First Nations says no to pipeline
CAROL CHRISTIAN
Fort McMurray Today
22 September 2009
A B.C. First Nation has given Enbridge a resounding "no" when it comes to the Northern Gateway pipeline going through the Gitga'at lands, from the Alberta oilsands to the Pacific coast.
Not only are the Gitga'at concerned about environmental impacts, there are concerns it will mean cultural devastation for the First Nation that remains largely dependent on the traditional way of life.
The Gitga'at are especially leery following the 2006 sinking of the Queen of the North ferry, and claim the community is living with the upwelling of hydrocarbons from the sunken ferry, and worse to come, they say, as the ship and the vehicles within it decay, releasing toxic substances near traditional food gathering areas.
The Queen of the North sank in Hartley Bay, and it was residents of that area who rallied to rescue passengers and crew from the doomed ferry. Two bodies were never recovered.
"They're almost right at ground zero, where the pipeline is. When the ships come down there, the most complicated part of the journey, they will be right at Hartley Bay," Gitga'at spokeswoman Karen Romans said yesterday morning.
The Gitga'at opposition is the latest in a series of First Nations opposition to the project. In June, some B.C. residents in communities along the proposed pipeline called for a moratorium on the transport of bitumen (oil equivalent) from the Alberta oilsands through their towns.
An energy summit held in Moricetown, B.C., drew more than 200 people to discuss the impacts of the proposed project, which would result in a 1,170-kilometre twin pipeline from the oilsands to a new marine tanker port in Kitimat, B.C. The project is to export petroleum and import condensate (relatively light hydrocarbons).
"We don't want it," Wet'suwet'en hereditary Chief Alphonse Gagnon said at the time. "We're here to protect our land and we're uniting."
He had called the summit a reminder that the "tarsands affects us all -- from Fort Chipewyan to Haida Gwaii and beyond."
"We can only protect our lands and waters if we stand together," he said.
Other nations attending the summit included Kelly Lake Cree, West Moberly, Nadleh Whut'en, Kitkatla, Haida, Nisga'a and Lake Babine, all of B.C., as well as the Gitga'at.
"We're assessing our actions and we're speaking to our neighbours and other First Nations, and we're trying to develop a plan. What we're trying to do is make sure we form some opposition early on before this goes to the next step," said Romans. "I know that Enbridge is thinking about going very quickly to the environmental review process."
She said now is the time for people who are concerned to stand up and make sure everybody knows that there are very deep lingering worries about this project.
"For the Gitga'at, it could really spell cultural devastation as well because they still very much live in the traditional way," she added. Living off the land also means harvesting the salmon, which could be negatively affected by the pipelines' resulting traffic on the local waterways.
In addition, Romans said impacts to the local whale population is another concern.
"Right now, there are more whales going through this area than our researchers have ever seen before. Nobody knows why the whales are going there. The whales are endangered both from oil spills and from collisions with these ships. The noise from the ships disrupts their feeding and reproductive opportunties as well," she said.
"It feels like a really big threat to us."
During discussions in August, Enbridge president Pat Daniel and Northern Gateway Pipelines president John Carruthers were given a clear, candid and consistent message of "no" and "never" from the Gitga'at, the First Nation said in a press release.
"You are welcome in our territory as individuals, but your project is not," hereditary Chief Ernie Hill Jr. told the Enbridge executives.
The First Nation said it also recognized the risk to it from a statement made by Carruthers that made it clear Enbridge is in the pipeline business, not shipping, meaning when a spill happens, the company is not responsible and don't look to it for any fixes.
Enbridge officials were not available for comment by press time.
The Gitga'at are concerned that vessels ranging from cruise-ship size to supertanker would be negotiating the treacherous waters where the Queen of the North went to the bottom.
Helen Clifton, Gitga'at matriarch, said, "Corporations do not act honourably. They put their responsibilities to care for the planet far behind their greed for profit. We must be vigilant."
Gitga'at spokesman Cam Hill added the pipeline and shipping project is all about risks and benefits. "For the Gitga'at it's all risk and no benefits, and for Enbridge it's all benefits and no risk," he said.
Hill says if the Gitga'at territory is at risk so are all living things in the Great Bear Rainforest.
Enbridge still faces public regulatory processes through the National Energy Board, and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, a process slated to last until 2010 with the application being filed this year. Enbridge expects construction to begin mid-2012 with start-up planned for late 2015, early 2016.
While the Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that First Nations must be consulted and accommodated, that has not happened, according to the Gitga'at, who say Enbridge, supported by other multinational oil giants, has embarked on a massive public relations campaign touting the economic benefits of its project.
Clifton said she was speaking for her grandchildren when she said, "The balance of nature will be impacted. We have plans for our children. All of our plans have to do with being ecologically smart and environmentally friendly. There will be no future."
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