TC Energy Corp. has announced option agreements signed with 16 First Nations along the route of the Coastal GasLink pipeline in northern B.C., to sell a 10 per cent stake in the project that will deliver natural gas to the LNG Canada export terminal at Kitimat.
The company announced the agreements Wednesday, along with Chief Corrina Leween of the Cheslatta Carrier Nation and Chief Justin Napoleon of the Saulteau First Nations. The equity agreement includes 16 of the 20 Indigenous communities along the pipeline route that already have business partnerships with the project.
鈥淔or years we have watched industry and governments generate revenues from the operations of their projects, while we live with the impacts,鈥� Napoleon said in a joint statement with the company March. 9. 鈥淭his investment in Coastal GasLink will finally start to shift the landscape, aligning industry and Indigenous peoples鈥� interests over the entire life cycle of a project.鈥�
Leween, a member of the CGL First Nations Limited Partnership management committee, said the agreement is 鈥渁 historic milestone鈥� for the Indigenous communities in the region, the first time they have been included as owners in any natural resource project in their territories.
Earlier this month, Coastal Gaslink that the Nadleh Whut鈥檈n First Nation, in a joint venture with Macro Pipelines, was awarded the prime construction contract for section five of the pipeline. A similar contract was awarded to Ledcor-Haisla Limited Partnership in May 2021.
鈥淲e recognize that enduring relationships need to include long-term economic opportunities that support the resiliency of Indigenous communities,鈥� said Bevin Wirzba, president of Coastal GasLink.
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