First Nations win court challenge against B.C. over Enbridge pipeline

T

tay

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May 20, 2012
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The B.C. Supreme Court has ruled the B.C. government breached its duty to consult the Gitga'at and neighbouring First Nations on the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline. The decision, announced Wednesday, is seen as a major victory for First Nations that could have an impact on future oil pipeline projects.

Coastal First Nations took the B.C. government to court in January 2015 in a bid to strike down an agreement that gave Ottawa decision-making authority over the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline project. In June 2010, the B.C. Liberals signed an "equivalency agreement" (link is external)with Ottawa, which effectively gave the federal National Energy Board final say over the environmental assessment process for five projects (link is external) including the Enbridge Northern Gateway and Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.

"Coastal First Nations brought this to the attention of the province before Northern Gateway was approved by the National Energy Board. We said, 'hold on here, you can't make a decision that affects our lives without talking to us first.'... So basically Northern Gateway is back where they started 10 years ago."

Coastal First Nations lawyer Joseph Arvay said the ruling effectively nullified the federal government's initial approval of the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline.

"What it means is, Enbridge now has to come back and get the (environmental) certificate from British Columbia," he said. "The ruling said the B.C. government abdicated its duty to conduct an environmental assessment, and its duty to consult with and accommodate First Nations."

The decision clears the way for similar First Nations' challenges to Kinder Morgan's pipeline expansion through southern B.C.

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BREAKING: B.C. First Nations win court challenge against B.C. over Enbridge pipeline | National Observer
 
damngrumpy

damngrumpy

Executive Branch Member
Mar 16, 2005
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kelowna bc
Actually in BC there are a lot of people happy today, as most not against
pipelines but they don't want Enbridge anywhere near BC building new
pipelines. I for one am not a flake nor tree hugger and I am not unhappy
Enbridge does not have support in BC among many different classes.
Personally I have no problem with companies like Kinder Morgan who
have some credibility but not Enbridge With the p resent government
saying NO to tankers in inland waters this may be a mute point anyway.
 
damngrumpy

damngrumpy

Executive Branch Member
Mar 16, 2005
9,949
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38
kelowna bc
It is about civil action and yes for decades minority groups make laws.
In the States it was minorities that demonstrated for equal rights civil
rights and a lot more.
In BC there are a lot of people who do not want certain pipelines and the
worst is Enbridge. Petros you might be partly right about Conoco but the
real issue was distorting the route out to sea. Enbridge info mercials
showed a few islands and then open sea. What they did in fact was
remove over 800 islands and distorted the truth. Environmentalists, the
young people and even old buggers like me said enough lie about that go
somewhere else. If they insist on pushing this through with Enbridge,
they could lose an election over it.
In contrast Kinder Morgan is loved and hated but they have respect.
BC folks are the most unforgiving in the country and opinion won't change
for a long time
 
petros

petros

The Central Scrutinizer
Nov 21, 2008
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Low Earth Orbit
Commercials? Do you think a production crew would really be flown up there to make a commercial or would the production company just film around Vancouver giving an image of the Pacific coast? You don't believe enbridge wrote, directed and oroduced the commercial do you?

Oh, by the way how many tankers does enbridge own and operate?
 
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