B.C. chief tells pipeline hearings his people are responsible for their land
VICTORIA — Protection of salmon, animals and the land in the Fraser Valley of British Columbia is an eternal responsibility of First Nations and the expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline poses risks that could harm the homes and culture of Aboriginal Peoples, the National Energy Board heard Monday.
But Chief Tyrone McNeil of the Sto:lo Tribal Council and councillor Andrew Victor of the Cheam First Nation did not say they are completely opposed to the expansion project as the board began hearings in Victoria.
Victor said the Sto:lo, which includes the Cheam First Nation, want to see grounds for the pipeline expansion project, including the completion of environmental assessments that examine the risks and impacts of a spill.
The council also wants to be part of ongoing consultations and environmental assessments, he added.
“We need to see justification,” said Victor. “The Sto:lo face uncertainty with the project’s impacts to our way of life. We want to see it done right.”
After he testified, McNeil said: “In our tribal council, some of our communities support it, others don’t.”
The hearings in Victoria will gather evidence from Indigenous groups about the pipeline expansion project and its potential impact on the marine environment.
The board was in Calgary earlier this month and will hold hearings in Nanaimo from Dec. 3 to Dec. 6.
The new hearings are being held after the Federal Court of Appeal quashed the original approval for the expansion, saying the federal government didn’t adequately consult with First Nations or consider the impact of tanker traffic on the marine environment.
The board says 30 Indigenous interveners from B.C., Alberta and the United States will participate in the hearings in Victoria.
McNeil told the board the Sto:lo call the Fraser River their mother because it feeds and nurtures them.
“We’ve been here since the start of time,” said McNeil. “We’re going to continue to be here. That’s why we’re here this morning, for us to continue to look after what’s important to us.”
He said the Sto:lo believe they are responsible for looking after everything they see, including the Chinook salmon, the main food source for threatened southern resident killer whales.
“Part of this conversation needs to be what safeguards are in place to start a project like this,” McNeil said.
“When we say everything, that’s in English the land, that’s the water, that’s the air, that’s the four-legged, the winged, the crawlers, the diggers, everything. Whether they are human or not, we’ve got a responsibility for it.”
The federal government announced last May it would spend $4.5 billion to buy the Trans Mountain pipeline from Kinder Morgan. Expansion of the pipeline would triple the capacity of the line from northern Alberta to Burnaby.
VICTORIA (CP) — The Health Employers Association and The B.C. Nurses’ Union bargaining group have announced a tentative agreement for the province’s 44,000 nurses. The agreement falls under the B.C. government’s sustainable services negotiating mandate, which in 2019 includes a general wage increase of two per cent in each year of a threeyear agreement.
The mandate also allows for the ability to negotiate conditional funding, but no details of the agreement will be released until after a ratification vote.
The tentative deal covers registered nurses, psychiatric and licensed practical nurses working in hospitals, long-term care facilities, and home-support and mental-health facilities. A union spokeswoman says ratification votes will be held around the province until Jan. 21 and the results are expected to be announced by Jan. 22.
87-year-old woman murdered
VANCOUVER (CP) — Police say the death of an 87-year-old woman whose body was found in her apartment in Vancouver is being investigated as a homicide.
Police say they were called at about 8 a.m. Saturday by a relative of Elizabeth Poulin, who lived in an apartment near Kingsway Avenue and Kerr Street.
Sgt. Jason Robillard said the investigation is a top priority for police and based on information collected so far, investigators do not believe there is a risk to the public.
Otter raids koi pond, avoids capture
VANCOUVER (CP) — An opportunistic otter that is preying on koi in a classical Chinese garden in Vancouver has eaten 10 of the 14 large carp in a pond as it continues to evade traps. A spokeswoman for the Vancouver Park Board says one koi had been caught at lunch time on Monday and staff were lowering the pond level to net the three remaining fish for transfer to the Vancouver Aquarium.
Daria Wojnarski said they were trying to capture the otter with traps in both the public and private sections of the garden. The otter moved into the
Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden just over a week ago and remains on the loose. The koi in the garden’s pond were prized for their longevity, size and unique markings.