Ep. 189: Do First Nations support the LNG industry?

Guest: Ellis Ross, former Haisla Chief Councillor

Liquefied natural gas, LNG, is on the horizon in British Columbia.

The BC government supports it, and sees LNG exports as a source of revenue and jobs. But will LNG plants and their associated natural-gas pipelines get built? If so, when? There are obstacles along the way, and one is First Nations participation.

The public is often told that First Nations in BC are opposed to energy development, that they are in agreement with environmentalists who want to stop the development of carbon fuels in the province.

The First Nations LNG Alliance says that perception is both exaggerated and incorrect. The alliance includes communities between the northeast of the province and Kitimat, where two major LNG facilities are in the final stages of making investment decisions.

The Alliance is a collective of First Nations that states its objective is to participate in, and be supportive of, sustainable and responsible LNG development in the province.

Above all else, they say the creation of opportunities for First Nations men and women to find employment in their communities is a top priority. So is bringing in revenue to close the economic gap between Indigenous communities and the non-Indigenous.

We asked former Haisla Chief Councillor, Ellis Ross, now the MLA for Skeena, to join us for a Conversation That Matters to talk about why he opposed the Northern Gateway Pipeline but supports the development of LNG in BC.