Carrier Sekani Tribal Council tribal chief David Luggi is questioning the validity of Enbridge's claim of support among First Nations for its proposed Northern Gateway pipeline.
Enbridge said this week that 60 per cent of First Nations along the pipeline route have signed onto the company's offer of a 10 per cent equity stake in the 1,170-kilometre project, but Luggi suspects the proportion drops among those who would be closest to the project.
The offer was made to First Nations whose territory is within an 80-kilometre corridor along the route and that has helped inflate the figure, Luggi said.
"Those First Nations on the periphery, of course they're going to sign because they're getting a proposed benefit if the pipeline goes through another nation's impacted territory," Luggi said. "So those nations on the periphery are being counted along with those directly impacted."
He suspects that just two of the First Nations whose territory the pipeline would pass through have agreed to the equity stake.
Art Sterritt, executive director of the Coastal First Nations, an alliance of 10 First Nations who oppose the project and that live on the land the pipeline will traverse, has also said just two along the route have accepted the offer.
There are 45 First Nations along the pipeline, but Enbridge has declined to give a final figure on how many signed on because of contractual agreements.
Enbridge has said First Nations who sign the deal will get about $280 million over 30 years, and the cash would start flowing within the first year of the pipeline's operation.
Even if the project wins approval, Luggi predicted Enbridge will still have a legal battle on its hands.
"The next step that I can see is this project will be challenged in the courts of Canada," Luggi said.
- with files from Canadian Press
.png;w=120;h=113;mode=crop)
