Anti-pipeline protesters camped out near a Kinder Morgan terminal in Burnaby, B.C. have been served an eviction notice, but some say they have no intention of leaving.
RCMP officers were on hand to keep the peace as the 72-hour eviction notice was delivered to Camp Cloud on Wednesday, giving the protesters on Burnaby Mountain until Saturday morning to clear out.
The officers "were lined up with guns and dogs," according to Kwitsel-Tatel, a matriarch of the camp.
The City of Burnaby is concerned the protest camp has grown too big; it now has more than a dozen tents, an RV, and a two-storey wood structure that's close to electrical wires.
The eviction notice cites all of those shelters, as well as open fires, a shower and off-leash dogs, as breaking city bylaws.
"The right of protest cannot be exercised in a way that is in conflict or breach of the City of Burnaby's bylaws," it reads. "Staff have been unable to get reasonable cooperation, and now Burnaby must make the lawful demand to remove structures and cease offending activities, and to vacate."
City manager Lambert Chu said they are concerned about protesters' safety, particularly in regards to the makeshift structure.
"Any misfortunates in the connection to the electrical wires above will cause electrical fires and serious consequences," Chu said.
Crews also recently tried to access power poles at the camp, but were unable to do so. It's unclear if that has anything to do with the timing of the eviction notice.
The decision to clear out the camp came as a surprise to some of the protesters, particularly given Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan's tough stance on the pipeline.
During a speech in 2016, Corrigan said if the federal government "pushes (the Trans Mountain pipeline) through, and this pipeline begins going through our conservation area, I'll be standing in front of the bulldozers."
But Chu said the city's position on the controversial project hasn't changed.
"The city remains opposed," he said. "We just have concerns with illegal structures. We have nothing against the protesters."
Kwitsel-Tatel believes the protesters at Camp Cloud may have a legal right to stay, however. The same B.C. Supreme Court injunction that ordered pipeline opponents not to come too close to Kinder Morgan's terminals protects the camp.
"They think the City of Burnaby has all the power to evict us. They're powerless. They are a toothless tiger," she said.
With files from CTV Vancouver's Jon Woodward
