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Sentinel
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Northern
Years est. 1954
www.northernsentinel.com
Volume 60 No. 26
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
1.30 INCLUDES TAX
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The early crowd of Douglas Channel Watch protesters gather in Centennial Park following the federal government’s decision in favour of the Northern Gateway proposal on June 7.
Life may only get harder after NGP decision A decision has been made and the federal government has approved the Joint Review Panel’s recommendations on the Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipelines proposal. The government made the announcement around 2 p.m. on June 17. The decision will allow the National Energy Board to issue the Certificates of Public Convenience and Necessity. “After carefully reviewing the report, the Government accepts the independent Panel’s recommendation to impose 209 conditions on Northern Gateway Pipelines’ proposal,” said Canada’s Natural Resources Minister Greg Rickford in a news release. The decision will certainly lead to
court challenges. Haisla Chief Councillor Ellis Ross, who leads the community at the head of the Douglas Channel where Northern Gateway would flow diluted bitumen to, said court is the next step. “We actually made the decision back in 2009 that if our Rights and Title case law principles aren’t abided by then we have no choice but to go to court,” he said, saying the experience so far is that Canada has not been following rights and title case law. “Not only on our own but in partnership with other First Nations.” On the possibility of consultation at this point, he said it would be too late. The government had been warned on the implications, he said. “Every mistake they’ve made we actu-
ally pointed out to them and said ‘this is not following case law principles. You’re making a mistake, you shouldn’t do this.’ But they went ahead and did it,” he said. “It is going to be court. It has to be court.” Meanwhile District of Kitimat Mayor Joanne Monaghan said she doesn’t foresee much more municipal involvement in opposing the pipeline beyond their actions following the April plebiscite. She said the council has communicated with levels of government the community’s decision in a plebiscite which saw a majority of people oppose the project. Kitimat Council since officially opposed the project as well. “I think that’s where that ends,” she
said. “I think most of the councillors are of the opinion they really don’t want to see bitumen going down the channel, they would rather have it refined and have a product that’s refined going down the channel.” Douglas Channel Watch members in Kitimat meanwhile are not surprised by the federal government’s decision. But they’re confident that Prime Minister Stephen Harper will feel the effects of his decision. “I think politically now he’s going to find out what the people of B.C. feel and that we are not going to support this government in the next election,” said Douglas Channel Watch’s newest member Patricia Lange. Continued on page 2
Book not closed on marine use plan Cameron Orr Council and the public have not given up hope that the Marine Planning Partnership system can be halted until there’s been meaningful consultation. The partnership, which includes various stakeholders and First Nations on an advisory group, have been developing marine plans outlining suggestions for the provincial government on how to manage and develop coastal areas. However many have felt left out of the process, and even after council spoke to representatives of MaPP at a recent open meeting, they still are pushing for better consultation. The public has joined the fight as well. Most vocal is
Dave Wahl, who runs Eagle Edge Charters in Kitimat, and who wrote and presented to Kitimat Council to push for his suggested motion that the MaPP proposal be held in abeyance until there’s been meaningful consultation. “If we don’t do something about it we’re not only denying the people of British Columbia to examine this, we’re also just going right over the heads of all the governments, including the federal government,” he said. The MaPP process has bypassed all structures of government, he said. Wahl also noted that in speaking to MLA Robin Austin and MP Nathan Cullen, neither had knowledge of the MaPP process. Councillors, who asked for but failed to receive an
extension to the public comment portion of the MaPP process, passed a motion which reads, “That the MaPP proposal be held in abeyance until full meaningful consultation with ocean user groups as equal partners is complete.” It is the first line of Wahl’s suggested motion, which in full had outlined how consultation should occur. Feldhoff, who moved it, said that if full meaningful consultation takes place all those other details would follow. “I’m really, really disappointed,” said Feldhoff about the MaPP process so far. “I’m very disappointed that they would not give the community meaningful consultation and extend the timelines.” Continued on page 2
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Enbridge in no rush...page 9