Northern Gateway's proponent is raising hackles in northern communities over a pre-emptive initiative that involves tree-clearing and drilling along the route of the controversial multibillion-dollar pipeline, which has yet to be approved.
Enbridge (TSX:ENB) has submitted 32 applications to the B.C. government to conduct various technical studies along the proposed route.
Enbridge spokesman Ivan Giesbrecht told Business in Vancouver that the applications – all of which were filed to complete work such as geotechnical and geophysical surveys, not construction – are an expected part of the pipeline assessment process.
He added that questions from both community members and politicians arise during community hearings and require further technical analysis to answer. The data gleaned from the studies will also help Enbridge determine a final cost for the pipeline.
The Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resources is currently processing all of Enbridge's applications for approval.
That lack of approval, however, hasn't stopped Enbridge from doing some preliminary work in Fort St. James – and catching the ire of local residents and First Nations communities as a result.
Sandra Sulyma lives in Fort St. James on a sprawling property near the Stuart River. About 200 metres upstream from her house is the site where Enbridge plans for Northern Gateway to cross the river.
Sulyma said she was visited on July 23 by two First Nations men who wanted access to her property "to collect information for a development." The vague description made her suspicious, so she asked the pair for details on the development and which company they worked for.
The men eventually told Sulyma they were from the Skin Tyee Nation, a Burns Lake-area band, and were escorting a team of consultants working for Enbridge. Sulyma said the consultants remained at the end of her driveway and didn't join the two men at her door.
"Enbridge needs to do better than that. I mean – a development?" said Sulyma, noting she has been active in Enbridge discussions in her community.
"It left me with a really frustrated, angry feeling. There was no notification from Enbridge of any work being done or even that they may be working."
Giesbrecht confirmed that Enbridge contractors are doing "preliminary surveillance work" in Fort St. James area, but said the job doesn't require going on any private property.
"This is part of the process," said Giesbrecht.
"We wanted to be mindful and let people know we were in the area. The contractors did have First Nations community members with them."
Word of Sulyma's experience, first reported in local newspaper the Caledonia Courier, prompted the Yinka Dene Alliance to send a cease-and-desist letter to Enbridge, warning the company not to proceed with any work on the traditional territories of Yinka Dene Alliance members.
The Yinka Dene Alliance is comprised of six northern B.C. First Nations communities. The traditional territory of the Nak'azdli First Nation, a member of the alliance, includes a portion of the Stuart River where the Enbridge consultants were attempting to do surveillance work.
The letter reads, "We are the Chiefs of the Yinka Dene Alliance. Since the time the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipelines and tankers project was announced, we have told you plainly that we will not allow your project to cross our territories. We stand firm in this."
The Joint Review Panel, a group appointed by the National Energy Board (NEB) to investigate the Northern Gateway proposal, concluded its review last month. The panel held community hearings in Edmonton, Prince Rupert, Prince George and Terrace to gather information.
The panel has until the end of 2013 to submit its recommendation to the NEB. After that, the federal government has six months to make its final decision on whether to approve the pipeline.
