Standing Rock solidarity protest stops traffic in Regina

Dozens of vehicles were stopped on the Albert Street bridge on Tuesday evening when a group of protestors took to the street.
 
The group was demonstrating as part of an international day of action to support protestors in Standing Rock, North Dakota. Those protestors are trying to stop the Dakota Access pipeline from being built near the Standing Rock Indian Reservation.
 
Samantha Racette was part of the protest in Regina. She said it’s all about the importance of water.
 
“When they’re out there screaming ‘water is life’ that’s exactly what it is … that fundamental need is being threatened right now and a lot of people are really upset about it.”
 
The protest lasted a bit less than an hour, but Racette said she thinks they got their message across.
 
“I think we upset a few people by blocking the road with a round dance – it wasn’t very long. It was a four minute song, that’s it.”
 
Police officers did show up, but Racette said they were very nice.
 
Though it was a protest against an oil pipeline, Racette didn’t have an answer as to what might replace oil in our lives.
 
“We’ve gone thousands and thousands of years without oil, right. Oil is just for, it’s economic purposes right, a way to make money.”

A flyer handed out at the protest talks about why people should care in Canada about what happens in North Dakota. It mentions the Keystone XL an Energy East pipelines, and talks about how the oil from these pipelines are being taken from the oil sands in Alberta. It also referenced a study which it says found potentially cancer-causing compounds in waterways in Alberta near Fort McMurray.