Trans Mountain, Surerus Murphy Joint Venture (SMJV), and the City of Kamloops were honoured to participate in a Cultural Ceremony led by Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc Elders to acknowledge construction of the Trans Mountain Expansion Project in Kamloops, British Columbia.

Hope Sanderson, Senior Director of Indigenous Affairs, Trans Mountain said “It was my pleasure to join Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc officials, elders and knowledge keepers at the cultural ceremony. We value our relationship with Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc and other Nations in the area. We are committed to building on our understanding of Indigenous groups needs and interests, and further developing our awareness of who we are as a company and how we operate.”

“We respect the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc connection to their ancestral lands and are fully committed to working on the Expansion Project in a way that acknowledges and honours that connection,” said Mick Fitzpatrick, President, SMJV.

The start of construction in the Kamloops Urban Area was announced on June 1, 2020. The seven km construction segment in Kamloops is located within the BC Interior area which begins at Black Pines (approximately 40-km north of Kamloops) and runs to the Coquihalla Summit. It includes approximately 185-kilometres of 36-inch pipeline and 18 valve assembly installations, as well as three pump stations.

“We appreciate Trans Mountain’s commitment to acknowledging, honouring and respecting our ancestral lands. Our relationship with Trans Mountain and Surerus Murphy Joint Venture has been strengthened through their continual support involving environmental protection and cultural resource management through the construction of this Project,” said Chief Rosanne Casimir, Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc.

Through working with local Indigenous leaders and communities, both Trans Mountain and SMJV have done extensive work on environmental protection. As with all the work Trans Mountain does, protecting the environment and minimizing impacts in communities remains the focus and commitment.

In response to the evolving COVID-19 pandemic, Trans Mountain and its contractors have implemented COVID-19 mitigation and preventative measures such as temperature testing, staggering work shifts, following physical distancing protocols and executing personal protective equipment protocols when working in close proximity is required. We have introduced enhanced cleaning and sanitization protocols at all our worksites and are working with our local accommodation providers to ensure our workforce accommodations meet all health and safety standards.

For further information on the Expansion Project construction activities underway, please visit our interactive map.