First Nations in British Columbia have filed eight separate legal challenges to the federal government’s decision to list the proposed Pacific Link oil pipeline between Alberta to B.C.’s coast as a project of national interest, fast-tracking its review.
asserted
Nations → file → review
Among them is Tsartlip First Nation on Vancouver Island, which said it filed a Federal Court application for judicial review on Friday, asserting Ottawa had not “given sufficient information about the project and its potential impacts.”
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Ottawa → say → project
Adam Olsen, a spokesman for the nation, called the pipeline decision “reckless” and “rushed,” saying in an interview on Monday that Ottawa had failed in its duty to consult Indigenous communities.
“Tsartlip has a responsibility, as has been expressed by our chief and council, to look after its territory, stand up for those places for the past, present, and future,” said Olsen, who is a former B.C. Green legislator.
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who → call → past
“These are incredibly important fishing areas for our people, and so the process was rushed.
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process → rush → people
It was through the middle of summer and the government failed its basic test.”
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government → fail → test
The pipeline was the first project to receive the national interest designation under the Building Canada Act during an announcement by Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith last month.
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pipeline → receive → Carney
It means the project would be subject to a fast-tracked, streamlined regulatory process conducted by the federal major projects office.
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project → mean → office
Olsen said the process is moving too fast.
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process → say → ?
“The national interest designation concerns a multibillion-dollar publicly funded project that is not expected to be completed until 2032,” he said in the Tsartlip statement.
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he → concern → statement
“Yet the consultation and decision-making process happened in less than three months.”
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process → happen → months
The proposed pipeline would largely follow the path of the existing Trans Mountain pipeline to an export terminal in Metro Vancouver, with an estimated price tag between $35.2 billion and $42.7 billion.
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pipeline → propose → billion
The nine nations involved in challenging Ottawa’s decision are located along the proposed pipeline and tanker routes or use the Fraser River for fishing.
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nations → involve → fishing
The Boston Bar, Cheam, Lower Nicola, Kwantlen and Kwikwetlem First Nations and the Skeetchestn Indian Band filed their own legal challenges, while the St’at’imc Nation and T’Sou-ke First Nation filed a joint application.
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Nation → file → application
The St’at’imc Chiefs Council, which represents 11 communities along the Lillooet and Fraser rivers, issued a statement on Monday saying it had launched legal action in Federal Court to the government’s designation of the pipeline.
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it → represent → pipeline
Approving the Pacific Link project without full assessment of risks to salmon and fishing rights, and without deep consultation to ensure the consent of all affected First Nations, is unacceptable and unlawful, the statement said.
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statement → approve → Nations
The council said its members rely on Fraser River salmon, and the risk of an oil spill from the proposed pipeline’s river crossings was a “heinous” threat to the communities’ fishing rights and way of life.
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risk → say → life
“The collusion of the federal and provincial governments along with a few industry and corporate elites, who cloak themselves as economic saviours, will force First Nations further into third-world conditions contributed to by the extinction of the Fraser River wild salmon and the collapse of First Nations’ culture and traditions relating to wild salmon,” St’at’imc elder Art Adolph said in the statement.
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Adolph → cloak → statement
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Jennifer → approve → What
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mom → miss → three
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Brunswick → aim → industry
The statement said the pipeline proposal involves more than 500 river crossings, including two new crossings along the Fraser River.
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proposal → say → River
It would also increase tanker traffic in the Salish Sea, the group said.
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group → increase → Sea
The Tsartlip application asks the court to confirm the Canadian government must “meaningfully consult” the nation before deciding whether the pipeline is in the national interest.
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pipeline → ask → interest
Olsen said there is concern there may be more projects of national interest affecting First Nations, pointing to last week’s announcement that the Port of Vancouver’s Roberts Bank Terminal 2 expansion has also been added to the list.
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expansion → say → list
Federal Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon said the existing port facility is approaching the limit of its capacity and the expansion would add 2.4 million containers of capacity annually.
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expansion → say → capacity
He said the national interest listing provided certainty for a project that’s a key part of Ottawa’s drive to expand and diversify trade, including a goal to double exports to markets other than the United States by 2035.
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that → say → 2035
MacKinnon said the project, which has an estimated capital cost of $5.9 billion, would “fit gently into the ecosystem,” with Ottawa committing funding to protect the habitat of fish, marine mammals and endangered southern resident killer whales.
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Ottawa → say → fish
Olsen, however, wasn’t convinced, saying Tsartlip “has the same level of concern” for the terminal expansion as it does for the new pipeline.
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it → convince → pipeline
“How these decisions are made are going to shape decisions going forward, not just for First Nations, but for all Canadians,” Olsen said.
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Olsen → make → Canadians
“I think that it’s important that we understand the implications of those laws, and in this case, the Government of Canada has a duty to consult Tsartlip, and we believe they failed in that duty.”
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they → think → duty
The Aporia
