Lawyer to speak to people planning to protest the Trans Mountain pipeline to help them know their legal rights

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – The posters have been taped up on power poles around Vancouver.

Groups opposed the expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline held a training event this evening so activists know their legal rights.

Lawyer Peter Edelmann spoke at the event at the Grandview Calvary Baptist Church.

He says most people know what is clearly legal or illegal when it comes to protesting, so his job is to let people know what the laws are in some of the greyer areas.

“We’re usually talking about the limits, or the very fine lines that are drawn… at what point are you actually engaging in mischief, if you block an entrance or if you do a sit-in?”

Edelmann will try to explain to activists where those lines are.

“In terms of what people’s rights are depends in part on where an event is taking place and what the context of the event is. In some cases… it can be the actions of others around you that can create legal jeopardy for somebody.”

Dozens of people were arrested on Burnaby Mountain during a protest in 2014 over the Trans Mountain pipeline — perhaps a preview of what we could see in the coming months, with construction scheduled to begin.