Via rail suspends all train travel across Canada due to anti-pipeline protests

CTV reports that “the nationwide shutdown [of Via Rail] comes as CN Rail says it is being forced to progressively shut down its operations in Eastern Canada ‘until the illegal blockades end.’ The company said that also means stopping all transcontinental trains across its Canadian network.”

“With over 400 trains cancelled during the last week and new protests that emerged at strategic locations on our mainline, we have decided that a progressive shutdown of our Eastern Canadian operations is the responsible approach to take for the safety of our employees and the protestors,” CN Rail CEO JJ Ruest said.

The protests and blockades are a response to the raid of an anti-pipeline camp in Northern British Columbia that was fighting against the building of a pipeline on Wet’suwet’en territory.

The Wet’suwet’en Tribal Council supports the pipeline project.