The province needs to do more before the proposed Woodfibre LNG plant can go ahead. That was the response of the Squamish Nation Wednesday to the conditional provincial approval announced earlier this week.
The Nation has 25 conditions that have to be met to gain its support for the liquefied natural gas facility slated for Squamish that arose out of its own independent environmental assessment carried out last winter and spring.
Thirteen of the conditions were related directly to the company, and on Oct. 14, the Nation’s chiefs and council voted in favour of granting conditional approval to Woodfibre LNG.
Although Environment Minister Mary Polak and Natural Gas Development Minister Rich Coleman announced Monday they were granting an environmental assessment (EA) certificate to the $1.4-billion-to-$1.8-billion Woodfibre LNG project, the province has yet to reach an agreement with the Nation over its conditions.
“This is a condition of the WFLNG approval," said hereditary Chief Ian Campbell in a terse news release Wednesday morning.
“It is critical to note also that the provincial EA process did not assess the impacts of the project on Squamish Nation aboriginal rights and title – this was done under our independent environmental assessment process. The province still has to consult with, and accommodate, the Nation with regard to its rights and title,” Campbell said.
The Nation’s legally binding environmental assessment agreement, the first of its kind in B.C., gives the First Nation decision-making power including over the choice of water cooling technology and management plans, in addition to enforcement powers through monitoring.
Campbell said he looks forward to continuing government-to-government negotiations with the province.
