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Sentinel
Northern
www.northernsentinel.com
Volume 61 No. 30
LNG deal sets bar for others Cameron Orr and Tom Fletcher The B.C. government last week passed a project development agreement for an LNG project in Prince Rupert but the Skeena MLA says the deal will be applied to Kitimat projects too, and from his perspective British Columbians are getting a raw deal. “The PDA which the government passed...is the framework which will be given to any LNG terminal plant coming in the future,” said Robin Austin. “The deal that Petronas got, the 25-year tax holiday and indemnity from any extra charges that may come, that will be offered to Shell, that will be offered to Chevron. It will be offered to everybody.” He said that is actually written in the legislation, which he called “unprecedented” in what it gives away. Premier Christy Clark said the project development agreement with Petronas-led Pacific Northwest LNG for the Port of Prince Rupert is complete from the government’s standpoint. She ruled out any further exemptions to the provincial sales tax that applies to investments in plant and pipelines that could reach $36 billion. “We aren’t considering changing the way the PST is treated for this or any other projects,” Clark said, responding to comments by David Keane, president of the B.C. LNG Alliance. Keane questioned the suggestion that LNG investors are getting a discount for investing in B.C. “This is the only regime where we have to pay a special LNG tax,” Keane told reporters in Victoria last week. “It’s the only jurisdiction where we have to pay a carbon tax, and we also have to buy carbon offsets to get down to our greenhouse gas target that was legislated last year. Continued on page 7
Detachment guard gets recognition.
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Whale rescue in Hartley Bay.
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Wednesday, July 29, 2015
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1.30 INCLUDES TAX
A swim in Douglas Channel Walter Thorne was kind enough to share this photo he snapped of a pod of orcas in the Douglas Channel. He said there were five in the pod, one male and several females and perhaps a calf. He suspects they chased the chinooks right in to the Kitimat River. Caitlin Birdsail, a coordinator for the North Coast Initiative of the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre in Prince Rupert, told Thorne through e-mail that she believes the whales are from a known family the centre has tracked. If it’s the same family, there is the mom Sonora, along with a large male son, and three additional offspring, the youngest just over a year old. That family was in Prince Rupert harbour in April and they were seen in Portland Inlet a few weeks back.
Land donation made official Acres of land given to town from Rio Tinto Alcan
while been closed due to construction activity. Cameron Orr “Next spring With a planned expansion of their terminal A gift of 156 acres of land on Minette Bay was the beach may also see another temporary cloofficially handed over recently, as marked by BC Opwould be sure, although the company has said there is no erations General Manager Gaby Poirier in an address the dream of plan to close it long term. to Kitimat Council. Mayor Phil Germuth says with the land of“Now it’s yours. I know it’s always been a desire actually ficially in the District’s hands now he is looking in the community for many years. I’m very proud to starting to towards a public process starting soon to gather complete the transaction and make it a reality,” said build it.” community feedback for the use of the land. Poirier. “We will be starting the public process The town did actually have to spend a bit of monsoon. Hopefully next spring would be the ey on the land. Mayor Phil Germuth presented Poirier dream of actually starting to build it,” he said. with a cheque, worth $10. The process will be a focused Official Community Plan The announcement of this land donation was actually made last November, and made public through a Rio Tinto Alcan ad- update on that area specifically, and he said the Haisla will also be included to create a joint vision. vertisement in the Northern Sentinel. He said he can envision picnic and camping areas with At the time of the original announcement it was said the choice of donating the land was partly in response to a public trails, and a small boat launch as well. No dates have so far been set for the public consultation desire to see stable waterfront for the community. Rio Tinto Alcan’s Hospital Beach property had for a short process.