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‘Militarized’ RCMP team moves in to arrest TMX protester from Burnaby tree

Protest group says one man is under arrest
TMX arrest 20 takaro web
RCMP used a bucket lift to reach Trans Mountain protester Dr. Tim Takaro in Burnaby.

A man protesting the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project was arrested Friday morning for setting up a protest tent in a Burnaby tree.

The group Protect the Planet – Stop TMX says a “militarized” team of about 20 officers set up in the morning and then used a bucket lift to reach the protester, Dr. Tim Takaro, who had been camped out for about four dates in a tree along Gaglardi Way, just north of Lougheed Highway.

Takaro spent months in a different set of Burnaby trees during the past year along the Brunette River to protest the cutting of more than 1,300 trees to clear a path for the pipeline.

“A man was safely removed from a tree-sit this morning in an area that violates an Injunction Order preventing Trans Mountain work and access from being impeded or obstructed,” said Burnaby RCMP, in a statement. “Officers who specialize in high-angle rescue were brought in to help remove the demonstrator from the tree to ensure safety … The demonstrator was given a court date and released on scene. This is the ninth arrest in Burnaby since January 1, 2021 for Criminal Contempt of Court related to the Injunction Order.”

The group says that Trans Mountain workers blocked access to Takaro during the past few days as support volunteers were trying to bring him food and water.