Nisga’a Nation says it wasn’t consulted on proposed pipeline routes

By Jeremy Appel, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter 

(ANNews) – Nisga’a Nation in northwestern B.C. says it hasn’t been consulted on proposed routes for a new tar sands pipeline that pass through its modern Treaty lands. 

On June 1, the CBC reported that Alberta’s government is examining three potential routes to B.C.’s northern coast for a new bitumen pipeline that Prime Minister Mark Carney agreed to designate as a priority project in his memorandum of understanding with Premier Danielle Smith.

The story was based on documents, “which were shown to local community leaders during private consultations on the proposed project this spring,” wrote CBC business reporter Kyle Bakx. 

The Nisga’a Lisims Government issued a June 2 statement to clarify that it wasn’t part of these consultations. 

“We can confirm that the Nisga’a Lisims Government has held no discussions with the Alberta and the Federal Government about any oil pipeline proposals,” said the statement. 

In 2000, the landmark Nisga’a Final Agreement was signed by Nisga’a Nation, the Government of B.C., and the Government of Canada, which established the Nisga’a Lisims Government and recognized its jurisdiction over the Nass Wildlife Area. 

The Nisga’a Lisims Government notes that some of the proposed routes end up in ports that are part of its Treaty territory, and another crosses through it, all of which would require consultation with the First Nation.

“All Nisga’a citizens can rest assured that despite this ill-conceived process being advanced by the Alberta Government, nothing can happen on our lands without our consent, our Treaty guarantees it,” reads the statement. 

“At the same time, anybody can draw lines on a map and speculate about all kinds of projects.” 

The First Nation band added that it’s “singularly focused” on its own liquified natural gas (LNG) projects, Ksi Lisims export terminal and the Prince Rupert Gas Transmission (PRGT) pipeline, which are being done “in a way that is compatible with our values and long-term objectives.”

Both projects, referred to collectively as Ksi Lisims LNG, have been designated as a priority at the Major Projects Office by Prime Minister Carney, with the plan to export 12 million tonnes of LNG annually upon completion. 

In May, the Canadian government facilitated a deal with Germany to export a million tonnes of Ksi Lisims LNG annually starting in 2030. 

The Nisga’a Lisims Government is facing a lawsuit over the project at the B.C. Supreme Court from two of its own members, who argue that band leadership didn’t adequately consult its members on the $12-billion project. 

Last year, the Lax Kw’alaams Band and the Metlakatla First Nation filed separate judicial review applications in Federal Court against the federal government for approving the LNG project without considering its broader impact.