BC North Central - Community Advisory Boards

BC North Central Community Advisory Board – Round 19
March 14, 2014
Prince George, BC – The BC North Central Community Advisory Board (CAB) for the
Northern Gateway Pipelines project (Northern Gateway) met at the Coast Inn of the North on Friday to
hear presentations about the Joint Review Panel (JRP) process and recommendations, Northern
Gateway’s environmental plans and fieldwork programs and Northern Gateway’s plan for pump
stations. At lunch, the CAB was also joined by additional members of the public and guest speaker
Amber Pastoor, Manager of Stakeholder Engagement for Enbridge Inc. Janet Holder, leader of the
Northern Gateway Project also attended and engaged in a Q&A session with the luncheon participants.
Michele Perret, Director, Aboriginal and Public Engagement for Northern Gateway explained that the
Joint Review Panel’s report, which recommended approval of the Northern Gateway Project subject to
209 conditions (many of which were voluntary), does not complete the review process. The Governor in
Council will make a final decision within 180 days from when the report was released on December 19th,
2013. Michele also updated the CABs about the recent appointment of the Honourable Jim Prentice,
who will be working to build partnerships with Aboriginal communities along the proposed right-of-way
(RoW). Prentice was the former federal Minister of Indian Affairs Northern Development, and has spent
30 years working closely with First Nations. Lastly, Ms. Perret reminded the group about the recently
launched the Regional Skills and Businesses Database, which has been designed to connect local
residents from communities near the Northern Gateway project to employment and business
opportunities associated with the project and/or with Northern Gateway’s contractors and service
providers.
Shane Kelly and Steve Jasper updated the CABs about Northern Gateway’s environmental plans and
programs, including current environmental fieldwork. Geotechnical data collection is currently taking
place along the proposed right-of-way (RoW) and includes drilling to sample and examine soil and rock,
geophysical surveying, and instrumentation installations. Environmental surveys such as fisheries,
vegetation, wildlife, archeology and paleontology are also taking place. We heard through the JRP
process and through public consultation that people desired further detailed information about the
technical aspects of the project; data collection and surveying is one way of obtaining this information.
Northern Gateway has listened and continues to listen to communities to develop these programs, and
this is another opportunity for people to become involved on the project moving forward.
Mike Horner, Senior Director of Pump Stations and Power, Enbridge Inc. explained that pumps are
required to provide the necessary force to keep liquid moving in a pipeline and showed images of the
many components of a pump station facility. The proposed Fort St. James and Bear Lake pump stations
are the closest pump stations to the BC North Central CAB. All ten pump stations will have redundant
safety and security systems including 24/7 onsite monitoring and are designed to contain any leaks
onsite.
Amber Pastoor, Enbridge’s Manager of Stakeholder Engagement, gave an informative presentation on
Enbridge’s history over the last 60 years, and the 30 additional pipeline projects that her team has
worked on including the Woodland Pipeline Expansion Project, Edmonton Terminal (South) Expansion
Project, and the Athabasca Twinning Project, which are all approved and are in construction. The
Norlite Pipeline Project and the Wood Buffalo Pipeline Extension Project were recently launched and
public consultation efforts are underway. Outside of Alberta, there are other mainline capacity
expansions such as Alberta Clipper (now known as line 67) that is adding 8 new pump stations to
increase capacity. Furthermore, the Line 3 Segment Replacement Program is an integrity-driven
replacement of approximately 420 miles of pipe – 7 segments in various locations. Pastoor also
discussed the work Enbridge is doing in power and transmission, including the Whitetail Peaking Station
Proposal near Peace River, which would supply power during peak periods when demand requires it.
Janet Holder, leader of the Northern Gateway Project discussed how community participation in the
CABs has made Northern Gateway a better project. Northern Gateway has heard many issues and
concerns that have been raised through the CAB and other forms of engagement, such as the protection
of fisheries. In response, Northern Gateway has committed to increased wall thickness for the pipes, and
numerous marine environmental protection programs. The Project has undertaken one of the most
comprehensive regulatory reviews in North American history, and many of the conditions set out by the
JRP ensure that Northern Gateway’s commitments become official conditions to the approval of the
project.
Laura Estep, Partner with Dentons LLP and external legal counsel for Northern Gateway, provided a
high-level overview of the Joint Review Panel report and recommendation. The Joint Review Panel
report is very well written and people are encouraged to take the time to read a few chapters. The
conditions are tough, stringent, and well thought-out, and Northern Gateway will need to work hard to
meet those conditions. Northern Gateway will need to comply with all conditions, and will be closely
monitored. The JRP was satisfied that the project is, and will be, required by the present and future
public convenience and necessity, taking into account the terms and conditions set out in Appendix 1,
including all commitments made by Northern Gateway during the hearing process. The JRP also found
the CABs to be important multi-stakeholder venues that can facilitate continued dialogue, potentially
over the project's entire life.
About the Community Advisory Boards
Established in June 2009, the CABs are an integral aspect of the Northern Gateway consultation and
engagement processes. They provide an opportunity for participants to arrive at a common body of
knowledge, discuss regional interests or concerns, recommend improvements or enhancements to
Northern Gateway, and educate the general public.
CABs have been designed to be inclusive of diverse community interests in five geographic regions along
the proposed pipeline right-of-way. They include representatives from (but not limited to) environment
groups, Aboriginal groups, municipal governments, community organizations, and the public. CAB
membership is open to the public through a formal pre-registration process and anyone can register to
attend as an observer. To learn more about the CABs, view presentations or find links to videos and
topics discussed at the CAB meetings please visit www.communityadvisoryboards.com.
Contact
CAB Planning Team
1-888-434-0533
[email protected]

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