First Nations see benefits of LNG projects, but some council caution – Vancouver Sun
May 22, 2014
Economic gains plain to see, but environment, wildlife issues remain, chiefs say
British Columbia’s First Nations are beginning to reap the benefits from the exploratory work going into the province’s potential liquefied natural gas industry, but concerns over the scale of development are catching up with the process.
First Nations, labour and community concerns were among the topics discussed Thursday on the second day of the province’s International LNG in B.C. conference in Vancouver. And while Premier Christy Clark spoke of achieving “a remarkable amount of consensus” on moving forward with the resource, aboriginal community leaders came with messages of how much more needs to be done to get there.
“Until (government and proponents) deal with aboriginal rights and title, and environmental issues, they don’t have social license,” said Terry Teegee, Tribal Chief of the Carrier Sekani Tribal Council, referring to the roster of proposed pipeline projects with routes across the territories of his member communities.
Clark, in her remarks during a luncheon panel discussion, repeated the government’s position that LNG represents “a generational opportunity” for including First Nations in the mainstream economy.
