CHN PRESS RELEASE: NORTHERN GATEWAY PROJECT DEAD AND MORATORIUM COMING

We are very pleased to see the government turn down the Northern Gateway Pipeline.  It comes at a cost:  Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain Expansion and Line 3.  There is still more work to be done.

Please see the new Press Release from the Council of the Haida Nation on Trudeau’s announcement.  According to CHN President Peter Lantin:

“There has to be a better government-to-government consultation process to deal with these projects before they get rolling,” said Lantin. “Avoiding this type of confrontation through frank dialogue will result in more common ground. Protecting the coast and the waters surrounding Haida Gwaii is paramount for our Nation. But within this framework there is room to develop practical solutions and resolve issues nation-to-nation and to do that we have to talk.”

Write to the Environment Minister before March 11th!

Dear family, friends, and allies:

As you may already know, the Pacific NorthWest LNG project proposed by Petronas has been under environmental review since 2013. On February 10th of this year, the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (CEAA) issued its draft report that states:

“The Agency concludes that the Pacific NorthWest LNG Project is likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects, taking into account the implementation of the recommended mitigation measures, on harbour porpoise and as a result of greenhouse gas emissions … With respect to all other valued components, the Agency concludes that the Project is not likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects taking into account the implementation of the key mitigation measures.”

Those of us who have fished this coast and enjoyed its wealth know that this project will cause immeasurable damage to our ocean and quality of life.

British Columbia Supreme Court Decides That The Province Cannot Abdicate Its Authority

[Originally published on mondaq, February 23, 2016]

Recently the British Columbia Supreme Court (“Court”) released its reasons for judgment in Coastal First Nations v. British Columbia (Environment), 2016 BCSC 34. The BC Environmental Assessment Office (the “EAO”) had entered into an equivalency agreement (the “Agreement”) with the National Energy Board (“NEB”). The Agreement allowed for the EAO to rely on an environmental assessment from the NEB related to Enbridge’s Northern Gateway project (the “Project”). The   Court found that the Province of British Columbia had abdicated its statutory duties and breached its duty to consult with the Coastal First Nations when it signed and failed to terminate the Agreement that provided the NEB with sole jurisdiction over the environmental assessment decision-making regarding the Project.

Council of the Haida Nation: AN OPEN LETTER TO THOSE RELIANT ON SALMON

Please read this open letter from the Council to the Haida Nation regarding the efforts companies like Enbridge are making to buy people off from First Nations communities in order to push their pipeline through.

Download:  AN OPEN LETTER TO THOSE RELIANT ON SALMON

Coastal First Nations Say Eagle Spirit Pipeline Announcement Is Misleading; Pipeline Has No Support on BC Coast

First Nations opposition to heavy oil exports on the BC coast is unanimous, including in Eagle Spirit President’s home community of Lax Kw’alaams.

PRINCE RUPERT, BRITISH COLUMBIA (February 12, 2015) – The Coastal First Nations say a recent announcement by Eagle Spirit Energy Holdings Ltd. is misleading because it ignores unanimous opposition among First Nations communities on the BC coast.

“There isn’t a single First Nation on the coast of BC that supports oil exports,” said Art Sterritt, Executive Director of the Coastal First Nations. “There also isn’t anything new in this announcement. Eagle Spirit is bringing forward the same interior First Nations that supported the Enbridge pipeline, and glossing over the fact that opposition among First Nations who oppose heavy oil pipelines is stronger than ever.”

Eagle Spirit Energy Holdings Ltd. President, Calvin Helin, is from Lax Kw’alaams, a First Nation community located North of Prince Rupert whose territory includes the proposed location of the company’s export terminal at Grassy Point. First Nations leader and Mayor of Lax Kw’alaams, Gary Reece, has made it clear in conversations that his community does not support oil exports through its traditional territories.

Lax Kw’alaams Hereditary leadership is also opposed to the proposed pipeline.

“In meetings with Eagle Spirit and publicly, we’ve stated time and again that we don’t want oil to come through our territory,” said Murray Smith, elder and Tribal Speaker of the Hereditary Chiefs of Lax Kw’alaams. “Nothing will change our minds because the chance of losing our ocean resources is very high. We’ve got clam beds, we’ve got salmon passing through. What part of ‘no’ does Eagle Spirit not understand?”

Opponents of the pipeline note the fact the announcement was made in Calgary.

“Until they can stand up in British Columbia and announce that they have the support of First Nations on the coast, their proposal is dead in the water, just like Enbridge’s Northern Gateway,” said Art Sterritt.

Contact Information:

Art Sterritt
Executive Director
Coastal First Nations
604-868-9110

Haida Raid 3: Save Our Waters Released!

Kaalts’ida Kah, Laughing Crow Productions is proud to announce the release of their newest Animation, a music video for recording artist Kinnie Star called Save Our Waters.  Prime Minister Harper sets out on the maiden voyage of the supertanker Bitumen Valdez and is met by opposition out on the waters in the form of a floatilla of canoes, fishing boats and killerwhales!

Check it out on Youtube: