First Nations group Lax Kw’alaams set to vote on $1.1-billion question – The Globe and Mail
May. 03 2015
The Lax Kw’alaams Band in Prince Rupert is making headlines after presenting its 3,600 members last week with an offer worth more than $1.1-billion, in exchange for their consent to the construction of a liquefied natural gas terminal within their traditional territories.
It’s likely not the last proposed deal on that scale: The Haisla First Nation in Kitimat, for example, expects no less should the LNG Canada facility go ahead in its backyard.
The package on offer to the Lax Kw’alaams and the other Tsimshian nations in the region where the Pacific Northwest LNG facility is proposed establishes the new benchmark for sharing the wealth of resource development with First Nations. It also presents a challenge to those members who will be making these decisions.
