Lax Kw'alaams Band Mayor John Helin sent a letter to Environment Minister Catherine McKenna offering support for the Pacific NorthWest LNG project under two conditions.
— Image Credit: File Photo/Northern View
Lax Kw'alaams Band has demonstrated its support of the Pacific NorthWest LNG project on Lelu Island under two conditions.
In a letter to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change Catherine McKenna the elected Mayor John Helin wrote, "I have had further discussions within our community about the project and as a result of these discussions I would like to retract the initial letter in favour of the terms and conditions set out in this letter."
"Lax Kw'alaams must ensure that sufficient environmental conditions and safeguards will be in place," he said in the letter.
The letter was written on March 15, four days after the initial public comment process for the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency's (CEAA) draft report on Pacific NorthWest's LNG project ended.
Helin appealed to McKenna's decision on whether or not to approve of potential LNG development. He said that support will only be given if the two conditions attached to the letter are legally binding and become part of the environmental assessment decision statement.
The two conditions are that the proponent must report its environmental monitoring work and follow up programs to an Environmental Performance Committee, which includes the Lax Kw'alaams Band, the CEAA and other federal representatives. The second condition is that the proponent must respond to any enforcement actions that have been recommended by the Environmental Performance Committee.
"We would be pleased to negotiate such terms of reference immediately," and to have the goal to conclude on May 13. If the conditions are not met by the deadline then Lax Kw'alaams will retract their support for the project.
Not everyone is in support of the reversed decision. In response, Hereditary Chief Yahaan Donald Wesley of the Gitwilgyoots Tribe of the Lax Kw'alaams said in a press release, "Our community voted unanimously against this LNG project in May. Yet the band council mayor never held a community-wide meeting before he wrote this letter in support of this LNG project, nor did he gain the consent of the entire community."
The federal environment minister is expected to make her decision on the project sometime early next week.