Indigenous Group: Fort Nelson First Nation

Business: Rockyview Resources Inc. and BC Oil and Gas Commission (BCOGC)

Issue: The 39K gas pipeline is slated to cut across a critical habitat of the boreal woodland caribou, a provincially and federally recognized species at risk

Comment: July 18, 2017: The Narwhal – The 39km proposed gas pipeline cuts right through core caribou habitat in an area with the most concentrated and highest known use by boreal caribou for forage, calving, rearing and protection from predators. This area has been important harvesting grounds but in particular, the area contains very important habitat for caribou, which people have relied on for many generations to feed their families. “We clearly have an interest in saving and helping restore caribou populations and, for this reason, our community has chosen not to hunt caribou until the population stabilizes. We expect the same stewardship ethic from companies who wish to access our territory for economic purposes,” she said.
Economic development is encouraged in FNFN territory provided it creates long-term benefits for members and respects land, water and treaty rights, acting Chief Sharlene Gale said. According to an FNFN background paper, there have been 77 referrals for projects within the territory over the last year and the Rockyview proposal is the only one the community rejected.

Last Update: July 18, 2017: Canadian Mining Journal – Throughout the application process, FNFN made strong submissions to the BCOGC regarding the proposed pipeline. This included developing a plan (the FNFN Caribou Report) to support the recovery of the caribou in that area, and a consultation process specific to the proposed project application. The BCOGC refused the invitation to work out a specific consultation process and deemed it not practical to consider the FNFN Caribou Report. This resulted in the BCOGC using inadequate and incomplete data to determine that the proposed pipeline poses ‘no material adverse effect’ (MAE) to the caribou populations in the area. The BCOGC has not provided a clear explanation of this determination.

After several failed attempts by FNFN to meet with the BCOGC, the project was approved on June 23, 2017.