Join us Sept. 22: Benefit Agreements
Our fourth Outreach session will introduce you to, and discuss, our new Guide to Benefit Agreements. It’s a tool designed to help First Nations sort through the ins and outs and 16 critical issues around Benefit Agreements.
Speakers will be Dr. Priya Bala-Miller of Palmyra Partners Consulting Inc., Dr. Kevin Hanna of the Centre for Environmental Assessment Research at UBC, and Rick Krehbiel, policy and special assignments expert for the Alliance.
Do join them online on Sept. 22, from noon to 1:15pm PDT.
- You can register here.
The Alliance’s third outreach session, on 29 July, drew participants from BC and Alberta, and focused on local governments’ roles in economic reconciliation with First Nations. Read the panelists’ comments
Sept. 30 and the Road to Reconciliation
Thursday Sept. 30 is a new federal holiday: the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. We have some significant messages on that, and on steps on the long Road to Reconciliation, real reconciliation.
The tragic deaths of thousands of children, and what the Truth and Reconciliation Commission called the “cultural genocide,” in the residential schools must be fully recognized — and acted upon — if we are to achieve true reconciliation.
Murray Sinclair, retired senator and Indigenous luminary, has a message for non-Indigenous people and leaders: “You have to do something.”
And Ken Coates of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute writes: “The vast majority of non-Indigenous Canadians will likely take the holiday as nothing more than a day of rest. It is difficult to imagine this event becoming a turning point in reconciliation.
“Indeed, making non-Indigenous peoples the significant beneficiary of a national holiday appears an odd way to recognize the hardships and losses of Indigenous children and their families.”
More from both men, and our special messages, on our website.
And we have a list of events on, or related to, Orange Shirt Day and the new federal holiday on Sept. 30: http://ow.ly/jXmX50Gc9lx
Ksi Lisims LNG project aired
The BC Environmental Assessment Office (BCEAO) invited initial public comment on the Initial Project Description for the Ksi Lisims LNG venture planned by the Nisga’a Nation and partners (and held virtual open houses Sept. 8 and 9).
Among the early positive comments:
Jennifer M, Alberta
“I strongly support this project. Canadian companies have proven themselves to be safe and ethical operators. It is our ethical duty to provide the world with Canadian energy. The best action for climate protection is providing LNG to developing nations, allowing them to transition to lower carbon intensity LNG, vs coal.”
Anonymous
“This is great news! Nat gas will get the world off coal. This is an important step to reducing emissions. I keep hearing the world needs to get off fossil fuels but I don’t see the massive solar and wind fields being erected anywhere. BC as beautiful as it is, has a lot of energy ignorance. It’s time to have pragmatic conversations about energy.”
Yes, there were also some early negative comments, such as:
Amrit, Abbotsford, BC
“The Ksi Lisims LNG should not be allowed to happen. We are in a climate emergency and more LNG infrastructure will only accelerate the climate crisis further. We must be getting off all oil and gas use now and this means Ksi Lisims LNG should not be built at all.”
(None of the opponents recognized, as did Jennifer M., that LNG from BC would be a net benefit to the world climate.)
- The public comment period closes Sept. 24.
- The Initial Project Description
- The BCEAO’s Engagement Plan
Outlook good for BC LNG
Above is an encouraging global LNG outlook from Cheniere Energy, America’s No. 1 LNG producer and No. 2 in the world.
It’s good news for LNG from BC, as it shows a long-term shortage of supply beginning to shape up after LNG Canada comes online in 2025.
And a reminder from LNG Canada: Using LNG to displace coal in China alone would reduce emissions by 60-90 million tonnes — every year.
That would be equivalent to taking up to 80% of the cars in Canada off the road. It’s also equivalent to 100% of the carbon dioxide emissions produced in BC every year, and to 10% of the total CO2 emissions in Canada.
As well, LNG Canada and its contractors and subcontractors have awarded over $3.2 billion in contracts and procurement to business in BC. Of this amount, over $2.6 billion has been awarded to local and First Nations-owned businesses.
ALSO IN THE NEWS
- FortisBC advances Tilbury Phase 2 LNG expansion with filing of its detailed project description: http://ow.ly/4LKc50Ga4Jp
- Progress on Wet’suwet’en rights and title slower than desired: BC minister’s statement: ly/M9Zv50G4dEs And ow.ly/oMnn50G4dEt
- Top Speed Energy seeks to sell its small-scale LNG projects at Terrace and Prince Rupert, and its ISO containers: ly/q8aJ50G5yba
- Indigenous peoples are a crucial part of resource extraction, from joint partnerships to employment: ly/3iwXqkS
- The First Nations Business Development Association and the Alliance announce a new working relationship: ly/9Org50G7mUt
MORE EVENTS
- Crystal Smith, our Alliance chair and elected chief councillor of the #HaislaNation, will be a speaker at the online Canadian Gas Dialogues conference today, Thursday Sept. 16, 12:30pm PDT. ly/8lNl50G6nEG
- Also today: Join the Canadian Gas Dialogues webinar, 8am – 11am PDT. Learn about innovation in the natural-gas industry: Register (free): https://bit.ly/3mk3r6D
- This weekend, the National Coalition of Chiefshosts its annual Energy and Natural Resource Summit at the Tsuut’ina Nation, Calgary. Register here
- Chief Crystal Smith will also be a speaker at the next session in the ESG in BC series from the Business Council of BC, next Tuesday, Sept. 21, 9-11am PDT. Register here: ly/I5u250G49Dt
- Registration is open for the Indigenous Resource Opportunities Conference, to be held in person in Nanaimo Oct. 21-22. Early-bird tickets are available through Sept. 30: http://ow.ly/PSoV50G7oqe
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