The Council of the Haida Nation is expressing its concerns about the recently approved Ksi Lisims LNG project.
The Ksi Lisims LNG project was approved on Sept. 15 by the federal and provincial governments, and if constructed, would bring 148 tanker transits to Haida territorial waters. The CHN has voiced their opposition to the project and said they did not give consent for any LNG transport through their waters. The CHN is concerned about the negative impacts the project will have on the Haida Nation’s title and rights.
The CHN expressed concerns about environmental, economic, social and cultural impacts to Haida territory. With the increase of vessels in the waters, the risks of whale strikes will also increase. Concerns have been raised about increased noise and pollution affecting fisheries in the area. There are also concerns about catastrophic events, such as LNG grounding or an explosion.
The CHN said it has had many conversations with the governments about the Ksi Lisims LNG project.
“Our council and the Canadian and B.C. governments have all agreed that the Haida Nation holds Aboriginal title to all of Haida Gwaii from the mountain tops to the low tide mark. We have been discussing this project with the governments for several years through the Crown environmental assessment process to seek our views on the proposed project.”
The CHN is advocating for increased response capacity, including the continued presence of dedicated Emergency Tow Vessels in response to increases in marine traffic transiting to and from the North Coast of B.C., and Canada and B.C.’s shared interest in fast-tracking major projects that include marine shipping.
The Haida Nation is looking to advocate for its people, said the CHN.
“We will continue to exercise Haida title to the marine space through our government-to-government arrangements, and as a nation, we continue to build our Title Case for Haida Marine Territory.”
