Following months of protests, and most recently a court injunction to remove protesters on Burnaby Mountain that resulted in numerous arrests, Kinder Morgan is holding a telephone town hall tonight.
Source: globalnews.ca
>” […] Asked if he was surprised by the protest and the numbers who showed up and Anderson said, no. Instead what was shocking was what he called people’s “willingness to disobey the injunction and put themselves up for arrest.“
[…] Also the diversity of the crowd, which included according to Anderson, “hardcore protesters, local interest groups and residents in the community,” that made it difficult for Kinder Morgan to have a conversation and plan appropriate action.
“We tried to remain calm and not be heavy-handed,” Anderson said.
But five protestors, who were arrested and are being sued for $5 million, may see it differently.
Anderson called the lawsuit an “unfortunate part of the process” but says it was necessary to get the work done safely. […]
The survey work may be done but for the City of Burnaby’s Mayor Derek Corrigan, there’s still a matter of the bill for the Burnaby Mountain policing costs.
“I want [Kinder Morgan] to pay,” Corrigan said in an earlier interview.
“We told them not to go on to the mountain, we told them to obey our bylaws, we were overruled by the National Energy Board, so they can’t possibly say in any way this was our fault or responsibility.”
But for Anderson, the police officers were necessary to enforce the legal injunction for “legally authorized work.”
“The police were there to protect us against unlawful protestors. Policing is a municipal responsibility and I think it remains a municipal responsibility,” Anderson said. […]
“I think Kinder Morgan’s playing the poor me with regards to their activities,” he said.
“I find it quite surprising; I don’t know many people that are going to feel sorry for a multinational corporation that’s exerting its influence on a local government.” […]”
See on Scoop.it – Green & Sustainable News
duanetilden 
Because 100-or-so protesters were incorrectly arrested because of Kinder Morgan’s error, could they be liable for policing costs, court costs and other damages? Was it really an “error” or just an effective way of diverting the protesters from another area without having to deal with the legal followup? Hmmm… Cheers, Bob
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I would assume that if protesters were incorrectly arrested then charges would have to be dropped and Kinder Morgan could be held liable for costs, including policing and any subsequent damages.
Could Kinder Morgan have used this as a ploy or diversionary tactic, quite possibly yes. More likely they believe they have the right to do their work under Federal Law, which is disputable, and are behaving accordingly.
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