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“These concerning items have been brought to the attention of the Wet’suwet’en Hereditary Chiefs. They have also been advised that the RCMP has entered into a criminal investigation under Section 247 of the Criminal Code for Traps Likely to Cause Bodily Harm,” the release stated.

Coastal GasLink, a natural gas pipeline project that stretches from Dawson Creek, B.C. to the under-construction $40-billion LNG Canada project in Kitimat, won a interlocutory court injunction against the protestors in the area and an enforcement order from the Supreme Court of British Columbia last week. The enforcement order gives the RCMP “a mandate” to get involved.

Photo by Handout/RCMP

Coastal GasLink — which is jointly owned by Calgary-based TC Energy Corp., Alberta pension fund manager Alberta Investment Management Corp. and New York-based private equity giant KKR & Co. Inc. — called the discovery of gasoline and tires “extremely disappointing.”

“Coastal GasLink respects the rights of individuals to peacefully and lawfully protest so long as their activities do not jeopardize the safety of the public, our employees, our contractors, or the RCMP,” Coastal GasLink president David Pfeiffer said in a release.

Pfeiffer said that he had again invited Chief Namox, who is leading the breakaway group of First Nations hereditary chiefs in the area, for another meeting to “try to find common ground and a mutually agreeable solution that ensures the safety of all involved and that results in a peaceful resolution.”