FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Gitanyow Hereditary Chiefs Statement re: Federal Inclusion of Ksi Lisims LNG on Major Projects List
Today’s announcement by Prime Minister Carney to include Ksi Lisims liquefied natural gas on the major projects list is part of a growing and alarming trend seen in Bill C-5 and B.C.’s Bill 15 to forfeit Indigenous consent and environmental accountability under the guise of reshaping Canada’s economy.
Ksi Lisims LNG, a floating LNG facility and marine terminal in Northwest B.C. to be constructed outside of Canada, would be located next to the mouth of the Nass River where salmon migrate on their way to Gitanyow territory in the mid-Nass. Juvenile Chinook salmon that Gitanyow depend on for their fisheries have been found at the proposed project site.
Gitanyow faces significant risks from the LNG facility and has challenged the project, unsuccessfully, in court over threats to salmon populations in the Nass Watershed, climate impacts, inadequate consultation and absence of Indigenous consent.
Indigenous Peoples — including Gitanyow — have withheld consent for this project, as required under the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples to which Canada is a signatory.
The B.C. government acknowledged that there was a lack of consent from several communities, leading Gitanyow to expect further legal and regulatory challenges.
Ksi Lisims faces major economic challenges as well despite receiving federal and provincial tax subsidies. The facility is expected to come online, if constructed on schedule, in 2028, amid an impending LNG supply glut, which will drive down LNG prices globally and threaten Ksi Lisims LNG’s financial stability.
The Gitanyow Hereditary Chiefs used our own evidence-based climate test and found that the Ksi Lisims project’s climate footprint is considered a major concern across the majority of the Gitanyow Climate Test’s criteria.
Quotes by Simogyet Watakhayetsxw/Deborah Good
“This LNG project brings to our Lax’yip salmon habitat destruction and concerns that its impact will be the death knell for at-risk Chinook salmon, which has been declining for more than a decade.
“We’ve had to go to court to fight for our way of life and especially the continuing health of our salmon stocks. Our lands and rights to salmon are unceded, and this means consent and consultation are required.
“We won’t give up because for us, this is a fight for our way of life — for the salmon that have sustained our economy, culture, people and way of life since time immemorial.”
Quotes by Naxginkw/Tara Marsden, Wilp Sustainability Director
“It’s hard to believe that the federal government is subsidizing and offering further support for climate-destroying LNG projects in the midst of a climate crisis.
“LNG projects are environmentally and financially risky choices. Without the substantial government subsidies they receive, they likely wouldn’t be viable. Those subsidies would be better spent supporting a sustainable economy grounded in renewable energy and responsible resource development, like we practice on our territory. Gitanyow won’t stop its fight against LNG projects like Ksi Lisims.”
Background:
Gitanyow territory, known as the Gitanyow Lax’yip, is located in Northwestern British Columbia and includes a small portion of the Skeena watershed in the Upper Kitwanga and Kispiox watersheds.
The Nass River, which crosses Gitanyow territory before entering into Nisga’a territory and emptying into the Portland Canal, is the “integral lifeblood of the Gitanyow Lax’yip”, providing key spawning habitat for salmon, including important tributaries such as the Meziadin River.
The Gitanyow have been operating in accordance with the Gitanyow Lax’yip Land Use Plan for over a decade. The plan, agreed to by the province, aims to protect Gitanyow Ha’Nii Tokxw (food security, or “food table”) by protecting the Lax’yip ecosystem.
In 2021, the Gitanyow Hereditary Chiefs adopted the Wilp Sustainability Assessment Process, or WSAP. Under the Gitanyow WSAP, a person proposing a project that may impact Gitanyow Lax’yip or Gitanyow Huwilp must notify the GHC Office about the details of the project. The Gitanyow have never received any notification for the Ksi Lisims LNG project.
For more information and media requests:
Theresa Beer
778-874-3396
[email protected]
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