LandKeepers News Archive
Carrier Sekani Tribal Council Letter to the Editor
September 01 2009 | Media Releases
Letter to Editor, Prince George Citizen
RE: PIPELINE WILL BRING 4,000 JOBS
Steven Greenaway of Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipelines claims that his project will bring 4000 short-term and 200 long-term jobs to the north, and that for this reason the company should not be subject to an improved environmental review.
Our tribal council has done extensive research into the claimed economic benefits of this project, and the potential environmental impacts, and in 2006 our council of eight nations determined that the impacts of this project far outweigh the benefits.
When the project was first proposed, the company stated that the pipelines would create 45 long-term jobs. In a 2006 newsletter they also stated that they could only guarantee 15% local hiring. So for the long-term jobs, that amounts to 6.75 jobs in total for local people. This in comparison to the potential of an oil and condensate spill in any one of our 100 plus salmon and other fish bearing streams is simply not worth the risk.
Since the original proposal, we have not seen any detailed breakdown of these new jobs that Enbridge is claiming the project will provide. Thus, our original findings on the impacts versus benefits of this project still stand.
Finally, with respect to the defence of the federal joint review panel process as being sufficient for a project of this magnitude, Mr. Greenaway is again misrepresenting the facts. The joint review panel does not have the jurisdiction or mandate to consult and accommodate First Nations, according to Canadian law. With more than 60 affected First Nations along the pipeline and tanker route, this is a major issue for this project.
Our tribal council has called for a First Nations Review Process that implements the principle of free, prior and informed consent of First Nations – a principle which is enshrined in the United Nations Declaration on Indigenous Rights. We have the support of more than 20 First Nations for this proposal. For more information on the Carrier Sekani Tribal Council research and First Nations Review Process proposal, I invite you to our website at: http://www.cstc.bc.ca/cstc/67/enbridge
Sincerely,
Terry Teegee
Vice Tribal Chief
Carrier Sekani Tribal Council
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