Indigenous drummers lead pipeline protesters on 22-kilometre march in Victoria

VICTORIA – Indigenous drummers in British Columbia are leading an anti-pipeline protest along a 22-kilometre route today that passes through Victoria and ends at a beach south of the city.

Hundreds of chanting demonstrators left city hall Saturday morning and are walking down the middle of major downtown streets, escorted by police vehicles with their lights flashing.

The march is protesting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's approval this week of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project planned to run from north of Edmonton to Burnaby, B.C.

The marchers include Indigenous leaders, environmentalists and local politicians.

A small house is being towed behind the marchers and will be temporarily erected at Island View Beach, near Victoria International Airport, to house future pipeline protesters.

Victoria resident Eric Doherty said he's protesting the government's use of tax dollars to support the fossil fuel industry.

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Sean Mott

After spending most of his life on the East Coast and earning a Bachelor of Journalism (Honours) degree from the University of King's in Halifax, Sean Mott decided to strike out west to start his reporting career in Yorkton, Saskatchewan. He recently moved to Lake Country and he covers everything from crime to local art to everyday absurdities in Kelowna.