The National Energy Board (NEB or the Board) will begin hearing oral traditional evidence from registered Aboriginal intervenors for the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion Project on Monday 25 August in Edmonton. The hearings will begin at 9 am at the Edmonton Hotel & Convention Centre and the public is welcome to attend.
The Board recognizes that Aboriginal peoples have an oral tradition for sharing stories, lessons, and knowledge from generation to generation. This information cannot always be shared adequately in writing yet it will make up an important component of the evidence the Panel will consider as it decides whether or not to recommend approving the Project.
Aboriginal intervenors may also file written evidence in addition to their oral traditional evidence. Other intervenors, Trans Mountain or the Board may ask participants questions about their oral traditional evidence. It is up to the individual Aboriginal groups to decide whether they will respond to any questions orally, in writing or both.
The hearings were originally scheduled to run throughout August. After receiving input from a number of Aboriginal groups, the Board amended its hearing schedule in order to avoid interfering with the salmon harvest, among other reasons. The Board will now hold four sessions to gather Aboriginal oral traditional evidence:
- Edmonton, AB – August 25, 2014 – September 5, 2014
- Chilliwack, BC – October 16, 2014 – October 24, 2014
- Kamloops, BC – November 13, 2014 – November 20, 2014
- Victoria, BC – November 24, 2014 – November 28, 2014
Details of these hearings and a daily schedule of appearances are available on the NEB website at www.neb-one.gc.ca/TransMountainExpansion. Live audio from the hearing will be streamed through the NEB website.
Trans Mountain submitted its application to the Board on 16 December 2013. The project would expand the existing Trans Mountain pipeline system in Alberta and British Columbia and include approximately 990 km of new pipeline, new and modified facilities, such as pump stations and tanks, and the reactivation of 193 km of existing pipeline between Edmonton and Burnaby, BC. There would also be an expansion of the Westridge Marine Terminal. The application can be found on the NEB website.
The National Energy Board is an independent federal regulator of several parts of Canada’s energy industry with the safety of Canadians and protection of the environment as its top priority. Its purpose is to regulate pipelines, energy development and trade in the Canadian public interest. For more information on the NEB and its mandate, please visit www.neb-one.gc.ca.
SOURCE National Energy Board
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