First Nation going to bat for pipeline
‘Broader context of the need for oil and gas’
Chief Nathan Matthew of the Simpcw First Nation in British Columbia has had enough that no one in government, the green lobby, or among First Nations opposed to the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion has ever talked to him about why his community stands behind the project.
The 700-member Simpcw First Nation is one of 33 bands in B.C. that want the $7.4-billion expansion to go ahead. Another 10 bands in Alberta also support the project.
Yet the Simpcw have more on the line than the vast majority of those who have an opinion. One third of the pipeline traverses its traditional lands in the B.C. interior, stretching from Jasper to Barriere, which means it has the greatest land exposure to the project. The First Nation also has a long history of looking after the pipeline, first built in 1953, through maintenance work and environmental monitoring, and considers it part of its stewardship responsibilities.
“We have lived with this existing pipeline for about 60 years and we have real concerns about it, mainly about environmental issues, but it’s there and we see the broader context of the need for oil and gas to power our lives and our economy and we are realistic about that,” Chief Matthew said in an interview. “If oil is going to be needed from Alberta, and it has to be moved to the coast of B.C. through our territory, I believe ... that pipelines are probably the safest alternatives.”
The Simpcw, formerly known as the North Thompson Indian Band, didn’t take the decision to support the expansion lightly.
If the pipeline expansion fails, the band will lose additional benefits won over two years of negotiations with proponent Kinder Morgan Canada Ltd. Those talks required bringing in advisers, doing extensive due diligence, conducting an environmental assessment review, negotiating the best possible deal and then holding a referendum, which resulted in 78 per cent support.
The expansion can be built safely and “it’s a very positive economic piece for ourselves,” he said.
“We are conscious and aware for the potential for oil spills,” Chief Matthew said. “It’s not like we haven’t thought about it. And we put whatever mitigation pieces into the agreement that we felt were appropriate.”
First Nations that support energy projects like Trans Mountain are becoming increasingly vocal against opposition campaigns, after several major projects collapsed and resulted in the loss of economic opportunities for impacted Indigenous communities.
Last month, a report coauthored by the B.C. government and the First Nations LNG Alliance found First Nations in British Columbia not only support the establishment of a liquefied natural gas sector but many are upset many projects haven’t been built.
Chief Matthew said his band decided to go public with its support for Trans Mountain as a counterpoint to media reporting of demonstrations against the project, some of them involving Indigenous leaders. “No other Nation or organization (First Nation or environmental) has the authority to speak on Simpcw’s behalf,” the band warned.
The Simpcw negotiated an agreement with Kinder Morgan Canada in 2015 for work related to the expansion. While the terms are confidential, Matthew said the 20-year agreement involves protection of cultural heritage, jobs or contracts to provide environmental services, training and the establishment of a facility for emergency response.
Kinder Morgan has threatened to walk away from the expansion because of B.C. Premier John Horgan’s continuing efforts to derail it in the courts and through new regulation.
The Alberta and federal government are now in negotiations with the company to reduce risks associated with delays. Matthew hopes they will invite supportive First Nations like the Simpcw to participate.
Horgan has not spoken to his band either since forming government last summer, he said. “Perhaps this is because Premier Horgan is only interested in speaking with those First Nations who align with his opposition. He simply cannot continue to ignore the fact that First Nations in this Province, with unceded Aboriginal title to their lands, have agreed to the project proceeding,” he said.