Speaking out against the Enbridge Northern Gateway Project, SFU student, Mia Nissen, underwent a week-long fast to protest the pipeline at the end of last year.
Nissen made the decision to go on a hunger strike over winter break as a way to take an immediate and noticeable stance on the issue. During the week of Christmas up until New Year’s Eve, Nissen subsisted only on Gatorade and multivitamins.
The Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline has been a hot button topic in the news since it was announced in 2006. The line would carry distilled crude oil from Alberta’s oilsands to the coastal city of Kitimat, BC.
Nissen began her strike in response to the approval of Enbridge’s latest project by the National Energy Board Joint Review Panel on Dec. 19. The Panel cited it as being an important key in boosting the Canadian economy, and the federal government has been given 180 days to decide the pipeline’s fate.
However, this decision has also been strongly contested by First Nations and environmental advocacy groups who worry about the catastrophic effects that a potential oil spill from the pipeline could have on the environment.
Adding her own voice to the fray, Nissen got creative during her week-long strike with her campaign by making a video of her lip syncing to “Electric Avenue”. The video was a means of voicing her opposition to the government’s use of crude oil by promoting an electricity-based society.
Nissen, who is finishing her liberal and business studies degree, explained the inspiration to give up food for a week: “I can’t just be a passive observer and watch companies like Enbridge continue committing their environmental crimes. It’s not just about this pipeline project — I am looking at the bigger picture. This is about the environment, about social justice.”
The young activist has also organized other events that protest the building of the pipeline, including a gathering in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery as an effort to get signatures in opposition to the project. She has also participated in several protest marches against Harper.
Even though her efforts have gone mostly unnoticed by politicians thus far, Nissen is still hopeful for a sustainable environmental future by forgoing the use of oil entirely in favour of eco-friendly alternatives.
Nissen says there could be long term economic effects in the event of an oil spill. Fishing and community interests could be wiped out, and the government would have to spend millions of dollars to clean up a spill, she explained.
Despite Enbridge’s promises, Nissen, referencing the work of SFU researcher Tom Gunton, says there is simply no guarantee that would safeguard such a vast structure against a spill. She continued, “The transportation of oil is not the issue, but rather the weaning of our society off of the oil addiction.”
As for what the strike taught her, Nissen says she has taken away more from the experience than just an empty stomach. “I learned that there is fierce opposition to this project, and that I am not alone anymore. I’ve learned also that the spirit needs nourishment as much as the body. This is about humanity; we are fighting for the future.”
