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Delegation seeks oil sands insight
Mar 19, 2008Prince Rupert Daily News
A group of First Nations people from the Northwest toured the Alberta oil sands last week to learn more about how oil and gas development will impact their traditional territory.
The delegation from five British Columbia First Nations came from communities that will be directly affected by plans to send oil sands oil through B.C. to the Pacific.
This included representatives from Gitga'at, Haisla and Carrier-Nakazdli Nations, as well as the Gitxsan and Wet'suwet'en Nations
The delegation wanted to learn about the impacts of oil sands development in northern Alberta and to build relationships with Alberta First Nations that already experience these impacts first hand.
"Social and environmental threats from the oil sands boom will stretch far beyond Alberta," says Chief Kloumkhun, Hereditary Chief of the Wet'suwet'en First Nation. "We're already seeing plans for multiple pipelines across our traditional territories and for tanker traffic off the coast. Our leaders are keen to learn more about the profound impacts of this industry, and to build bridges with First Nations in northern Alberta."
Their tour, which was organized by the Pembina Institute and the Headwaters Initiative, included presentations from Pembina Institute experts, a visit to the Oil Sands Discovery Centre and a flyover of the oil sands.
Communities in the Headwaters region have expressed their concern about plans for coal bed methane development around the headwaters of the Skeena, Nass and Stikine Rivers.
Recently, MLAs in the region, including North Coast MLA Gary Coons and Skeena MLA Robin Austin, called on the provincial government to protect the area from development as it has done with the southeastern corner of the province.
"A clear majority of Albertans want the government to start managing the pace of oil sands development because upstream impacts are spiraling out of control," said Simon Dyer, oil sands program director with the Pembina Institute.
"But downstream impacts are just as worrying. Governments need to show leadership and step up to the plate with effective regulations that will limit the entire spectrum of cumulative effects."
The delegation from five British Columbia First Nations came from communities that will be directly affected by plans to send oil sands oil through B.C. to the Pacific.
This included representatives from Gitga'at, Haisla and Carrier-Nakazdli Nations, as well as the Gitxsan and Wet'suwet'en Nations
The delegation wanted to learn about the impacts of oil sands development in northern Alberta and to build relationships with Alberta First Nations that already experience these impacts first hand.
"Social and environmental threats from the oil sands boom will stretch far beyond Alberta," says Chief Kloumkhun, Hereditary Chief of the Wet'suwet'en First Nation. "We're already seeing plans for multiple pipelines across our traditional territories and for tanker traffic off the coast. Our leaders are keen to learn more about the profound impacts of this industry, and to build bridges with First Nations in northern Alberta."
Their tour, which was organized by the Pembina Institute and the Headwaters Initiative, included presentations from Pembina Institute experts, a visit to the Oil Sands Discovery Centre and a flyover of the oil sands.
Communities in the Headwaters region have expressed their concern about plans for coal bed methane development around the headwaters of the Skeena, Nass and Stikine Rivers.
Recently, MLAs in the region, including North Coast MLA Gary Coons and Skeena MLA Robin Austin, called on the provincial government to protect the area from development as it has done with the southeastern corner of the province.
"A clear majority of Albertans want the government to start managing the pace of oil sands development because upstream impacts are spiraling out of control," said Simon Dyer, oil sands program director with the Pembina Institute.
"But downstream impacts are just as worrying. Governments need to show leadership and step up to the plate with effective regulations that will limit the entire spectrum of cumulative effects."
