Over the Edge September 8-22 FROM PAGE | >> PROTEST Protesters Hope to Send Gov- ernment Strong Message Proposed Pipeline infringes on Aboriginal land rights and endagers BC waters Metal pipelines age and corrode over time, leaving a serious risk for leaks and spills. It is estimated that a metal pipeline will rupture at least once every 16 years. Pipelines are also at risk to rupture because of landslides and other natural disasters. This July one of Enbridge’s pipelines in Battle Creek, Michigan ruptured, sending millions of gallons of crude oil into the Kalamazoo River. While Enbridge claims to have rigorous safety procedures, mistakes like the one in Michigan cannot be explained away. The Prince George City Council seems wary of the Gateway pipeline, saying that they would like to hear more from Enbridge on their safety practices before they can support the initiative. However, Council Members like Brian Skakun expressed interest in the economic benefits that the Gateway Pipeline would generate. On August 318! a rally was held near Enbridge’s headquarters in Vancouver. Following the rally, protesters marched to the Vancouver Art Gallery where Members of Parliament and others involved with the anti-Enbridge movement raised their continued concerns for the safety of British Columbia’s coastal waters. The rally in Vancouver happened simultaneously with a Protest held in Kitimat during a hearing held by the Joint Review Panel appointed to review the Enbridge project. In conjunction with the August 318! protests in both Vancouver and Kitimat, Thomas believes that the people of Prince George will be able to send a strong message to government Officials stating that “l am confident that our protest will gain the province’s attention.” Thomas does not plan to stop his efforts once the protest has ended. Instead he plans to further his cause through the Sea to Sands Conservation Alliance, as well as several other organizations he is involved with. If the different levels of government in British Columbia decided to go through with the Northern Gateway Pipeline it would show that their flagrant disregard for not only Canada’s environmental well-being, but also the wishes and demands of the First Nation’s people whose land the pipe line will cross. As Carrier-Sekani Tribal Chief David Luggi noted on the Protest March and Rally against Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline Facebook page, the proposed pipeline and the recent blockbuster movie Avatar bear a striking resemblance. And we all know that didn’t end well. Stay tuned to over the Edge for furhter developments on the Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipeline project. News Page 4 Terrorism in Canda? Home Grown Terrorism Plot foiled by Authorities By Hanna Petersen || News Editor Three Ontario men have been accused of possessing plans and materials to create makeshift bombs and being involved in a conspiracy to commit a violent terrorist attack. The three men are Misbahuddin Ahmed (26), Hiva Alizadeh (30), and Khurram Sher (28). They have been charged with conspiracy to knowingly facilitate a terrorist activity. The most intriguing part of this story is the dynamic character of one of the accused men. Khurram Syed Sher of London Ontario, spent three weeks in June 2008 working in a hospital in east Jerusalem. He was completing an elective rotation in the pathology department of the Maqassed hospital as part of his medical studies with McGill University. Sher’s former co-workers were utterly stunned to hear of the allegations against him. The medical student also appeared on season six of Canadian Idol during an audition segment. He chose to perform Avril Lavigne’s song Complicated in an dancing in an absurd fashion. In the piece Sher presents himself with a thick accent and claims to have come to Canada in “2k5” or 2005. Khurram Sher was actually born in Montreal and speaks English and French fluently. Not only Sher’s co-workers, but many of the friends and former acquaintances of the men charged are shocked and saddened about the news. The arrests have also caused a significant number of Muslims in Ottawa to be concerned about backlash towards the Muslim community. The RCMP and Ottawa Police are working with local Muslim leaders in the event of such a backlash. However, some leaders like the Director of the Ottawa Islamic centre, Abdul Hakim Moalimishak, have faith that Canadians can separate the difference between religious communities and extremist individuals. The Iman of Ottawa’s largest mosque, Khaled Abdul Hamid Syed, has also appealed to Muslim youth to denounce terrorism but also said that he did not see a widespread problem with younger Muslim’s in Ottawa. The three men are alleged to have discussed attacks on specific government buildings and public transportation systems. Alizadeh has also been charged with being in possession of explosive materials with the intention of causing harm and providing financing for a terrorist group. The men supposedly conspired with three other men, as well as individuals in Canada, Iran, Pakistan, and Dubai. It is hard to choose what is more unsettling, that a terrorist plot was underway on Canadian soil or that the men accused do not fit the stereotype of an isolated religious fanatic. At first one might assume that a person would be driven to terrorism because he is poor and uneducated. Even if such factors were reliable indicators for potential terrorism, the three men accused are not at all poor or uneducated. Experts still seek understanding as to why a person chooses to participate in political violence. Before the three men can be made an example of “typical” terrorists, they are, of course, innocent until proven guilty. In all probability, time will answer some of the questions raised by this peculiar situation. Photo by Shelby Petersen The reclusive Spirit Bear has finally come out for all of UNBC to see. Placed in a new viewing case, the bear is now on display in the new First Nation’s Centre Gathering Place for all stu- dents to enjoy