TransCanada announced June 26 that its Coastal GasLink Pipeline project has conditionally awarded $620 million in contract work to northern BC Indigenous businesses for the project’s right-of-way clearing, medical, security and camp management needs. Conditional, that is, on a Final Investment Decision by the Joint Venture Participants of LNG Canada for their proposed natural gas liquefaction facility in Kitimat.
The project anticipates another $400 million in additional contract and employment opportunities for Indigenous and local B.C. communities during pipeline construction. All contracts are conditional upon a positive Final Investment Decision by the Joint Venture Participants of LNG Canada for their proposed LNG facility in Kitimat.
Coastal GasLink then began to hold a series of signing ceremonies.
The first was June 26 at Fort Fraser, with the Nadleh Whut’en, Saulteau, and Witset (Moricetown Band) nations:
The second signing-event was July 3 at Fort St.James, with the Moberly and Wet’suwet’en First Nations. Our Alliance CEO, Karen Ogen-Toews, was there. She’s a former chief of the Wet’suwet’en.
The third ceremony was July 17, at Doig River, with the Nee Tahi Buhn Band, Burns Lake Band and Doig River First Nation. Our Alliance chair, Chief Dan George of the Burns Lake Band (Ts’il Kaz Koh Nation) was there, third from left:
The fourth signing was, July 25 in Vancouver, with leaders from the Skin Tyee, Halfway River and Saik’uz First Nations, in Vancouver. And Alliance board member Adele Gooding was there for the Skin Tyee:
