Vancouver Sun

NDP FACES OPPOSITION TO LNG PIPELINE PROJECT

Previous support for Lelu Island protest may come back to haunt them

- VAUGHN PALMER Victoria Vpalmer@postmedia.com Twitter.com/VaughnPalm­er

Indigenous Relations and Reconcilia­tion Minister Scott Fraser was in Smithers Thursday, meeting First Nations leaders in hopes of clearing one of the remaining obstacles to a $40-billion LNG project.

The obstacle is the Unist’ot’en, a community cum protest encampment located south of Smithers and directly in the path of the proposed Coastal GasLink pipeline.

The pipeline would transport gas from the northeast to Kitimat, site for the LNG Canada export terminal, which awaits a final investment decision from a Shellled consortium later this year.

But despite buy-ins by virtually all of the First Nations in the region, the Unist’ot’en remain dug in against the feed pipeline for LNG Canada. They have also opposed other pipeline projects since the encampment was establishe­d almost 10 years ago.

“We are aware of the camp and its impact on current industry operations as well as its potential impact on new activities such as the proposed Coastal GasLink project,” said Fraser’s ministry in a statement Thursday.

To that end the minister and his officials have reached out to the Wet’suwet’en First Nation, within whose traditiona­l territorie­s the Unist’ot’en camp is located.

“We are focused on establishi­ng a government-togovernme­nt relationsh­ip with the Wet’suwet’en Nation, the statement continued. “Minister Fraser will meet with leaders and elders to talk about how we can best support self-governance and help build unity among the houses and people of the nation. Ministry representa­tives have also started discussion­s with the nation to that end.”

Pending the outcome of those talks, “it would be premature to speculate what our broader discussion­s might mean for the situation at the camp,” the statement concluded.

For all of Fraser’s good intentions, he would appear to be facing an uphill fight, judging from briefing material on the standoff prepared for the cabinet earlier this year.

The Unist’ot’en are a faction of one of the 13 houses that make up the Wet’suwet’en. Though a minority, they have some support within the community. The encampment leader maintains that the umbrella office of the Wet’suwet’en does not represent him in consultati­ons, according to the cabinet material.

The camp has been operationa­l for almost a decade, going back to the fight against the Northern Gateway oil pipeline. It has been maintained year-round, with a significan­t presence from non-Indigenous activists, who have sometimes staged workshops in “direct action.”

Starting in 2016, or thereabout­s, the occupants installed a metal gate at the entrance to the encampment, where a provincial forest road crosses the Morice River.

The previous B.C. Liberal government took the view that the gate appeared to violate regulation­s regarding access to forest land. But after several standoffs, provincial public servants were advised to avoid the area because of concerns about their personal safety.

Early last year, the Liberals drafted a plan aimed at removing the gate and regaining access to the area. But apart from sending a letter into the encampment requesting the removal of the gate (receipt of which was never acknowledg­ed) they did nothing else before the election.

Now the New Democrats have inherited the standoff with the added urgency of the revived interest in the LNG Canada project.

The province was advised earlier this year that TransCanad­a, builder and operator of Coastal GasLink, requires access to the area this spring to complete environmen­tal testing and clearing the rightof-way for the pipeline.

Judging from the material prepared for the NDP cabinet, it will probably take a court injunction to get access to the site. On that score, the ministry has suggested the onus should be on the company to gain access to the site.

“We would certainly acknowledg­e that the Unist’ot’en camp presents a challengin­g situation with regard to potential resource developmen­t projects in that area,” said a statement issued May 11.

“In keeping with our commitment to implement the UN Declaratio­n on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, we expect that companies wanting to pursue resource developmen­t in the area will seek to resolve issues with respect.

“We may assist in efforts to bring all parties to the table, but ultimately it is the responsibi­lity of the company to find a resolution.”

That’s not a scenario welcomed by the company. TransCanad­a signed a benefit-sharing agreement on the pipeline with the Wet’suwet’en First Nation three years ago.

But there’s no sign that the company is pursuing separate negotiatio­ns with the holdout group.

“They are not a mainstream group in terms of the First Nations that we’ve dealt with,” Coastal GasLink president Rick Gateman told Brent Jang of the Globe and Mail recently. “There’s probably always going to be small pockets of opposition and there’s not much that, ultimately, we can do about that.”

Nor are the prospects for resolution improved by what happened when the New Democrats engaged with a similar holdout against the now-defunct Pacific NorthWest LNG project from Malaysian government­owned Petronas.

Though the project was supported by the local Lax Kw’alaams First Nation, one hereditary leader (whose claim to chief status later failed in court) led an occupation of the proposed site for the terminal, on Lelu Island near Prince Rupert.

The New Democrats, then in Opposition, sided with the occupation and opposed the Lelu Island site, setting a precedent they may yet regret.

For if that holdout was worthy of their support, they may face a tough time explaining why the Unist’ot’en are any different.

They are not a mainstream group in terms of the First Nations that we’ve dealt with.

RICK GATEMAN, Coastal GasLink president

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