New line would see electrical transmission from Prince George to Prince Rupert doubled<\/p>\n
A group of northern First Nations has signed an agreement with the Province and BC Hydro\u00a0for co-ownership of the proposed North Coast Transmission Line (NCTL).<\/p>\n
The NCTL would see BC Hydro’s electrical transmission from Prince George to Prince Rupert doubled in capacity.<\/p>\n
Leaders from Lax Kw\u2019alaams, Metlakatla, Witset, Ts\u2019il Kaz Koh, Wet\u2019suwet\u2019en First Nation, Nee Tahi Buhn Band, and Wet\u2019suwet\u2019en Hereditary Chiefs signed non-binding term sheets with the provincial government and BC Hydro on July 21 in a ceremony hosted on Squamish traditional territory. The event was facilitated by Squamish Nation Elders and featured youth witnesses from participating Nations.<\/p>\n
The agreement outlines more than 150 pages of terms enabling the participating Nations to partner in building, owning, and benefiting from the NCTL. According to K\u2019uul Power, the company formed by participating Nations to lead negotiations, the final project agreement could be worth over $1.4 billion in financial benefits to First Nations\u2014excluding an additional minimum of $450 million in construction opportunities earmarked for First Nations businesses.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is just the beginning,\u201d said Ts\u2019il Kaz Koh Chief and K\u2019uul Power Chair Wes Sam. \u201cThere are many more projects to come. K\u2019uul Power and the collaborating Nations are demonstrating what First Nations can achieve by working together.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sam acknowledged the intensive effort that went into reaching this stage.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe K\u2019uul Power team, alongside [the Province]\u00a0and BC Hydro, spent thousands of hours getting this deal to where it is \u2014 and there is a lot more work to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
BC Energy and Climate Solutions Minister Adrian Dix called the agreement \u201ca foundation for how we will build the North Coast Transmission Line together,\u201d and praised the partners\u2019 commitment to training and job opportunities for Nation members.<\/p>\n
Lax Kw\u2019alaams Councillor Joey Wesley described the agreement as \u201ca major step forward for First Nations in building the new decarbonized Canadian economy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wet\u2019suwet\u2019en First Nation Chief Maureen Luggi said the project offers \u201can historic opportunity\u201d to achieve economic reconciliation.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe believe the Term Sheets as executed provide the sound basis for a fair development that will benefit the environment and all British Columbians,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis collaboration between First Nations on these term sheets was history in the making,\u201d added Nee Tahi Buhn Chief Marcella Morris. \u201cThe execution on the term sheets sets a precedent for how business should be carried out in British Columbia.\u201d<\/p>\n
Metlakatla Chief Robert Nelson agreed: \u201cThis is a great demonstration of what we can achieve if we work together and we need to continue to do so.\u201d<\/p>\n
BC Hydro President and CEO Chris O\u2019Riley said the project will support growing industrial demand while forging \u201ca new model of collaboration\u2014one that includes co-ownership.\u201d<\/p>\n
Witset Elected Chief Elgin Cutler emphasized the significance of unity among Wet\u2019suwet\u2019en leadership.<\/p>\n
\u201cTrue strength is reflected when the elected Chief and Council stand alongside our Hereditary Chiefs in unity and mutual respect,\u201d he said. \u201cThis agreement builds on that unity and gives our people a real voice in action and in decision-making.\u201d<\/p>\n
Construction on the North Coast Transmission Line is expected to begin in 2026. In the meantime, negotiations will continue toward final project agreements.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"New line would see electrical transmission from Prince George to Prince Rupert doubled A group of northern First…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":45710,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[49,48,295,66],"class_list":["post-45709","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-environment","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45709","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45709"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45709\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45710"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45709"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45709"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45709"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}