 10 kilometers outside of Fort St. James. To the north, his property is bounded by a dirt road; to the east and west, by other homesteads; and to the south, by a bluff of mixed aspen located square in the path of the Northern Gateway’s 85-metre right-of-way.

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Pipeline prophecy – Burns Lake, BC

Tomas Borsa — Wed, 13 Nov 2013 06:55:13 +0000

Referring to us as “the Enbridge boys”, Sam performs a prayer, and shares an Anishinaabe teaching. He tells us that the old ones used to speak of a giant white snake that would bring terror to the western tribes by spitting black poison over their lands. The snake was said to begin in the hills, travelling toward the ocean in order to quench its thirst.

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The kids are alright – Fort Fraser, BC

Tomas Borsa — Sat, 09 Nov 2013 22:45:36 +0000

There is an air of unity to the place, with everyone contributing in some small way: Scott chops firewood, Liz places a kettle on the woodstove, Nita prepares a massive butternut squash. Blake enters the house carrying a rabbit in one hand, and his gun in the other. Five year-old Quinn, for his part, makes a play-doh hat for his toy dinosaur.

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