The Canadian Press
The company behind a controversial natural gas pipeline in northern British Columbia says construction began in a number of places before archaeological assessments were complete.
Coastal GasLink says an internal audit found there were two areas along the right of way east of Kitimat where land was cleared before archaeological impact assessments occurred.
It says the assessments are conditions of the permits issued by the BC Oil and Gas Commission and the B.C. government’s Environmental Assessment Certificate.
Coastal GasLink says it has suspended all clearing activity in the area until an internal review is complete and actions are taken to prevent it from happening again.
It says it has also notified affected Indigenous communities and welcomes their participation in post-impact assessments.
The Coastal GasLink pipeline inspired global protests when hereditary chiefs of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation said it had no authority without their consent.
The company says it had signed agreements with all 20 elected First Nations along the 670-kilometre route to LNG Canada’s export terminal on the coast in Kitimat, including the Wet’suwet’en council.
It says the land cleared in the affected areas measure 600-by-50-metres and 240-by-10-metres respectively and assessments of neighbouring lands had identified them as having low likelihood of archaeological significance.
Coastal GasLink president David Pfeiffer says he regrets the errors that led to the construction.
“I have directed the team to complete a thorough investigation of these incidents and have halted clearing work in the area until the investigation is complete and recommendations are put into practice,” Pfeiffer said in a statement Thursday.
READ MORE: B.C. government and Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs announce the start of new reconciliation process
Industry has learned not to ask permission but to apologize profusely after the damage has been done. There must be hefty fines put in place to hold industrial trespassers to account! Trudeau is no shining example and practices this insincerity.
unless “stewards of the land” was just a promotional advertising catchphrase… all those indigenous Chief Councilors that were on record in their promotional videos need to be held accountable.
now it is 2 sites? i hope the news media questions Crystal Smith, Chief Councilor of the Haisla Nation on what happened to the “stewards of the land” that were suppose to ensure all ancestral sensitive territories were going to be monitored and protected with the utmost diligence…She gave her word that all work will be monitored with Indigenous oversight along with the rest of the Chief Councilors in all the news promotional videos.
All indigenous deserve to hear what she has to say about what happened and how they are going to make sure it doesn’t happen again. How are they going to restore the land to its original state?