Louisvillian heads to Canada to protest "tar sands" development

Today, hundreds of people from across North America gathered in Ottawa, Canada's capitol, to participate in a civil disobedience action to say no to the extraction of oil from the Albertan tar sands, and yes to a sustainable energy future respectful of the rights of indigenous people.

The Ottawa Action follows the Tar Sands Action, which concluded on September 3rd in Washington, D.C. The Tar Sands Action was designed specifically to remind President Barack Obama to honor his promises to address climate change, by demanding he deny the permit for TransCanada's proposed Keystone XL pipeline.

During the duration of that two-week action, 1,252 activists were arrested in front of the White House including my friend and fellow Louisvillian Curtis Morrison. Since the Tar Sands Action, President Obama has been greeted with ongoing Tar Sands Action rallies throughout his travels, including one that drew dozens of participants during his September 22nd Cincinnati bridge visit.

“The participants of the Ottawa Action are standing up for what we all know in our hearts is right," said Morrison.

Morrison was one of the many Louisvillians arrested during the Tar Sands Action who is now making the journey to Ottawa.

"The relocation of indigenous people, the raping of boreal forests, a ridiculous consumption of electricity, natural gas and clean water are consumed for the extraction process: this is what it takes to get to the oil out of the tar sands," Morrison said. "What is unthinkable for me though, once that dirty oil is extracted, transported, refined and burned, we'll be creating what NASA climatologist James Henson calls 'GAME OVER' for our climate. At the very time we must be decreasing the carbon dioxide level in our atmosphere, the radical extremists advocating for the development of the Tar Sands must be stopped."

"The purpose of my trip is to support those who are putting themselves on the line, and to help tell the world their stories," Morrison said. "I will be participating in the organizer's civil disobedience training session, the solidarity rally the morning of the action, and taking pictures while the participants are arrested."

For more information on the Ottawa Action against the tar sands, please visit http://www.ottawaaction.ca