One woman is tracing the path of Enbridge's Line 9 from Sarnia to Montreal - on foot - to raise the alarm about the controversial pipeline.
Twenty-two-year-old University of Waterloo student Rachel Thevenard will travel the length of the pipeline, which has been the focus of concerns from First Nations and environmentalists for years.
Thevenard began her journey with the blessing and support of the Aamjiwnaang First Nation.
She is trying to bring awareness to fears the pipeline could rupture, like a 2010 incident in Michigan that saw three million litres of crude oil spilled into the Kalamazoo River,
"So I might as well run against Line 9, while communities can still me made aware and still have a chance to fight, and have it shut down like it should be," Thevenard says.
But efforts to shut it down may already be a lost.
After years of talks, meetings and court appearances, Enbridge received approval from regulators to reverse the flow through the line.
And, just in the past few days, Alberta crude was delivered through the pipeline from Sarnia to Quebec.
Enbridge spokesperson Ken Hall says, "Oil has been delivered as far as our Montreal terminal, and the first shipments of oil to the refining customers in Quebec are happening in the near future."
But, Thevenard says the fight is not over and with First Nations support, she hopes to generate funds to continue the court battle with Enbridge.
It's an effort appreciated by members of multiple bands, who say Line 9 violates their land on jurisdictional and environmental levels.
Vanessa Gray of the Aamjiwnaang First Nation says, "This company is violating the lands that indigenous people have traditionally lived on."
Thevenard experts her 'Run of Line 9' will take four to six weeks, while court challenges to the pipeline itself will likely take much longer.
