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The protection of Fraser River salmon, animals and land in British Columbia is a lifelong responsibility of First Nations, and the expansion of the Trans Mountain Pipeline poses risks that could affect the homes and culture of First Nations. indigenous peoples, said Monday the National Energy Board.
However, Chief Tyrone McNeil of the Stó: lo Tribal Council and Cheam First Nation Councilor Andrew Victor did not say they were completely opposed to the expansion when the board began to hold hearings in Victoria.
Victor stated that the Stó: lo, which includes the Cheam First Nation, wanted to see the ground for the pipeline expansion project, including the completion of environmental badessments examining the risks and impacts of the project. a spill.
Council also wants to participate in ongoing consultations and environmental badessments, he added.
"We need to see a justification," Victor said.
"The Stó: lo are faced with uncertainty about the project's impact on our way of life. We want to see it done well. "
After his testimony, McNeil said, "In our tribal council, some of our communities support him, others do not."
The hearings in Victoria will gather evidence from Aboriginal groups about the proposed pipeline expansion and its potential impact on the marine environment. The commission was in Calgary earlier this month and will hold hearings in Nanaimo, BC, December 3-6.
READ MORE: NEB Hearings on Trans Mountain Pipeline Begin with Aboriginal Purification Purification Ceremony
Look below: On November 20, 2018, Lauren Pullen filed this report after the National Energy Board began its second review of the Trans Mountain pipeline project.
New hearings occur after the Federal Court of Appeal sets aside the initial approval of the expansion, claiming that the federal government did not sufficiently consult with First Nations or take into account the impact of tanker traffic on the marine environment.
The Commission stated that 30 Aboriginal interveners from British Columbia, Alberta and the United States would participate in hearings in Victoria.
McNeil told the council that the Stó: lo call the Fraser River their mother because it feeds them and feeds them.
"We have been here since the beginning of time," said McNeil. "We will continue to be here. That's why we're here this morning so that we can continue to focus on what's important to us. "
He added that the Stó: lo thought they were responsible for everything they saw, including the Chinook salmon, the main source of food for endangered killer whales in the south.
"Part of this conversation should be about the safeguards in place to start a project of this type," said McNeil. "When we say everything, it is in English that the earth is water, it is the air, it is the four-legged legs, the adults, the caterpillars, the diggers, everything. Whether they are human or not, we are responsible for it. "
The federal government announced last May that it would spend $ 4.5 billion to buy the Trans Mountain pipeline at Kinder Morgan. The expansion of the pipeline would triple the capacity of the pipeline from northern Alberta to Burnaby, BC
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