A collective representing multiple Indigenous communities in British Columbia is urging Ottawa and the Alberta government to stop pushing forward with the West Coast pipeline, arguing that expanding the oil industry will hasten climate change and related disasters.
In a letter directed to Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs underscored the broad-reaching negative impacts of expanding fossil fuel production, linking it to events like devastating wildfires, destructive floods, and rising sea levels already affecting the nation. The group published the letter on the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples to reiterate its opposition to the pipeline due to what it perceives as insufficient consultation and cooperation with the First Nations.
The Indigenous organization criticized the government for pre-determining the project’s course, selecting potential development partners, and publicly endorsing its economic viability without meaningful engagement with Indigenous communities. In response, Alberta’s Ministry of Indigenous Relations spokesperson, Karah Folk, defended the project by highlighting the long-term benefits it could bring to Indigenous groups, assuring ongoing consultation as the project advances.
The proposed 1,250-kilometre West Coast pipeline aims to transport over one million barrels of crude oil daily from Bruderheim, Alberta, to a port near Delta, British Columbia, for export to global markets. The pipeline project is championed by the Alberta government and would be jointly owned by Trans Mountain, the Alberta Petroleum Marketing Commission, and Pembina Pipeline Corp.
Last week, Ottawa initiated the process to designate the project as of national interest under the Building Canada Act, potentially expediting its development and bypassing certain environmental regulations. This move is subject to public feedback until mid-September. Additionally, Ottawa and Alberta have linked the pipeline’s approval to a carbon storage initiative named Pathways, designed to mitigate emissions from increased oil production by transporting them to an underground storage hub near Cold Lake, Alberta.
Despite these efforts, concerns have been raised by the Canadian Climate Institute about the substantial increase in emissions that the West Coast pipeline’s operation would enable compared to the emissions mitigated by the Pathways project. The West Coast pipeline is part of several initiatives approved or proposed by Carney’s Major Projects Office to enhance Canada’s self-reliance, contribute to the economy, advance Indigenous interests, and align with national climate goals.
The Building Canada Act outlines the regulatory framework for these projects, with three other initiatives already in the process of receiving national interest designation under the act. These include the Grays Bay road and port project in Nunavut, the Mackenzie Valley Highway in the Northwest Territories, and the Nuclear Waste Management Organization’s deep geological repository in northern Ontario.