A $100,000 private reward has been posted by the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association (ICBA) in a bid to accelerate the process of finding, and bringing to justice, the group of vandals responsible for a premeditated violent attack at the Coastal GasLink LNG worksite near Houston last February.
The initiative was launched Monday in partnership with Metro Vancouver Crime Stoppers, which will administer the reward and accept anonymous tips from anyone with information that will lead to arrests and charges.
RCMP say video footage shows approximately 20 masked individuals attacked nine security guards and construction workers, heavy equipment, and outbuildings in a clearly premediated and coordinated nighttime assault by attackers with axes. In one case, a worker trapped inside a truck had his window smashed out by an axe.
Fires were set and heavy equipment was hijacked to batter other onsite equipment and shred trailers. Lights and video surveillance at the site had been disabled, a school bus was parked to block access in or out of the site and the Morice River Service Road was blocked by felled trees, fires, and spikes.
Fortunately, no one was seriously injured but the terrifying attack caused millions of dollars in damaged equipment and was traumatic for those working on site that night as well as their colleagues, families, and friends. Sending a message that violence in the workplace and on job sites should never be tolerated, the ICBA decided to offer the $100,000 reward to help find those responsible.
“The people working on this pipeline are highly trained and skilled and are building an incredible national legacy of which we can all be proud,” said Chris Gardner, ICBA President. “Their expertise and hard work should be upheld as an example of Canadian ingenuity and exceptionalism. They deserve no less than a full investigation and the assurance that the perpetrators of this attack will be held accountable and brought to justice. ICBA is proud to stand up for construction and energy workers and offer this reward.”
“Crime Stoppers is pleased to support the ICBA in this endeavour, and we’re here to make sure anyone who wants to pass on information ANONYMOUSLY can do so by contacting us. We will pass on the information to the police, and the tipster will still be eligible for the reward,” said Linda Annis, Executive Director of Metro Vancouver Crime Stoppers.
“It’s reasonable to assume someone with knowledge of such a crime might fear retribution if they spoke with anyone about it. But please be assured, Crime Stoppers never collects personal information. In the decades we’ve been in operation, we have never identified any of our tipsters. They are never contacted again by us or the police or have to testify in court. We encourage anyone to contact us about any crime, whether it’s relatively small in scope, or as costly and dangerous as this case.”
If you have information that may be helpful in this case, please contact Metro Vancouver Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or visit www.solvecrime.ca.
Comments
NOTE: The North Shore Daily Post welcomes your opinions and comments. We do not allow personal attacks, offensive language or unsubstantiated allegations. We reserve the right to edit comments for length, style, legality and taste and reproduce them in print, electronic or otherwise. For further information, please contact the editor or publisher, or see our Terms and Conditions.